Make your own toothpaste. I’m going to be up front and say that I do not use this toothpaste. While I know that there are a lot of people out here that do make their own toothpaste, I personally choose not to, even though it’s cheaper because there isn’t information out there about the long term effect of baking soda upon tooth enamel. That being said, let’s move on to Today’s Experiment: Homemade Toothpaste.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2-3 tablespoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder
- A few drops of pure peppermint extract
Only one step for this one. Mix the ingredients together until you get a toothpaste texture.
Like I said, I haven’t made this. But I have read about it on several “natural” blogs that I follow and know that many others have success with it. I’m also a little skeptical about the peppermint extract since pure extracts are made using alcohol (a sugar). Maybe you could use a minty essential oil?
Another idea that I am starting today actually is to brush three times a day (after each meal) and also floss three times a day. The thought that bad breath and cavities are caused by food and sugars sitting on your teeth. Remove those, and you’ll get clean teeth and fresher breath.
Oops, I forgot to mention, you don’t use any toothpaste. Yes, no toothpaste, just water on your brush and plenty of flossing. I have not figured out yet if this saves money because of the increase in floss and decrease of toothpaste. I have a feeling it is going to even out though. We normally go through one tube of toothpaste a month and one box of floss (the cheapest store brand) every three months.
I can tell you already that my teeth feel cleaner and smoother than they have in months, which actually reveals a lot of my previous teeth cleaning habits.
If you are concerned about not using toothpaste (either none or the homemade kind) because they don’t have fluoride, check to see if you get fluoride in your tap water. That’ll help. If you don’t get city water or they don’t provide fluoride in the water and you’re still concerned, you can buy a cheap fluoride rinse at Wal-Mart. My dentist told me you can stretch the rinse by using half the recommended amount and only using it every other day. She said that’ll make it last longer and still give you the right amount of fluoride to strengthen your enamel.
So if you’re buying a fluoride rinse and extra floss instead of toothpaste, is it really cheaper? I don’t know! Anyone want to do the math for me? My husband and I already purchase floss and fluoride rinse, so it is cheaper for us to let go of the toothpaste.
What’s your teeth cleaning routine? Do you make your own toothpaste? Share your story with us.
Isn’t buying toothpaste cheaper than buying all those ingredients????
How is it cheap if you must go buy oil ? coconut oil?? seriously…I’d rather buy it
Yes, buying all those ingredients all at once is more expensive than a tube of toothpaste. However, in the long run, money is saved as you use those ingredients to make the toothpaste multiple times.
I tried to do a quick estimation today and I think that, using this recipe, 6 oz of homemade toothpaste will cost about $1.70. We’ve bought our toothpaste at WalMart for $1 so this will only be saving money if you’ve been buying something more expensive than that. I think it is also a great option for people who want more natural options.
Or, you could just do like me, and forgo the toothpaste altogether. That’s the best savings!
Just saw this homemade toothpaste recipe without coconut oil. She says that the recipe costs .25 a batch and lasts for 2 months. http://www.nourishingdays.com/2011/02/homemade-lemon-peppermint-toothpaste/
Fluoride is bad. You should try to avoid it as much as possible. Even the CDC is coming out saying that now.
Just be careful with the brushing there, Naomi. There is such a thing as brushing TOO much! You can wear down the enamel, even when you don’t use toothpaste, and flossing too much can over-irritate your gums.
The ADA recommends brushing 3x/day
ARE you guy dentist because you know all about teeth
Are you still toothpaste free? This is intriguing!
I’m not toothpaste free. Even though my teeth felt fine, they turned YELLOW! Yuck! I went back to the toothpaste and it took the yellow away. I’m actually thinking about giving the homemade toothpaste a shot since I’ve learned from more sources that the recipes date back longer than I’d imagined.