Grace.  To me is what defines beauty.  Grace radiates from within a woman’s soul.  It is gentle, and quiet, yet not without presence and power.  It is in a woman who knows where she stands, and what she believes.  Grace, and beauty cannot exist without love.  Love for oneself, love for others, and a love for life.  Deep, transcendent love roots deep within the soul, and bubbles up and out as grace, and beauty.  Flowing gently, bubbling from beneath the surface, as a calm and peaceful brook, beauty comes from within.  It radiates from one’s soul.  A truly beautiful woman does not mask her beauty, but enhances it.  A new category called Be~YOU~tiful is where I will share natural health and beauty recipes, tips, and techniques that I love.  Be~YOU~tiful is unique because each of us are unique and beautiful in our own ways.  Caring for and nurturing the soul, as well as the body is essential for creating a beautiful YOU. This category will be full of recipes and soul-feeding goodness for you to revel in.

On with today’s adventure!  I am in love with my new recipe….Be~You~tiful Deodorant!  It is a melting pot of trial and error, a combination of several recipes, and my favorite things all rolled into a lovely little package.  Let me say, I have only 24 hrs. of personal testing on this, however, I am so THRILLED with the results, I could not wait another moment to share it!!!!!  So with that said, onto the sharing!  Every ingredient in this deodorant is anti-bacterial, and lovely.  It is purely holistic, wonderful, and healthy.  May I say beautiful again please?  This is how it makes me feel, beautiful, lovely, feminine, graceful….everything you have ever wanted in a deodorant.  Now wait a minute, maybe you have never thought of deodorant as beautiful, only essential and necessary, but let me tell you, after using this one you will.  As we approach beauty as a holistic entity, or as a whole, it has a lot to do with how we feel about ourselves; if we feel beautiful, we act beautiful, and others perceive us this way.  I am not talking about a conceited arrogance, I am speaking to self-esteem.  How we view ourselves, the whole self, and how we speak, and relate to ourselves as a spiritual being, or person.  That little voice that we hear in our heads when standing in front of the mirror, can tell us volumes of how we are taking care of ourselves, loving our bodies, and nurturing our souls, or not.  If you are hearing negativity from yourself, directed at yourself, it is time for some re-training.  Replace that negative thought with a positive affirmation.  Caring for one’s body, directly speaks to nurting one’s heart and soul.  It is essential that we take time for self-care.  Starting with a deodorant that makes us feel lovely and beautiful.  So, pit rot and beautiful do not exist in the same do-jo.  Are you still with me?!  If we are feeling stinky, we are definitely not feeling beautiful….I personally have not used a commercial deodorant for nearly seven years.  This has been quite an adventure, but needless to say,  I have been on a holistic quest for the holy grail of deodorant.  I believe I may have found it, or at least the lovely decoy….

Be~YOU~tiful Deodorant

This first recipe is a single-serve portion.  It makes about 1/3 c.  I am thinking that this is approx. the same amount that you would get in a stick of deodorant from the store?

3 T. organic virgin coconut oil, melted

1 vanilla bean

*Melt OVCO in a small saucepan on the lowest heat possible.  Add vanilla bean, I had to cut mine in half for it to fit in the pan.  (I did not split it up the middle because I did not want all the seeds in the end product…some seeds still came out, but very few…) The goal here is to infuse the OVCO with vanilla.  I kept this on the stove at the lowest heat possible for a few hours, but I had a nice aroma after one hour.  I will experiment with infusing it longer, this would have been my first choice, had I had enough patience to wait, nevertheless, it is wonderful as it is. 

1 1/2 T. baking soda

1 1/2 T. arrowroot powder

9 drops Bergamot essential oil

1-2 drops Jasmine essential oil

Pour melted, vanilla infused, lovely, wonderful, OVCO into a small container, that you can still stir in, or use a bowl.  I wanted to stir mine up in the container I was using, so as not to have any waste…it’s up to you.  I used a half-jelly jar.  Just remember to use a glass container, as essential oils and plastics do not mix.  Carefully add baking soda into the jar and stir into the melted OVCO.  Follow with the arrowroot powder, stir in completely.  Drop in essential oils, stir one more time.  Let set up….

As usual, I was pressed for time, so applied the deodorant in its liquid form, by gently massaging into a freshly showered pit.  You may need to give it a little stir again after about an hour, as the heavier ingredients tend to settle toward the bottom of the jar a bit.  I only stirred it once after the initial mixing, and had great results.

A note on the essential oils used…I believe that these can be customized to fit one’s body chemistry.  This is what is working for me, but many people enjoy using tea tree oil, peppermint, lavender, etc.  You may need to experiment to find something that resonates with you, and also with your body chemistry.  Obviously these are very womanly choices of oils, however choosing some ‘manly’ scents if you will, could achieve wonderful results….I will be working on this…..I am thinking citrus, sandalwood….mmmm…..  Just be sure to avoid ‘hot’ oils, as this is a sensitive region of the body, I would hesitate at peppermint, personally, but if it is calling your name, use very sparingly, if you are wanting to try it.  You can always add more, but cannot remove it once it is in….  If you are coming off of a commercial deodorant, please give yourself a few weeks for your body to adjust to the natural ingredients.  You will be releasing toxins, and chemicals from the former product, so you may have some mixed results.  Your body just needs time for healing, and repair.  Be patient, and keep your natural deodorant in your purse…..

*As of this very moment, I have applied this deodorant once yesterday, and still am odorless, beyond the light and lovely fragrance it has left behind.  Amazing.  You should know that I went to a wrestling tournament last night, and I always get sweaty in the pits when my boys are competing on the mat. Stress sweat, smells terrible.  That may be too much information, but I really wanted to give you an idea of testing conditions.  I did not put on my deodorant, and sit on the couch to eat bon-bons…..however that is sounding lovely…..  I did put it to the test.  I have not yet exercised, but I will be going out to ski shortly, as soon as I am done with this post, I will keep you updated on the results!  So far, absolutely thrilled.  Overnight, and no odor, is also another tell of effectiveness for me.  Yay!!!  I think we have a winner!

Be~You~tiful Affirmations

I am enough, I am more than enough, I am beautiful, in creation, in this moment, in character, and in grace

I love and accept myself as I am right now

I love and cherish me

I am beautiful, bountiful, blissful

I am love, love is me

I am open to giving and receiving love

I have compassion for myself and others

I have the courage to love unconditionally

I have the courage to let go of pain, and heartache, and all ties it may have to my heart.  I will fill the open spaces that I have created with divine love, beauty, and light.

When we love ourselves, we can love others

I am worthy of love

~Blessings~