DIY Toothpaste
By Jenn (TinyChoices.com) | February 7, 2008
Dental care kind of seems like something that’s best not experimented with at home… like, if the tube/box/packet of toothpaste/powder/cream doesn’t have the ADA seal of approval on it and you decide to use it anyway, you are risking life and limb. Not to mention tooth. And perhaps our National Security.
Well, I wonder how true that is. Many many people around the globe are using tooth-cleaning formulas which have not been sanctioned by our Association, and while many of them no doubt are not sporting full sets of chompers countless others have pearly whites even whiter than ours.
Many commercial toothpaste brands (including most Tom’s of Maine flavors) include Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) as a foaming agent. SLS is a hotly contested ingredient because while some folks insist that it’s dangerous to our health, others insist it’s perfectly safe. If the experts can’t agree on this, how the heck am I supposed to decide? My vote: avoid it as often as possible, especially in my mouth. There’s also the issue of toothpaste packaging- plastic tubes suck and are not generally recyclable. Metal tubes are at least recyclable but still consume vast amounts of resources in production, and these usually come nestled within a cardboard box- paper and ink.
I’ve found lots of recipes around the web for DIY toothpaste- the 8 on this page are a typical representation of what folks are whipping up. The most common ingredients seem to be baking soda, and/or salt, and/or hydrogen peroxide, and/or tea tree oil. So I think I’ll mix up a batch for myself and test it out and see what happens. I’ve set aside a little glass jar for this purpose (and hopefully the lid has stopped smelling like veggie bullion cause otherwise that’ll be some nasty toothpowder). This recipe from the comments on Crunchy Chicken sounds like a good one to try:
* 9 TBSN baking soda
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 6 oz glycerin (think I’ll skip this ingredient)
* 1/4 tsp tea tree oil
* 1/4 tsp peppermint oil
* Mix well.
Has anyone experimented with making and using their own toothpaste?
[Image by Yomi955 via Creative Commons]
Topics: Health, Home | 25 Comments »
25 Comments
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Not yet, but I’m on the cusp(id) of doing the same, since I’m about to slice open our last commercial tube and scrape out the guts.
I’ve got all the stuff (including the glycerin), so I just need to find a little jar to store it in. The bf might be a skeptical, but since he hasn’t gone to the store for more, he can zip it.
I like the recipe here, but I’d probably halve it, in case it’s just gag-inducingly gross-unlikely, but still. Don’t be afraid of glycerine; it’s faintly sweet and you can get the vegetarian kind pretty easily. Of course, if you just prefer a powder…
Yea, maybe I’ll try the glycerine, thanks for the nudge. So far I’ve brushed with it twice (sans glycerine) and I have to say, it’s kind of amazing. My mouth feels superclean and I think I woke up without “morning breath” (as yet unconfirmed, since my cat won’t speak). And I know this sounds crazy but I think my teeth are whiter already. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes for ya’ll!
I really impressed/grossed out my 8-year old nephew when I showed up at his house complaining of fuzzy teeth. I didn’t have a brush with me so I improvised with baking soda and my finger. it tasted awful! but really really did the trick.
It really does taste awful! I once tried baking soda toothpaste and hated it. :) But this… so far, I’m really digging! (not the taste though… it’s still awful)
My dentist told me just plain baking soda works fine. The saliva in your mouth will help activate it. He said he rarely uses toothpaste at all. He also said rinsing with salt water 4X a week helps gum health a lot. My dentist is a world-traveling sports adventurer so he definitely likes to simplify routines.
Wow. I love your dentist! Like, really.
:)
tea tree oil may be an endocrine disrupter
http://readingdirt.blogspot.com/2006/07/lavender-and-tea-tree-oil-estrogen.html
and somewhere I read that overuse of essential oils in general has been bad for marine life (can’t find an exact source but no impact man references it here: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/01/buying-small-an.html)
so you may want to skip the oils…
I’m concerned about the long-term effect of the abrasiveness of the baking soda wearing away the dentin. . . Anyone read about that yet?
Hi TulipGril! In my reading up on DIY toothpaste recipes, I did find some concern on that topic- to me, it seems like that could be a problem if you already have thin enamel on your teeth, or tend to brush hard. Otherwise maybe it’ll be ok. Can’t say for sure though… I guess I’ll find out! :)
Hey, following up now that I’ve made and used the recipe above. I was waiting until I had a bottle/jar, and I realized if I used the glycerin for the recipe, I’d *have* an empty bottle. Duh.
