Homemade Toothpaste

Jul 31, 2013 | Beauty & Skin, Recipes

            toothpaste1

 Teeth are a pretty big deal. Gone are the days when dentists used to whip them out, as dentures were seen to be better (my poor grandma!). We are all now pretty convinced that keeping our own natural nashers is a good thing.

In fact we are all pretty good at looking after them with our twice daily brushing routines, occasional dentist visits and cupboards full of mouthwashes, toothpastes, whitener and floss. But after some research into the ingredients of most toothpastes, and associated products, I have eliminated chemical-filled products from my mouth and life.

Why?

Today I am focusing on Fluoride.
Fluoride  is the term used for when the single element Fluorine  has combined together with something else and is naturally available in the diet as calcium or sodium fluoride.
Studies show that adding fluoride to water (or dental products) makes little difference on the health of our teeth. A study was done by Newcastle University (see here) looking at the effect of fluoride in water on 8-9 year olds. They were looking specifically for signs of fluorosis (sometimes known as ‘chronic fluoride toxicity’) in which teeth become white-spotted, yellow, brown-stained or pitted. They found that children living in areas with no artificial fluoride added to water had much lower risk of fluorosis and the study recommended using ‘lower fluoride’ toothpaste for those living in fluoride enforced water areas.

Also Elson M Hason says
‘ There are many other concerns about fluoride toxicity, including bone malformations, cancer, and ADHD…40 studies have been conducted worldwide on the relationship between fluoridation and cancer…with half showing a connection.’

So why they are still putting fluoride into our water I don’t know! From what I can gather the practice came about around world war 2 when fluoride was a waste product of lots of the bomb manufacturing and the government thought it would help to put it in our water?! Also, fluoride used to be a popular rat poison but when other, more effective, forms were discovered the government was left with lots of fluoride and nowhere to put it. Calcium fluoride has been shown to protect our teeth, but this form of artificial fluoride put in our toothpaste and water has been shown to have no beneficial effects (see here).
It is the typical attempt of trying to heal the fruit of a rotten tree, because it is the foods we consume have the biggest impact on our dental health and when we eat a healthy balanced diet we should be getting adequate amounts of fluoride anyway so there is no need for forced medication.

So bearing all this in mind, plus the fact I am always running out of toothpaste and like making things cheaper, I decided to make a toothpaste myself.

This is a super easy recipe but please bear in mind that since this is 100% natural there will be no foaming or bubbles as it tends to be the chemicals that cause this reaction.

 

 

 

 

 

  What you need

Spoon
Small container

Ingredients

1 tbspn Bicarbonate of soda – this helps to clean and naturally whiten your teeth
2 drops Tea Tree Oil – a wonderfully antibacterial
2-4 drops Peppermint oil/3 capsules – for that minty fresh taste!
2 tspn ‘scoops’ of Coconut oil – a great carrier of the other ingredient and a anti fungal/bacterial oil to boot.
1 tspn Olive oil – I was inspired by the oil pulling technique (which I have yet to try) and keeps it like a paste

 Mix the coconut oil until very soft and add the different oils and mix thoroughly.
(If using peppermint capsules like I did as I don’t have just pure oil, then make sure you pop the capsules and squeeze all the oil out.)
Then add the bicarbonate which should thicken it up to a nice paste.
Place in a sealable tub and keep in your bathroom or an empty squeezy tube.

You could easily make this in bulk and then keep it in the back of your fridge. 
Also please feel free to alter the recipe regarding the peppermint oil as it all depends of personal preference – I like it minty!

 

Hate making things yourself then why not use this

 

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  1. Fats #3: The Benefits of Coconuts | Super Naturally Healthy with Kezia Hall - [...] is antibacterial. So it makes great toothpaste, deodorant and loads of other stuff. I always have a mixture of coconut oil…

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