Have you ever considered making your own toothpaste? Don’t know how? Think it’s too expensive? Not sure where to start? I have not used commercial personal care products since I was 16 years old! I either buy natural, or make my own.
Making your own fresh ‘alive, raw’ personal care products is simple and easy! Here is an example of how easy it can be to make your own personal care products that can save you money and help keep the planet green. Making your own also allows you the peace of mind that you have pure and effective personal care products that are safe for you and your family.
You can keep the ingredients in your house and make it as you need it. Making your own is empowering because you have made a choice to avoid harmful chemicals and live a healthier lifestyle.
To make your own fresh, raw, toothpaste for optimum oral health and a great taste, follow these steps below:
- Essential Oils: A blend of two or more of the following pure, essential, food grade oils, make a safe, natural, great flavored, anti bacterial, and effective toothpaste. Use 2-10 drops of clove, lemon, lime, spearmint, cinnamon, eucalyptus, peppermint, licorice, or rosemary. The oils can be added to water! Just using a good toothbrush, a proper brushing technique, and a couple drops of essential oil works great!
Read more about essential oils
- Other oils: 6 oz of pure Vegetable Glycerin, Coconut oil, or Olive Oil
- Baking Soda: 1/4 tsp of baking soda, or put a small amount on your brush 2x a week
- Celtic Sea Salt: Use as a mild abrasive cleanser that is antibacterial and creates an alkaline oral environment since it is 8.5 pH !
- Stevia or Raw Organic Honey: These can be used to sweeten. Raw honey acts as a natural preservative. In fact, it is the only natural food that never goes bad!
Make this natural toothpaste weekly or monthly for freshness. Keep in a dark amber glass jar (not plastic), away from heat.
I recommend using all the ingredients randomly and on a per use basis. For children it might be easier to make up a batch for ease of use.
Considerations to Note:
Pure essential oils can be the primary active ingredient in your homemade toothpaste. Essential oils are ideal for use in toothpaste because they are both antiseptic and nontoxic, a rare combination. Many researchers have extensively studied clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary by for their antiseptic attributes and documented their findings in numerous scientific journals, including: The Bulletin of the Tokyo Dental College, The Journal of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, The International Journal of Food Microbiology, The University of Georgia Department of Food Science and Technology.
Dr. Gary Young found certain essential oils exhibited a 99.96% kill rate against airborne bacteria when tested at Weber State University. Jean Valnet, M.D., a world-renowned essential oil expert, points out in his book, The Practice of Aromatherapy: A Classic Compendium of Plant Medicines and Their Healing Properties , that: "Essential oils are especially valuable as antiseptics because their aggression toward microbial germs is matched by their total harmlessness toward (healthy) tissue."
It is estimated that, in Europe, therapeutic grades of essential oils are used instead of drugs approximately 80% of the time an antibiotic is required! Listerine, a product readily available here, contains .064% thymol (found in thyme oil), .092% eucalypol (found in eucalyptus oil), .060% methyl salicylate (found in birch oil) and .042% menthol (found in peppermint oil).
Only use therapeutic grade essential oils for internal use. Look for brands that are recommended by a registered Aromatherapist or a quality natural products store. Even many health store brands are not 100% pure and may contain added synthetics to make them smell better. That is why they are less expensive. Poor quality brands should not be used internally.
Final Thought: A Natural Toothbrush
When you are out and about, have no toothbrush, and want clean teeth and fresh breath, stop by any grocery store. Head to the produce section and pick out a fresh apple. Voila! Take a few bites of a fresh crisp apple and watch how clean your teeth become!
Image: makelessnoise
