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Zinc oxide use in natural deodorants
I have been searching for a long time a natural deodorant that really works and that I can make myself.
By really works I mean that you can:
- do sport activities
- climb a mountain on a 25°C full sunny day
- spend a hot day in a hot town
… and in the evening you still smell good. Or at least as good as using a classical deodorant (which is not always the best choice either).
I thought I’ve tried all natural deodorants that exist:
- alcohol based
- witch hazel based
- with baking soda
- with alum
- with antibacterial essential oils
- … and combinations of these…
But… at the end of the day I and my clothes still smelled unpleasant. And after sporty activities or in a hot weather, even worse. I do not sweat a lot – actually, almost not at all…. however all these deodorants just at the end of the day failed.
Not to talk about my fiancé, who sweats much more than me – all these did not convince him at all. He tried patiently, though…
And then, I found ZINC OXIDE aka ZnO !!!!!
Contents
Zinc oxide is a perfect active ingredient for natural deodorant
Why? I have made some research – including scientific papers – and I do bring you what I found, including the citations…
- Zinc oxide reacts with short fatty acids that are responsible for the unpleasant odor – by converting them into odorless zinc salts (much like the sodium hydroxide reacting with fatty acids in oils to produce soap) [1,3]
- Zinc oxide is three times more effective than aluminium chlorhydrate, used in deodorants and antiperspirants [1]
- It is antibacterial, so partially inhibits bacterial growth, inhibiting thus the decomposition of sweat [2], which is the main reason of unpleasant odor [3,4]. Not sure (meaning I did not find a scientific base for this) if it inhibits exactly those living in our armpits, but it works …-
- it is a powder, absorbing thus to some extent the sweat and the absorbed part does not decompose so fast
- is not absorbed by skin (particles above 30nm, be aware of nano-particles smaller than 30 nm!)
Disadvantage? It does not stop the sweating. You will sweat less but it won’t function as an 100% antiperspirant. My fiancé said: I sweat less than not using any and at the end of the day I smell considerably less than using some of the classical antiperspirants…
I must say, he really does not smell at the end of the day (I can feel something only if I put my nose in his armpit… 🙂 )
Zinc oxide deodorant in test
For a week we (me + my fiancé) have tested the pure zinc oxide powder as deodorant and we were very happy about its performance. However, it was during the week, and we work sitting in our offices, so no big deal. Moreover, we did not like the powder form, which is difficult to apply.
I prepared a sunblock cream with 30% Zinc oxide for testing purposes and we used it also as a deodorant.
The test that persuaded us was the climbing of La Berneuse (2045m), Switzerland, 12:00 – 19:30, full sun, 25°C in shadow – with the absolute elevation gain of 700m, in total 1000m.
Success: 100% – at the end of the day we both smelled only the white tea fragrance I added to the cream.
Comparison to other natural deodorants
The recipe that will follow is not the same as the one I used for sunblock recipe, as for deodorant I do not have to add all the expensive ingredients that are not necessary for deodorant.
I kept the 30% of ZnO [EDIT 15 July 2016: looking back at my recipe, I used 15.5% ZnO]and used aloe vera juice for the water phase (it has soothing properties, which is nice for armpits, where a lot of friction goes on)
The new version of the deodorant is as efficient as the “sunblock” version (have been using it for months since daily).
- I prefer this recipe over my stick deodorant recipe. The active ingredient there are baking soda, which should similarly to zinc oxide neutralize the short fatty acids responsible for malodour, and the antibacterial essential oil. I do not say it does not work at all …. I say that it smells bizarre at the end of the day – maybe because of present butters and oils, that are decomposed in advantage to our sweat. More baking soda could help, but as it is never 100% dissolved (it dissolves in water, not in oils) , it creates friction and in consequence a skin redness already in small quantities… In comparison, Zinc oxide is very fine and can be added in a quantity up to 30% (maybe more, but not necessary).
- I was afraid that zinc oxide will stain white my clothes, but my worries turned out to be totally unjustified. First, I was afraid and put the deodorant before dressing up, waiting it to dry while I brushed my teeth. With time I became lazy and applied it when dressed… guess what – nothing changed. If you pay attention, the clothes are not stained outside and the very little that is stained on the inner side is very easily washable. In comparison to my stick deodorant, which actually stains my clothes to yellow, this is really negligible.
- This deodorant has a cream consistency. I prefer it this way. First, when water phase is present, you can easily disperse zinc oxide in it and the smaller quantity of oils is advantageous – any possible decomposition/oxidation is much lower and it does not grease the clothing.
- Of course, once water phase is present, we have to preserve it in order to stop the bacterias – we try to stop these!!! I opted for Optiphen – it does not contain parabens, has quite wide antibacterial spectra and is recognized as an ingredient in natural cosmetics (what is natural…that is the question…)
Click here for the Zinc oxide deodorant recipe
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References
[2]Södeberg TA, Sunze B, Holm S, Elmro T, Hallmans G, Sjöberg S. Antibacterial effect of zinc oxide in vitro. Scand. J. Plast. Reconstr. Hand. Surg. 24: 193-7, 1990.
