Natural homemade toothpaste is easy to make and makes your teeth so clean, and it can include ingredients from your garden, for example stevia and mint.
Your mouth is highly absorbent. Conventional toothpaste is filled with lots of things you’d rather not put in your mouth. Unfortunately the healthier versions are quite expensive so most people don’t buy them.
Fortunately making your own toothpaste is a healthy, cheap, and easy option.
Try my recipe below. My teeth and gums feel so clean and smooth. This blend should also help whiten, kill bad bacteria and draw toxins from teeth and gums.
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| All natural ingredients of this homemade toothpaste – coconut oil, bentonite clay, bicarb, activated bamboo charcoal, himalayan salt. |
7 Important Reasons to Avoid Conventional Toothpaste
Firstly, here are some potent reasons to avoid conventional toothpaste. It typically contains:
Triclosan: an antibacterial chemical to help fight gingivitis, but it is a pesticide and there are concerns that it contributes to antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): a surfactant (makes the foam) made from palm oil (think orangutans). It interferes with taste buds, has been linked to skin irritation and canker sores. It is registered as an insecticide and may have toxic effects on marine life. Carcinogenic volatile organic compounds are also released into the environment during it’s manufacture.
Artifical Sweeteners: aspartame can lead to a wide variety of ailments. Some of these problems occur gradually while others are immediate, acute reactions. Saccharin was linked to cancer in clinical studies in the 1970s, but it continues to be used as a food and hygiene product additive, including for use in sweetening toothpaste.
Diethenolamine (DEA): creates a thick lather or creamy consistency and found in many cosmetics, creams and toothpaste. It’s a known hormone disrupter and can react with other ingredients to form a potential carcinogen. The greatest risk to human health is when it is applied directly and repeatedly to the skin. DEA is also used in the manufacture of textiles, pharmaceuticals, and herbicides and as a gas scrubber in the fossil fuel industry.
Flouride: a toxic chemical that accumulates in your tissues over time, wreaks havoc with enzymes, and produces a number of serious adverse health effects, including neurological and endocrine dysfunction. Children are particularly at risk for adverse effects of overexposure.
Artificial colourings: linked to ADHD and hyperactivity in children. We don’t need red and blue toothpaste!
Microbeads: while being phased out now, many brands have used plastic micro-beads to polish teeth. The ocean is contaminated with microbeads – it is everywhere. Our waste systems have not been able to filter it.
Ingredients of my homemade toothpaste
Bentonite Clay: Mild, natural polisher that gently scrubs and polishes teeth, rich in minerals and draw out toxins in the mouth. It’s also alkaline, so it helps reduce acidity in the mouth.
Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate): Baking soda helps to remove the yellow and brown stains on the teeth. It too helps to create an alkaline environment in your mouth that decay-causing bacteria don’t like.
Activated Charcoal: An antibacterial and antifungal powder that’s excellent for gum health and sensitive teeth. Charcoal powder has shown to absorb bacteria, toxins and heavy metals in the mouth. It helps counteract bad breath.
Himalayan Salt – this finely ground salt contains 84 minerals.
Coconut Oil: can help boost the microbiome in your gut (the gut begins in the mouth) and naturally prevent candida in the mouth.
Stevia – a natural plant-based sweetener. I grow it in the garden too.
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| Blended homemade clay and charcoal toothpaste. |
Recipe for Homemade Toothpaste
There are many recipes posted on the internet. Here is the one I am using right now. Try it as a starting point and keep experimenting to get the taste and consistency you and your family will like.
Recipe
- 1/2 cup bentonite clay
- 1 tbsp activated bamboo charcoal
- 2 tbsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate/bicarb))
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed to be liquid for mixing)
- 2 leaves of stevia (dried and crushed) or 1/4 tsp stevia or 2 drops (optional)
For mint taste add 3 leaves of peppermint (dried and crushed) or 4 drops peppermint oil.
For cinnamon taste add 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
For chocolate toothpaste: add 1 tbsp finely ground cacao nibs to promote remineralisation.
Blend all together – by hand or in a blender.
Store in an airtight jar.
Dry Tooth powder
You can simply mix the dry ingredients and store in an airtight jar and dip your toothbrush in.
If you want to keep it totally simple – just use clay, baking soda, and salt.
Yes, you could leave it out but I think it is available in chemists. You could also use other clays – kaolin clay, green french clay etc…
It depends on the type of stevia product you use. If it's the powder, use 1/4 tsp. If it's the concentrated liquid in a dropper bottle – use 2 drops. I also grow stevia and a couple of finely crushed dried leaves work well. I hope that helps.
Very interesting!! I find your blog raelly usefull! For that, I nominated you to the Liebster Award 🙂 Take a look and if you want, continue it!
https://maltesesteps.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/wow-im-nominated/
Thank you in advance!!
Query about last item in ingredients:
What does, "…or 1/4 tsp stevia or 2 drops (optional)" mean?
That is, do you mean 1/4 teaspoon of fresh stevia? or do you mean 1/4 teaspoon of stevia juice? (or stevia oil)? (given you've said , "…or 2 drops". Thank you Morag in advance, and Thank you for writing this article.
Where would I source the bentonite clay and bamboo charcoal? Also could I leave out the peppermint essential oil and just put more mint in? Perhaps I could make mint tea with the water before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Hi Lyn, I sourced pure food grade bentonite clay from http://healingclay.com.au/edible-bentonite-clay/edible-bentonite-clay-250g-jar.html and if you search for Ultra Fine Pure Activated Charcoal Powder you'll find some sources. I like your idea for the mint tea – sounds great. Go ahead and leave out the peppermint oil – personal flavour preferences.
Thanks for the recipe Morag – I'm definitely going to give it a try. I love the practical nature of your blog – thanks for sharing your tips.
Hi Morag, the toothpaste recipe sounds goos. How much salt does one use?
Also, salt is very abrasive so very little needed and probably better dissolved? But not omitted as it is alkaline and anti bacterial Only occasional use for those with soft tooth enamel. Also, is the bentonite slightly abrasive too?
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