How to Balance Your PH When Using Homemade Deodorants Containing Baking Soda

Making the switch to a natural deodorant free of aluminum and chemicals from your regular commercial anti-antiperspirant and deodorant can seem a little challenging at first. While natural homemade deodorants do work if created with the right combination of ingredients in keeping the stink away, they can potentially lead to some other issues like some serious itching under your arms and even an irritated rash. Most likely you are not allergic to the ingredients in your homemade deodorant, but rather you are experiencing what happens when your PH gets thrown off. Or, like me, you made the mistake of applying your natural deodorant alternative directly after shaving under your arms. Or, a not very pleasant combination of both. While some people never experience this type of discomfort from switching to a natural deodorant, there are those of us that do.

Rather than trying to figure out exactly how to balance the PH in the deodorant recipe which I’ll leave up to chem majors – I know sodium hydroxide is sometimes used for this purpose, there are a few other quite simple options. Betty, author of Crunchy Betty’s Food on Your Face for Acne and Oily Skin and the girl behind Crunchy Betty blog, recently wrote a blog article on how to balance the PH in your homemade deodorant.

Because baking soda is alkaline, consistent use can throw off the PH balance of the skin you are applying it to. So if you have tried homemade deodorant that started out all well and good only to have it apparently backfire on you some days later, an out of balance PH very well could be the culprit. To prevent the raw, itchy and irritated skin that results from a PH imbalance, Crunchy Betty (as pictured above) suggests turning to a pantry staple – apple cider vinegar. Simply combine one Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one cup of distilled water and spritz onto your armpits. Once dry, apply your natural homemade deodorant as usual. (If you are currently experiencing a reaction, allow your skin to heal first before trying out this regimen.)

Secondly, you should also make sure you wait at least 30 minutes AFTER shaving to apply your homemade deodorant. Or any deodorant for that matter. (I totally fail on this one.)

Additionally, you can try substituting arrowroot powder for the baking soda portion of your deodorant as well as including more skin nourishing ingredients within your homemade deodorant recipe. For more complete information on this topic, visit the Crunchy Betty blog.

If you’d like to make your own natural deodorant, then be sure to try my own natural homemade deodorant recipes for Natural Lavender & Patchouli Deodorant (which comes with free printable labels) and my previous simpler Basic Natural Deodorant Recipe along with a collection of a few others. You can also try out the Mountain Rose Herbs’ recipes for two Natural DIY Spray Deodorant Recipes that combine organic witch hazel and essential oils (pictured above.) You may also enjoy my DIY Bath & Body Board on Pinterest.

Do you use a natural homemade deodorant? I’d love to hear why or why not and whether or not you’ve encountered issues using a homemade deodorant.