Using a homemade blend of natural ingredients to refresh your skin gently and prevent odors is both healthier and less expensive than buying deodorants.
Underarm perspiration is caused by secretions from the apocrine and the eccrine sweat glands. The amount you perspire is linked to the body’s efforts to regulate temperature. The hotter the temperature, the more you sweat. This is how the body cools itself.
MIX 2–3 DROPS OF rose oil WITH a little water AND DAB ON UNDERARMS.
Essential oils are an important element of many deodorant formulas. (See here for safe use of oils.) The essential oils of citrus plants, such as lemon, bergamot, lemongrass, lime, neroli and grapefruit, are pleasantly cooling. Rose or lavender oils, on the other hand, lend a delicate, feminine aroma to a deodorant, while sage and cypress oils have an astringent and contracting effect that helps to reduce sweating. They can keep you smelling sweet all day.
• To make a basic but fragrant deodorant, mix about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vodka and 3 tablespoons (45 ml) witch hazel or rosewater. Add 40 drops essential oil. For best results, steep the deodorant for about a week before using.
GOOD TO KNOW 
The proper use of deodorants
Apply deodorants to clean skin in order to prevent odor-producing bacteria from multiplying too quickly. Keep odors at bay by shaving your underarm hair, but wait a day before applying deodorant to avoid skin irritation. Using too much deodorant can leave you with clogged sweat glands and may cause inflammation.
• Another option is to use deodorant stones or crystals, which are made from crystallized natural mineral salts that kill odor-causing bacteria. Deodorant stones are inexpensive, but may clog pores if applied too liberally.
• To make a homemade deodorant with a delightful fresh summer scent, mix 3 tablespoons (45 ml) each dried sage and dried lavender, the juice and grated rind of half a lemon and 3 drops each of lemon and neroli oils in a sealable container. Pour in 1 cup (250 ml) witch hazel and steep for a week. Strain and add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cider vinegar.
• Cider vinegar by itself is also useful to counter excessive sweat. Sprinkle it on a cotton cloth and rub the underarms with it. Drinking clary sage tea regularly also nips sweat production in the bud.
• Homemade deodorants are best stored in pump spray bottles and shaken before each use.
Dried lavender can be used to add a delightful fresh summer scent to a homemade deodorant.