[3] Kanda, F, Yagi, E, Fukuda, M, Nakajima, K, Ohta, T, Nakata, O. Elucidation of chemical compounds responsible for foot malodour, Brit. J. Dermatol., 122, 771-776 (1990).
[4] Wysocki, C.J., Zeng, X-N. and Preti, G. (1994) Specific anosmia and olfactory sensitivity to 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid: A major component of human axillary odor. Chem. Senses, 1993, 18:652
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#2 written by evik 3 years ago
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#3 written by Lula 3 years ago
Hello!
Oh, I see. Maybe I’ve found some really good ones (high percentage of zinc) then, because the “Melvita Baby Changing Cream” is the one I use and works so much better than any zinc deodorant I have ever used (Lavera Basis Roll-On being the best). Weleda’s also works greatly! I don’t make my own and only use organic products, so I just wanted to let some other people know about these alternatives. 🙂
Thanks!
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#7 written by Mony 3 years ago
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#9 written by Spelljammer 3 years ago
I’ve also tried this with a 18% cream (normally for diaper rash). I will make my own so I know it has safe ingredients. But, to be honest, the ingredients look better than my normal deodorant.
zinc oxide does absorb at 5 mcg/cm2/hr. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2307275
So, lotion with about 25% solution, such as some tanning lotions or diaper rash lotion, placed on a 10 inch by 10 inch patch on your body (645 cm2), would absorb 3.2 mg of zinc per hour. I’m guessing that it would absorb for at least 3 to 5 hours before there is very little left on the skin. So, one application under your arms, for instance, would be enough zinc for the day. But you would have to use more surface area to correct for a deficiency.
I also noticed an incredible surge in libido. I think I had a zinc deficiency. I tried taking zinc pills but noticed nothing. I did the cream under my arms and noticed on day 1. I love it.
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#10 written by Joana 3 years ago
Magnesium Oxide works so well as well! In fact, for me it works much better (the protection lasts longer) than Zinc Oxide! 🙂
I just add enough Body Lotion (the wateriest I can find) to the Magnesium Oxide to form a paste and add some drops of essential oils. And that is it – deodorant that lasts for the whole day (and then some)!Thanks for your recipe!
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#11 written by evik 3 years ago
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#12 written by Joana 2 years ago
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#13 written by evik 2 years ago
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#14 written by Joana 2 years ago
Hello evik, It’s the same Joana – I just don’t remember what e-mail address I used last time, so my avatar may be different. Sorry about that.
I just wanted to let you know that shortly after the last comment I left here, I tried to make a magnesium oxide deodorant in liquid form. I simply grabbed an empty roll-on deo bottle (the same one I used to use to apply the MoM, haha), filled basically 1/3 of it with magnesium oxide powder (properly sifted), added the usual essential oils and then filled the rest with orange blossom water. You just have to shake well before applying so the magnesium powder will mix with the liquid again.
Now let me tell you: that is how I’ve been making my deodorant ever since! So much easier to make and apply! And it’s just as effective. The only difference is that lately I’ve been adding grain alcohol instead of hydrosol, so it will dry fast (super fast!) – my skin is sensitive but I’ve experienced no dryness or sensibility (it can sting a little bit after shaving but it’s not that bad, so I’m fine with that). I’ve also made it with 50/50 hydrosol and grain alcohol and only aloe juice as well. I love experimenting! 🙂
I just have to add enough moisturizer or vegetable oil to my armpits before applying it (you can also add the oil direct to the recipe) so my skin won’t get dry and the magnesium powder will stick to the skin, which is very important. If I get white spots on my armpits after it dries (it often happens), I just blend with fingertips and the spots disappear (it will finally blend with the moisturizer/oil I applied before). It doesn’t get sticky nor makes me sweat more, in fact the magnesium oxide already absorbs enough sweat by itself.
It’s definitely the best natural deodorant I have ever used, and it’s cheap to make. I’m happy. 🙂I tried the magnesium oil as well. But unfortunately I didn’t like it; it just didn’t work at all. Now maybe other brands could be better, I don’t know.
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#15 written by Gail 2 years ago
Hi Joana, I really like the looks of your recipe – SIMPLE! Do you think I could mix magnesium oxide with coconut oil and arrowroot power for the added bacterial protection and dry protection? I don’t want to use a body lotion as I am allergic to quite a few things and coconut oil works well for me, but I have been using the baking soda recipe and boy do my underarms burn! Also, did you have a time period where you had odor anyway until your body got used to the magnesium oxide? Thanks for your assistance.
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#16 written by Joana 2 years ago
Hello Gail, It’s the same Joana – I just don’t remember what e-mail address I used last time, so my avatar may be different, haha.
Yes, you could definitely add coconut oil and arrowroot powder. I once added dolomite for dry protection; it works fine.
Oh, the baking soda nightmare! I still remember the pain I felt when I tried it… never again! 🙁
No, I didn’t; The magnesium oxide has been effective from the start. It only depends on how much you add to your recipe, and how much of the final product you apply.
You’re welcome. If you ever try making it, let us know!
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Fun fact: a lot of nappy creams have zinc oxide at high percentages. You can use them as a deodorant, like the natural/organic ones from Weleda or Green People! 🙂