>>20049>shea buttershea butter could be better, but depends on what you are looking for. i prefer coconut oil because it is extremely low in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and PUFAs are unhealthy, both for internal (food) and external use (on skin). i see that shea butter is also low in PUFAs, so that's good, but coconut oil is still lower.
>coconut oil clogs poresi am aware that coconut oil, as a comedogenic oil, can clog pores. anyway, i personally haven't had any problems with that yet, and i've been using it for a long time (also on other parts of my body, including my face). i suppose this has to do with my skin type. of course i would stop using coconut oil if it gave me clogged pores or ingrown hairs. you have to figure out what works for you
>ingrown hairsmind you that i don't shave my armpits, but i trim the hair there very short. this may also explain why i have not had any problems with ingrown hairs so far. i switched from shaving to trimming because i noticed that since i started trimming exclusively, i no longer suffered from irritated skin. i now trim my whole body.
>starch or powderi haven't tried using a starch or powder to help absorb liquid yet, but i'm interested in this idea, so thanks for sharing. the baking soda or sodium bicarbonate (not baking powder, as you said) is enough for now. mind you, i made this homemade deodorant (coconut oil and baking soda) in september - after the summer, in colder weather - so it may well be that the baking soda becomes insufficient, as soon as the weather warms up and sweating increases.
anyway, nice to hear that you also experiment with your own recipes. i suggest that you just find out for yourself what works for you and what you want to put on your skin, don't just take what you read on the internet (or even from me lol), experiment and you will immediately know best.