10 Best Essential Oils for Deodorant to Stay Fresh Naturally

Deodorants have become an essential part of modern hygiene practices. They help smell clean and fresh when our bodies can act nasty. With the growing focus on natural products, there’s a huge ask for using natural essential oils for making deodorants. But the question is which essential oils should one use to make deodorants? Aromachology breaks down best essential oils for deodorants in this detailed guide. Also discover, how to use essential oils for making deodorants and find easy DIY recipes with simple hacks!

Best Essential Oils For Deodorant

From lemon to bergamot, many essential oils can work exceptionally well in deodorants and help smell fresh. Here’s our top pick of essential oils best for deodorants. 

Sandalwood Oil

The exotic and woody aroma of sandalwood oil makes for an excellent oil for deodorants. It is powerful, grounding and helps smell like a Maharaja. Now pure sandalwood essential oil can be extremely expensive and doesn’t really make sense to add to a deodorant. Does this mean you need to stick to synthetic dupes? Absolutely not! There is another variant of sandalwood oil that is 100% natural and is free from synthetics and chemicals. It is sandalwood oil (recreated). This means this variant of sandalwood oil is prepared from 100% natural essential oils to recreate the smell of sandalwood. It works well for both masculine and feminine deodorants. 

Lavender Essential Oil

The gentle and floral aroma of lavender essential oil makes for a great addition to deodorants. Along with the relaxing scent, it controls the build of microbes. These microbes often worsens body odor. You can choose from classic lavender oil or go for variations like lavandin essential oil or spike lavender essential oil. Each variety of lavender comes with its unique scent and odor controlling properties. 

Confused with lavender oil to choose? Refer to our detailed guide on buying bulk lavender essential oil online. 

Lilac Essential Oil

Another floral addition to our list is lilac essential oil. Its powdery and floral aromas makes for excellent feminine deodorants. Blending lilac oil with other floral or citrusy oils can create an aromatherapy magic in any deodorant formula. 

Grapefruit Essential Oil

With the perfect symphony of sweet and citrusy notes, grapefruit essential oil makes for a refreshing deodorant scent. Distillers obtain it from the peels of Citrus racemosa via cold pressing method. Along with a refreshing scent, grapefruit oil also covers the odor causing elements and prevents foul smell. Blend it with other citrusy or floral scents to create an aromatherapy like deodorant scent. 

Rose Geranium Essential Oil

This one is a perfect blend of luxurious notes of rose and green hints of geranium. Unlike what the name suggests, rose geranium essential oil is not a blend of rose and geranium oils. Rather, it comes from a completely different plant. It leaves the skin feel refreshed with a luxurious rosy scent. 

Vetiver Essential Oil

If floral or sweet scents aren’t your thing, try exploring vetiver essential oil for making deodorants. It has a strong woody, earthy and captivating scent that instantly cools the mind. Use vetiver essential oil to create masculine deodorants by mixing it with some spicy scents like ginger essential oil or cardamom essential oil. Source a refined vetiver oil instead of thick vetiver absolute as the latter is tougher to blend in deodorant recipes. 

Lemon Essential Oil

For those looking for a simple, clean and budget-friendly essential oil for deodorants, lemon is your pick! It is antibacterial, potent and leaves one feel refreshed. The citrusy scent of lemon essential oil immediately gives rise to a clean and hygienic vibe. However, the vitamin C content in it can make it phototoxic. Hence, the formula needs to be adjusted accordingly. 

Bergamot Essential Oil

Another cost-effective and citrusy addition to the list is bergamot essential oil. Just like lemon oil, it is also antibacterial, zesty and all things summer dreams are made of. You can choose from bergamot essential oil or bergamot CO2 extract depending on the potency you need. Given its sensitizing nature, it should be used in moderation with other soothing ingredients. 

Benzoin Essential Oil

This underrated ingredient can do wonders in deodorant recipes. Firstly, benzoin essential oil adds a sweet, vanilla-like scent to the deodorants. Secondly, it also increases the lasting impact of the recipe. Benzoin is a great option for those looking for a more subtle but lasting scent in deodorants. 

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

The last one in our list is a classic aromatherapy scent that doubles as a natural love potion. Ylang ylang essential oil controls bacterial growth to some extent and prevents bad odor. It has a lingering scent that makes one feel fresh and sensual touch to the deodorant blends. 

How To Use Essential Oils For Deodorants?

The process depends on the type of deodorant you are formulating. Every deodorant is different and hence, process of including essential oils also differs. 

• Mix essential oils while melting the wax or carrier oils in a roll-on balm based deodorant. 
• For spray deodorants, dilute with alcohol and check performance on a small batch. 
• Do not exceed the recommended dilution ratio. 
• Use single essential oils or create blends as per your vision. 
  

Guidelines For Diluting Essential Oils For Deodorants

The ideal ration diluting essential oil for deodorants is 0.3% to 1%. Stick to the lower limit when using more sensitizing oils like lemon or bergamot. Try creating blends instead of using single scents for a more characteristic scent. 

DIY Homemade Deodorant With Essential Oils

Here’s a simple all-natural deodorant recipe that you can try at home. 

Ingredients

• Shea butter
• Kokum butter
• Empty roll-on sticks or balm containers
• Bakuchiol oil
• Sweet almond oil
• Beeswax
• Cornstarch 
• Bergamot essential oil
• Lavender essential oil
• Ylang ylang essential oil
• Rose geranium essential oil
• Vitamin E oil

Instructions

1. Melt all the waxes and butters together in a double boiler. 
2. Add almond oil, vitamin e oil and bakuchiol oil and mix well. 
3. Take the mixture off the boiler and let it rest for 5 mins. 
4. Add cornstarch and essential oils. 
5. Mix well while it is still hot and liquid. 
6. Pour in the container of your choice. 
7. Do a patch test before using extensively. 

Can You Use Essential Oils Instead Of Deodorants?

Yes, essential oils help prevent germ buildup and mask the odor but they do not prevent the odor. It is also important to dilute essential oils correctly and use them in the right proportion to avoid causing irritation. While natural essential oils can prevent germ buildup and mask foul smell, they can not directly control sweat. Having said that, using chemicals to block the sweat glands from producing sweat isn’t ideal anyway. Rather, maintain good hygiene practices, improve lifestyle and reduce stress to prevent sweaty and foul smelling underarms. 

Concluding Thoughts

The natural scents of essential oils are great additions to deodorants. In fact, many of these oils have germ protection abilities that prevent the bacterial growth in underarms. Some good essential oils for deodorants include sandalwood, lavender, lilac, grapefruit, vetiver and ylang ylang. You can use these oils as it is or blend them up to create unique aromas. You can source pure essential oils in bulk for making deodorants from a leading wholesale supplier - Aromachology Oils!