My journey into the handmade deodorant and soap arena started many years ago when I read about the risks of aluminum in antiperspirants. But I've struggled over the years with deodorants working effectively. You see, I'm one of those people who sweat. No, I don't perspire, but sweat. And sometimes with sweat comes odor. Well, with me it was a given -- odor. Yuck. So I've tried many natural deodorants and over-the-counter brands. Sometimes I would need to apply the stuff 3-4 times a day. And then the dreaded hot flashes came. When you're hot, you sweat. Talk about discouraging.

So I started researching for myself what would work for a person such a me.

It's interesting that I first just wanted to make my own soap to save myself some money. I love handmade soap but I wanted it with my scent and not someone else's. I love the different recipes I use and the essential oils I add. So refreshing since I need to take a shower everyday because of the above mentioned odor problem. And then other people around me wanted to try the soaps and mentioned how much they love the lather and the smell. All my soaps are made using the cold process method from scratch with all natural ingredients.

Now, back to my researching for the deodorant...once I started reading about them and actually looked at the ingredients of my current all natural deodorant I bought online, I realized that with my soap making supplies I have the majority of what I need to make my own deodorant. And wow -- am I loving what I'm using. No longer do I need to apply a deodorant 3-4 times a day. It's usually once and maybe twice if I've had a stressful day. I put some on before going to bed to wake up refreshed in the morning (that's the second application if I need it).

Since I started this process in the cooler months here in Michigan, I'm really looking forward to testing out my product in the summer when it really counts.

For those of you with baking soda sensitivity, I will soon have a baking soda-free version just for you.