Our office is a little bubble full of health-nutty experimenters so when we heard Rachel raving about her honey’s homemade toothpaste we all jumped at the chance to make it!
You’re probably thinking something like, “making your own toothpaste? Really? That’s pushing it a little bit with the DIY stuff,” but it’s actually really easy! Though you could definitely pick up an empty travel tube if you wanted to, we were excited to find another way to reuse our full-size mask pots.
What’s the Deal with Toothpaste?
You’ve probably guessed that most people on our team are vigilant about the ingredients in everything from our food to our skin care; that same vigilance extends to what we use to clean our teeth. Our mouths are one of the most absorbent parts of our bodies so when we’re using chemical-laden toothpastes, our bodies are soaking up all of the chemicals that we’re putting into our mouths via pea-sized dollops of scrubby-paste.
We’ve written about some of the chemicals that are found in a lot of the mainstream toothpastes already. Things like triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, and propylene glycol are on our ingredient watch list, but Dr. Mercola talks about a few more ingredients that you don’t want to put into your bloodstream. We don’t like any of that and when we’re up against something synthetic or potentially precarious for our health, we either find a company doing it right or we make our own—often times we do both just to have all the healthy options (yes, our cabinets are full). This time we thought it would be fun to make the product and the product spotlight of the day is toothpaste.
Here’s the recipe that we used for this crafty little get-together. It’s simple and though the up-front cost seems high, it does save money over time. We’ve all been using it—and we have a little jar in the office for work-hour brushing during our work-hour skin care pamper sessions.
Siamac’s Toothpaste Recipe
- Redmond Bentonite Clay: 2 TBPS
- Activated Charcoal Powder: 1/4 TBPS
- Veriditas Essential Oil 5-10 drops (to preference)
- Trace Minerals: 5 Drops
- MCT Oil: 1 TBPS
All you have to do is mix the ingredients together and you’re ready to brush!
We know it feels strange using a black paste to clean white enamel, but we promise that it feels amazing! I was excited when I spilled a little bit onto my white ceramic sink and when I scrubbed it off, the sink was sparkling clean.
Of course, you can use whatever essential oil you want your breath to smell like when you’re done. We think peppermint or cinnamon would be a classic here but sage, eucalyptus, or rosemary would be great too! As usual, when you’re working with essential oils you want to be careful that you’re not using too much. They’re very powerful, especially when you’re using them internally (remember when I said that our mouths are super absorbent?) so just use enough to give your breathe the scent you like.
*Note that if you have enamel loss or have had work done on your teeth where your root is exposed, please consult with your dentist prior to using charcoal.
Do you make your own toothpaste? Share your recipe below!
Sources
Dr. Mercola – Toxic Toothpaste Ingredients You Need to Avoid
I needed this today before I we t shopping. You must have read my mind.
Thank you for this gift! I’ve seen recipes on the internet, but this one I will definitely mix up and use.
Please consider other alternatives besides charcoal. It can stain teeth, seeps into cracks & defective fillings . Repairs can be costly. American Dental Association advises avoiding use.
Ingredients:
baking soda
Himalayan sea salt
bentonite clay
organic high quality essential oils
coconut oil
olive oil
Ceylon cinnamon (optional), (or cinnamon essential oil)
Fill an 8 oz glass mason jar not quite to the top with baking soda – leave at least an inch or so (I use the re-usable white plastic tops). Add 1 t Himalayan sea salt, 1 T bentonite clay, and whatever essential oils you prefer. I like peppermint, thieves (Young Living), and clove oil. If you don’t mind your toothpaste being brown, add Ceylon cinnamon at this point. Stir to mix thoroughly.
In a small pot heat coconut oil on low temp just barely enough to liquefy. Add olive oil and mix. I have not measured these oils. I just eyeball it. The purpose of the olive oil is to keep the coconut oil from hardening and making the toothpaste too difficult to use. The goal is to make a smooth, creamy paste, so you will only use enough olive oil to accomplish that, maybe a 4/1 coconut/olive oil ratio or so. Experiment. It will depend also on the temperature of your house, as coconut oil solidifies at 76 degrees.
Pour the oil into the baking soda mixture and stir to mix thoroughly.
You can use a spoon or wooden pop-cycle stick to get it out.
Since I started using this toothpaste, I no longer have tooth/gum sensitivity or plaque build up on my teeth.
Does the use of bentonite clay mean it must be expelled into the trash and not rinsed down the drain, like regular toothpaste?
Thanks.
Hi Marlene! You can rinse it down the drain, no need to put it in the trash.
I have a very simple toothpaste recipe:
3 T coconut oil’
1 T baking soda (or Himalayan salt)
10 – 15 drops (or to taste) peppermint essential oil
stevia to taste, maybe a generous pinch.’
Mash together and there it it.
I read that turmeric is a tooth-whitener, and the suggestion is to add a good pinch of it to each brushload. Also, a weekly few drops of hydrogen peroxide on the brush helps with whitening, but should not be used every day.
I have a jar of natural calcium bentonite clay I use as a facial clay. Is this the same bentonite clay used in making the toothpaste?
Hey Ann!
Yep 🙂 Now you a double purpose for your clay!
Fantastic! Thank you for your prompt reply!
I do make my own toothpaste. I mix coconut oil and baking soda til I get a nice paste-like consistency. Then I add a few drops of peppermint and thyme essential oils. Super easy!
That should say coconut oil
I am ready to make this toothpaste, but I need some clarification on one of the measurements. Did you really mean “1/4 TBPS”? Or was it supposed to be 1/4 tsp.? 1/4 TABLESPOON would be an unusual measurement. Thanks.
Hi there,
We did use about a 1/4 Tablespoon in this recipe. This is something that doesn’t need exact measurements so we just encourage you to play around with it until you like the consistency and the feel of your toothpaste.
Thanks for sharing this! I’m excited to try a new toothpaste recipe. I’m wondering why the MCT oil is important. Would liquid coconut oil work just as well?
Hi there!
You could definitely use liquid coconut oil for this recipe!
Does it whiten? Thank you.