Blackberry Wine Inspired, or, Can Mosquito Bites Send You Into Anaphylactic Shock?

September 25, 2009 by Danielle
Filed under: homemade beauty 

Tonight was supposed to be dedicated to toothpaste-making, but I still need spearmint and peppermint essential oils.  I have plenty of lavender and dried mint on hand, though, so I decided to make a little deodorant since I used my next-to-last crumbs up this morning anyway.  Most people who know that I make my deodorant exclaim one of two things: a mildly disgusted, “Why?” or “Cool! Can you make me some?”  This whole thing started my sophomore year when Lush abruptly stopped making their Aromacreme, a brand I’d been using and loving for a year or two.  I was devastated, and tried several all-natural brands that left me spelling like a damned Frito Chili Pie.  Needless to say I was tired of stinking, but I was also tired of shelling out anywhere from $3 to $15 on products that probably wouldn’t work for me, so I decided to google something like “homemade deodorant recipes.”  This is the first one I tried, and I just kept making it because it’s worked so well for me.  I’ve since learned that Lush’s Aromacreme is back in production, but there’s no way I’m going back to paying for that stuff when I can make this myself for a lot cheaper.

As for the recipe itself, here’s how it goes: I smashed up a little dried mint, lavender essential oil, and baking soda in the mortar and pestle and then mixed it all with cornstarch, baking soda, and coconut oil.  Any essential oil can be used, and the mint seems to be more for appearance than anything—I’ve been trying to perfect this combination for some time now, but half the time I can’t even smell the mint part.  Expect further experimentation on this combination in the future.

Easy Homemade Deodorant

1/2 C cornstarch
1/2 C baking soda (I used some of this portion to smash up the mint with)
1-3 T. coconut oil
A few drops of the essential oil of your choice

I just mix it all up and store it in an old pimento jar in my medicine cabinet.  This amount usually lasts me a few months!

P.S.  In reference to the title:  I’ve had half a bottle of blackberry wine, and I have a total of about thirteen mosquito bites from my knees down.  It’s been raining here for two weeks straight, and mosquitoes seem to find me irresistible.  I’m utterly miserable (and look like I have smallpox, to boot) and I’m wondering, is there a point when, like with ants or bees, one goes into anaphylactic shock?  I am the kind of person who can’t keep herself from scratching, and they keep getting bigger and bigger as I’m also terribly allergic.  I am desperate for some relief!

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Comments

7 Comments on Blackberry Wine Inspired, or, Can Mosquito Bites Send You Into Anaphylactic Shock?

  1. Katie on Mon, 5th Oct 2009 10:16 am

    2. Indeed, you can get anaphylactic shock from bites, but you’d have to be REALLY REALLY REALLY allergic or get something over 100 bites. I know you’re alive, so no anaphylactic shock, I guess. Try some benadryl cream if they keep itching you; or look for a home remedy that you’re so fond of :]

    I really enjoy your domain, too, dearie!

  2. jacqui on Fri, 6th Nov 2009 8:54 am

    3. how do you apply? and how much do you apply? i am intrigued. oh the dreaded frito chili pie–this such accurate description made me laugh out loud just now. =)
    thank you!

  3. Danielle on Sat, 7th Nov 2009 5:49 pm

    4. During the summer, application is really easy because coconut oil (what holds the cornstarch and baking soda together, pretty much) has a really low melting point and the deodorant stays creamy. I just dig my fingers in and rub about a dime-sized amount on my armpits. During the fall and winter, however, (especially if your house is old and poorly heated, like mine) a little rubbing is required to warm up the deodorant enough for the coconut oil to melt and become spreadable. This process is kind of weird or off-putting to some people, but I used Lush’s Aromacreme for a long time before I started making my own deodorant, and it’s applied in roughly the same way, so the whole thing wasn’t too foreign to me :)

  4. The Gabby Gourmand » Thanksgivin’ Time: Pumpkin Zucchini Bread on Sun, 22nd Nov 2009 5:14 pm

    5. [...] was poking around on Danielle’s blog a few weeks ago and I found a wonderful recipe for homemade deodorant, which by the way, freaking rocks.  I haven’t smelled so good for such an extended period of [...]

  5. A New Year’s Resolution of Sorts | Turby and John on Mon, 28th Dec 2009 7:13 pm

    6. [...] future dedorant-  disfordelicate’s easy homemade deodorant [...]

  6. BPA in home canning? | D is for Delicate on Mon, 19th Jul 2010 9:04 am

    7. [...] resource).  I’ve long been aware of these dangers, which is one of the reason I store my homemade deodorant and toothpaste in pimento jars.  I also knew that BPA could leech into the canned foods at the [...]

  7. Tea Tree Oil is a pretty effective deodorant. | Turby and John on Tue, 17th Aug 2010 7:19 am

    8. [...] within ten minutes, and it keeps me smelling fresh until nightfall. I was a pretty huge fan of the homemade deodorant that I’d been using, but I feel better about putting tea tree oil on my skin than baking [...]

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