Have you made homemade deodorant from the My Buttered Life: Personal Edition ebook?
Here are the reasons I use bentonite clay:
- Many people who tried the baking soda based deodorants found baking soda to be irritating to the skin.
- Bentonite clay contains a high concentration of minerals.
- Bentonite clay is often used in bathing to soften the skin.
- Bentonite is a “swelling clay.” I found that it works perfectly in the recipe to keep all the ingredients bound together, with no need for refrigeration.
One question from a customer: “I noticed on Mountain Rose Herbs website that it contains aluminum. I know one of the main reasons to stay away from regular deodorant is that it contains aluminum, so I was just confused why I would want to use Bentonite Clay?”
Here’s my answer to Emily:
I first went to Katie at Wellness Mama and found that she had studied it, concluding that it’s safe. You can see her interaction here: http://wellnessmama.com/5915/the-benefits-of-healing-clays/ (do a page search for aluminum and you’ll see her conversation.)
Then I wanted more info, so I went to www.redmondclay.com to see what they had to say. They have an extensive answer here: http://www.redmondclay.com/2012/what-about-the-aluminum-in-redmond-clay/ I have chatted with this company on the phone before and fully trust their opinion.
Another good resource that isn’t a company is Leslie from www.crunchybetty.com. Start with this post:
http://www.crunchybetty.com/not-a-secret-homemade-deodorant and then scroll through the hundreds of comments (or, to be faster with it, do a page search for aluminum and you’ll see it referenced 16 times, mostly in the comments).
One more question I’ve received is regarding bentonite clay coming in contact with metal. According to Redmond Clay, it is best not to have clay stored in aluminum, copper, iron, or other metal. I would take this to imply that you shouldn’t blend your ingredients in an aluminum bowl, either. I use my glass Pyrex containers, so I haven’t tried the aluminum to see if the outcome is different. The reason given by WellnessMama is because it will reduce the effectiveness. I don’t know if this refers to the effectiveness of the clay as a detox, or if it would go further to imply that you may have mixed results with the recipe outcome. For best results, avoid the metal equipment. I do have a tiny metal part in my stick blender; this has not affected the outcome of my homemade deodorant.