Anyway, it’s super easy to make (I did a half-recipe in about a minute) and I like it A LOT. There’s a little foamy action, and the main flavor is mint, w/ little hints of salt and tea tree. My teeth are smooth and my mouth feels fresh. Couldn’t say about whitening, really, but I call it a success. Also, it seems like a little will really go a long way, so that’s a bonus, too.
Now I just have to get the gooey label remnants off the bottle…
Hey JW! Nice… glad to hear it’s working for you! I like it a lot too, it just makes my mouth feel totally different. Though I definitely put WAY too much salt in mine- have to remix it a bit tomorrow. Brush on!
“Now I just have to get the gooey label remnants off the bottle…”
soak in warm water then scrub off with a rough sponge. or use a little rubbing alcohol, should take it right off. or, if you have some handy, there’s a product called “goo gone” that works wonders for stuff just like that. not sure what the chemical components in it are but it has a fairly non-offensive citrus scent.
(just googled the ingredients & it’s not exactly planet friendly - see for yourself here http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/safety/MSDS/GOO-GONE%20STAIN%20REMOVER.htm - so I wouldn’t advise going out and buying it if you don’t have any currently. will be finishing up my current bottle & then not buying again, but it really does work well.)
Glad to hear a couple of positive comments - I might try that very soon, especially if I can find some good local places to buy glycerin and essential oils.
I’ve used baking soda for years…it’s awesome, squeaky clean teeth! I’ve heard about the salt being too abrasive so I don’t use that for brushing (just the occasional rinse with salt water). In the mornings to freshen breath I add a couple drops of peppermint oil into the little pile of baking soda in my hand, wet my brush and go for it. Talk about ‘fresh from the dentist’ feeling!
I tried baking powder by mistake a couple of years ago (mixed in glycerin with peppermint oil), when I should have used baking soda, and it was way too abrasive and after a couple of weeks it left me with a horrible feeling that left me thinking I’d scoured my enamel off. So I stopped using it and it took about a month for my teeth to feel normal - I was relieved they did but still fear I did permanent damage to my teeth. I guess I’ll never know, and they haven’t fallen out yet…
I then went with Weleda’s salt toothpaste, which I love, but finally run out of, so now I will try salt, glycerin, peppermint oil and a tiny bit of baking soda - here’s hoping it works this time.
Has anyone else heard about fluoride’s effects on brain hemisphere communication? Wish there was a way to get non-fluoride salt in Guatemala, and no I don’t live near the sea!
Good luck to everyone trying to escape Babylon’s consumer traps!
Actually glycerin is believed by some to leave a film on teeth that doesn’t allow them to remineralize properly. Then being less strong, they are more prone to cavities, etc. So if you can find a recipe you like without it, I would go with that!
[...] conditioner because the shampoo bar was leaving my hair extra frizzy. Jenn talked about SLS in her post on toothpaste, and that’s one of the things that makes me question if the reason I’m unhappy with my [...]
Great! I wanna try that one.
-heather-
I like to buy commercial toothpaste at costco bc the containers are heavy enough to hurt homeless people when I through the bulk packages at them from my maserati (vintage, obvi)
Josh, this may be my favorite comment ever. Which, I’m sure, wasn’t your intention, but thanks for the laugh anyway!
Definitely looks like a “recipe” I need to try. I really have never trusted the toothpaste I buy from stores. What could be better than homemade toothpaste? Sounds like a win-win to me.
Jenn did you find out anything? I dont think baking soda cause anything.
I am going to be conducting a bunch of experiments using homemade recipes for teeth, hair, skin and cleaning. I would love you to join me and report your findings too. It’s about time we took back our money and our health from these big companies don’t you think? :)
Here is some info at King’s Daughters - Nature’s Way
You can substitute castile soap for glycerin - you’ll need to add stevia or some non-plaque causing sweetener if you want it sweet.
128 g coconut oil
20 g castile soap
10 g baking soda
5 g essential oils (100 drops or to taste) for flavor
sweetener to taste
Melt the coconut oil in a double boiler; Add other the rest of the ingredients and whisk or use a submersible blender to combine.
Oh also re: baking soda IMHO enamel is the hardest surface of our bodies, harder than bone, and I use baking soda as a non-scratch cleaner on delicate surfaces. I’ve used baking soda toothpaste - commercial, commercial + from the box, and DIY toothpaste and have never experienced any bad side effect. If you look at the contents of commercial toothpaste you see that it has abrasives in it too.
I just make a paste with half fresh squeezed lemon juice and half baking soda.