DIY Toothpaste

Some years ago I switched my family a natural toothpaste.  At first it was to save money -- since toddlers aren't supposed to have flouride toothpaste (in case they swallow it), it was cheaper for all of us to switch to a flouride-free, natural, alternative, than to purchase 2 separate pastes.

That lasted a good few years until I was sick of the cost.  It was just logical to me, that if I see almost all brands of toothpaste advertise that they use baking soda and peroxide as their magic formula, I might as well just use those 2 ingredients and save over the years.  Mind you, a tube of natural toothpaste cost me anywhere from $3 - $5, lasting a month or so.  Baking soda comes at a price between .$50 - $1 a regular box, and lasts almost 2 months in my house, being used for more than just toothpaste.  Hey, the dollars add up.  If we do things ourselves in all areas of our lives, the dollars will really add up!

I started using just straight up baking soda for our teeth-cleanser, and peroxide for my mouthwash.  Then I realized I could cut out the nasty, foaming peroxide-of-a-wash if I adapted my oil-cleansing method, once used for my whole body for over a year (yes, I went soapless over a year!), on my teeth.  This fell in line with seeing other people using coconut oil for their oil-pulling method as a mouthwash.  I could never swish around oil in my mouth, so just as a part of the actual teeth brushing it remained.  I will say, though, that with adding coconut oil to my baking soda on my toothbrush, I have been able to get out of using mouthwash altogether.

The base I use is only 2 ingredients:  baking soda and coconut oil.  Baking soda is generally known to be a cleanser and deodorizes.  It's grittiness also aids to be a little abrasion to fight plaque.  Among many other benefits, coconut oil is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial.

My mixture is a 70/30 -- the majority being baking soda, while the latter is the coconut oil.  I use this mixture to ensure that the baking soda's grit is not diminished fully by the oil.  I mix mine in a bowl with a spoon until well-blended.  The result looks like it is on the verge of being crumbly.

Then you can add essential oils to your homemade toothpaste, but it is not required.  For years, just baking soda worked for my family and me, and thereafter until just recently (with the addition of essential oils), coconut oil added to it was sufficient.  Essential oils are great for countering bad breath, as well as general tooth and gum health.  The most common flavors I see in toothpastes are peppermint and spearmint.   I choose to use lemon and eucalyptus.  I use lemon because is high in limonene, a component within the rind used as a cleanser; and it is a whitening agent.  I use eucalyptus, rather than peppermint, because I have read that it fights plaque and periodontal diseases, while being a great deodorizer.  For my 4 ounce jar of toothpaste, I added 15 drops of lemon and 10 drops of eucalytus.  The ratio is higher in lemon for me simply because eucalyptus' aroma would overpower the lemon, if in equal measures.

Put the toothpaste in your jar and store in a cool place.