Trader Joe's deodorant has some BAD ingredients!

[J2]

Trader Joe's was my last hope in finding a deodorant that might help with wetness. I finally found the ingredients of it before buying it on ebay and I came across 2 ingredients that do not sound good! I stopped looking up the ingredients after that. The ingredients are sodium hydroxide and triethanolamine.

Truth in Aging website states that sodium hydroxide has been linked to cancer and damages skin cells and that it is classified as expected to be toxic or harmful and can affect the brain and nervous system. 

About triethanolamine, the Truth in Aging website states that it can be harmful over a long period of time and can cause cancer.

So definitely not going to use Trader Joes deodorant. I guess I will be making my own! Have purchased the ingredients already so now just time to do it! Can not believe that Trader Joe's deodorant has so much icky ingredients!

[branditopolis]

sodium hydroxide is lye.  it's in all soaps, so really you already use it regularly.

[laohaire]

The deodorant I make myself is by far the best I've ever used. I wish I could go back in time and give it to myself as a teenager. The reason I like it so much is not because "oh, it's soooo crunchy, I made it myself!" but because it WORKS like no other non-antiperspirant does.

[Imakcerka]

recipe!  I'm a mitchem girl since these pits have a mind of their own!  Jerks!

Originally Posted by laohaire 

The deodorant I make myself is by far the best I've ever used. I wish I could go back in time and give it to myself as a teenager. The reason I like it so much is not because "oh, it's soooo crunchy, I made it myself!" but because it WORKS like no other non-antiperspirant does.

[laohaire]

It's a real complex recipe. Hold on to your butt.

• Coconut oil
• Baking soda

Soften oil. Mix ingredients together in some ratio. Roughly half and half?

Some people add cornstarch to it. I don't bother.

The coconut oil is a medium that helps the baking soda stick to the pits. It also has antibacterial properties. The baking soda is the deodorant. I just take a pinch and rub it on the old pit. The coconut oil melts at skin temperature, and it smells really nice. And it just stops odors cold. You'd think it would leave a ton of residue, but it doesn't seem to (though I confess I haven't tested it on a black evening dress or anything).

I have a little plastic container with a lid that I keep it in.

[greencrunchymom]

http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/how-to-make-deodorant I use this recipe.  It works very well!

[Imakcerka]

SLOW DOWN!  Way too many ingredients and way too difficult. 

Thanks, so trying this!
 

Originally Posted by laohaire 

It's a real complex recipe. Hold on to your butt.

• Coconut oil
• Baking soda

Soften oil. Mix ingredients together in some ratio. Roughly half and half?

Some people add cornstarch to it. I don't bother.

The coconut oil is a medium that helps the baking soda stick to the pits. It also has antibacterial properties. The baking soda is the deodorant. I just take a pinch and rub it on the old pit. The coconut oil melts at skin temperature, and it smells really nice. And it just stops odors cold. You'd think it would leave a ton of residue, but it doesn't seem to (though I confess I haven't tested it on a black evening dress or anything).

I have a little plastic container with a lid that I keep it in.

[laohaire]

I typed extra slow for you.

[Imakcerka]

Thank you! 

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I typed extra slow for you.

[DoubleDouble]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

You'd think it would leave a ton of residue, but it doesn't seem to (though I confess I haven't tested it on a black evening dress or anything).

Pure baking soda and an old toothbrush is what I use to take the deodorant stains out of dark t-shirts (stains from regular drugstore deodorant, obviously.)

[Imakcerka]

I'm gonna smell so delicious!  Armpit licking is not cool right?  I mean if DH tried it... Ok hiding from shame...

[Mulvah]

Hmm...I am not sure the coconut-soda deodorant would work for me.  I am tempted to try, though.
 

[Imakcerka]

I'll let you know... I'm one stanky lady.  Yes I just said that.

[branditopolis]

I put the corn starch because straight up baking soda pretty much eats away at my skin.  Imakcerka, if you have sensitive skin you might not want to try the baking soda & coconut oil straight up and go out in public... the itching and rawness will drive you madddd

[Imakcerka]

Ok I tried it.  While it's nice and all... it did not keep me in check.  It lasted for at least 6 hrs.  Until I went out and raked the front yard... then no more. 

[laohaire]

Sorry to hear it. I figured since I have a problem with stink, it was pretty good.

However, it's also possible that my main problem with stink is a reaction to one or more chemicals in commercial deodorant. I actually smell worse after using it than if I just went without. (Though I certainly do eventually stink going without too, but in a different way).

