After posting the deal on coconut oil last week I had several requests for body care recipes using this oil. So today in our baby step to healthier living series I am going to concentrate on healthy body care items with recipes for deodorant and diaper rash cream. I found both of these recipes from Lindsay's site Passionate Homemaking. She LOVES coconut oil and uses it for just about everything. I have found a couple of her recipes that I really do think work. Up first is homemade deodorant. It takes 3 ingredients and seems to work really well. My husband is a man who uses deodorant several times a day and I can not stand the smell of the canned stuff when he gets into bed at night. I asked him to try my homemade stuff. At first he was a little unsure, but after having used it for several months now he really likes it. It does not have a scent and it keeps him from being stinky as well. The other perk is that it lasts a really long time.
Here is the recipe...
5-6 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)
1/4 cup baking soda
Mix everything together in a bowl. You may have to warm the oil a bit to get everything to mix. It will become solid again as it cools. You can then either leave the mixture in a bowl and apply with your fingers or place it in an empty deodorant container and apply that way. As you can see my husband left his in the bowl and has dug out an interesting pattern. You can use your fingers to warm it up a bit and then apply.
The next recipe I would like to share is for natural diaper rash cream. I have not had a chance to try this one out, but I am planning to soon. I did not have any shea butter or I would have taken some pictures for you. If you are interested in pictures you can check them out here.
Diaper Rash Cream
1/8 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw shea butter
1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch (not talc)
Combine all ingredients until you get the desired consistency and apply as normal.
We have used just coconut on my son's diaper rash before with good luck. I am sure this recipe would be even better. Coconut oil is a natural anti fungal which is nice when it comes to diaper rash.
If you would prefer to order your coconut oil and shea butter you can find it at Mountain Rose Herb.
Let me know if anyone tries these recipes and what you think. From what I hear coconut oil is also a great moisturizer for the hands and face as well. Isn't it amazing how the Lord provides us with such a great multipurpose oil? Who needs to buy lots of different products?
Thanks for sharing these. Our chiropractors (brothers) are big fans of coconut oil. My daughter had some redness in her cheeks and nose one day when we were there because they were getting a little chapped from the cold and Dr. Nate recommended a shea butter & coconut oil mixture. Only problem is that I can't remember if he said 2 parts she butter to 1 part coconut oil or the other way around so I guess I'll have to ask tomorrow when we see him :-)
ReplyDeleteI had a really stubborn yeast infection for a while, and used coconut oil to relieve some of the irritation. It worked surprisingly well!
ReplyDeleteI'm also really excited about the deodorant recipe. I just ordered some arrowroot powder from our food co-op. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to use it for, but it seemed like something I should have on hand. Now I know what I'll do with it! I'm going to finish the deodorant I have, and then refill it with this recipe. I'll let you know how it goes!
I made the deodorant recipe about a month ago and I can't tell you how much I love it! It's the best deodorant I have ever used. My husband laughed at me until he tried it. Now he's asking for more. I used cornstarch instead of arrowroot because that's what I had. I will be making this one again and again. It's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI'll try this deodorant recipe. My Dad has used straight up baking soda for years and never smells bad. And yes I love coconut oil for so many things. I use it in my hair (thick, curly) as a "gel" and on my face as a spot treatment for pimples (dries them up quickly) and a moisturizer for my entire body.
ReplyDelete