I didn't realize the purpose of the cornstarch, though I know it's used in general as a medium to help things slide around better. I do have some, so I'll try it in the next batch. Usually I don't have a problem with irritation with the baking soda, but the time recently I had to do a business trip and I was sweating a lot (stiff polyestered clothes, too much air-conditioning, and being forced to make sales pitches to IT chiefs about software that I'm not intimate with does that to me) I applied this stuff frequently and it did irritate me.

[branditopolis]

laohaire, I hear it's also supposed to help absorb some of the moisture so that might be a plus for for the days you have some serious presentations 

[Russianmaddness]

Lady,
Have you lost your marbles? Or are you here trying to promote some anti aging website? Have you had any proper education? Because I don't think you do, and if you're trying to make your own deodorant without being educated in chemistry, I would say you should just give up and not wear deodorant at all.

You SHOULD take a few chemistry and biology classes at a local college perhaps before saying things like sodium hydroxide is VERY harmful for you. Yes it is (have you seen the fight club?) but not in it's neutralized form which is basically as harmless as your review here to people who know better. If there was actual pure sodium hydroxide, your skin would literally BURN of off you! Well, technically, burn small holes in your skin and with lots of pain.
Anyway, maybe writing reviews isn't for you (unreliable sources are BAD)
Let us know how your deodorant came out :-)

[Russianmaddness]

I hope my comment does not offend anyone else here. It's just simple facts that a human body can't live without sodium and that sodium makes up so much of us that I had to get through to this woman. Im sure homemade stuff may work, but trader joes isn't bad either. If you just have a stinky sweat problem, I swear on my life, a week after I used trader joes deodorant, the smell of sweat completely disappeared. It freaked me out at first (and for long after) but it's amazing. Well amazing for those who don't drink too much water or produce as much sweat as I do. This deodorant does NOT help you sweat less in any sort of way! But odors are non existent. I'm actually thinking that the commercial deodorants make your swear smell worse once you stop using them which makes a consumer addicted to it. I say, trader hoe's deodorant and taking 2 showers a day (like a rinse off, no scrubbing required kind) is probably the best solution for someone like ME. Putting oil under my pitties scares me, can just imagine the oil drip sweat haha!

[Fujiko]

Originally Posted by Russianmaddness 

Lady,
Have you lost your marbles? Or are you here trying to promote some anti aging website? Have you had any proper education? Because I don't think you do, and if you're trying to make your own deodorant without being educated in chemistry, I would say you should just give up and not wear deodorant at all.
You SHOULD take a few chemistry and biology classes at a local college perhaps before saying things like sodium hydroxide is VERY harmful for you. Yes it is (have you seen the fight club?) but not in it's neutralized form which is basically as harmless as your review here to people who know better. If there was actual pure sodium hydroxide, your skin would literally BURN of off you! Well, technically, burn small holes in your skin and with lots of pain.
Anyway, maybe writing reviews isn't for you (unreliable sources are BAD)
Let us know how your deodorant came out :-)

Originally Posted by Russianmaddness 

I hope my comment does not offend anyone else here. It's just simple facts that a human body can't live without sodium and that sodium makes up so much of us that I had to get through to this woman. Im sure homemade stuff may work, but trader joes isn't bad either. If you just have a stinky sweat problem, I swear on my life, a week after I used trader joes deodorant, the smell of sweat completely disappeared. It freaked me out at first (and for long after) but it's amazing. Well amazing for those who don't drink too much water or produce as much sweat as I do. This deodorant does NOT help you sweat less in any sort of way! But odors are non existent. I'm actually thinking that the commercial deodorants make your swear smell worse once you stop using them which makes a consumer addicted to it. I say, trader hoe's deodorant and taking 2 showers a day (like a rinse off, no scrubbing required kind) is probably the best solution for someone like ME. Putting oil under my pitties scares me, can just imagine the oil drip sweat haha!

Well, what you've said isn't the most accurate, either. You are correct that the human body could not survive without sodium. It is true. But that doesn't mean sodium in any form is fine and dandy. (Have you ever tried to eat pure sodium? I don't suggest it.) I'm pretty sure that you can't absorb a significant amount of sodium through the pits.

At any rate, it's okay to be concerned with ingredients in care products, even if we aren't biochemists. And if we find something with ingredients we know are safe, and it works, why not, you know?

I like finding alternatives to commercially prepared products. But that's also because I like not buying these "necessities" that we've been convinced we need. (Stickin' it to the MAN!)

And for full disclosure, I actually do use Trader Joe's deodorant. LOL