Making your own products can be incredibly effective and rewarding. There are a few products I don’t recommend making (shampoo for one) but a homemade toothpaste is not just a great product to do yourself, when made with the right ingredients, it can be substantially more effective then buying conventional toothpaste! Not to mention, homemade toothpaste is free of any and all harmful ingredients that are so common in toothpaste today.
Homemade toothpaste can be an adjustment on your tastebuds but the health benefits of are many, not to mention the money you will save! And for the record-I could never go back to a sugar filled toothpaste like Colgate-The taste literally makes me gag!
What’s in Regular Toothpaste?
- Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical added to toothpaste to help fight plaque and gingivitis. However, while it has been shown to be effective for this purpose, triclosan has also been linked to concerns over antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption and thyroid dysfunction. This is the common ingredient in hand sanitizer and when used on a regular basis will become less effective.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) has been linked to skin irritation and canker sores. It also interferes with the functioning of your taste buds by breaking up the phospholipids on your tongue. This enhances bitter tastes and is thought to be the reason why everything tastes so bad right after you’ve brushed your teeth.
- Artificial colorings has been linked to ADHD and hyperactivity in children. Toothpaste does not need to be blue or have glitter in it!
- Fluoride is toxic if swallowed and recent information has shown it is not as effective as was thought in preventing cavities and tooth decay.
- Titanium dioxide is added to make toothpaste white. Most of the data shows it’s safe and is not absorbed by the skin, but it holds no benefits for the health of your teeth and gums.
A Word on Fluoride:
Fluoride is thought to prevent cavities, however, it is technically a poison. Recent studies have shown that too much fluoride actually harms teeth! Ingesting it can cause dental fluorosis (browning of teeth) as well as long term serious health problems.
I wrote a post on the dangers of fluoride HERE. For studies on the negative effects fluoride has on the body go to fluoridealert.org.
Fluoride free toothpaste can be hard to find, and expensive so that’s another plus for making your own homemade toothpaste
When it comes to children, fluoride toothpaste is particularly harmful because many kids swallow larger amounts of toothpaste and can easily and dangerously exceed the daily amount of fluoride that is safe to ingest especially if they brush twice a day. Not to mention, the amount of fluoride that is considered harmful is much smaller for children because they are physically smaller. Keep in mind, if you are on city water and not filtering, you are ingesting fluoride every time you drink a glass of water.
More DIY Remedies:
- Building a Natural Medicine Cabinet
- DIY Shaving Cream
- Homemade Deodorant
- Homemade Neosporin
- Homemade Vapor Rub
- Miracvle Ear Infections Blend
Coconut Oil in Homemade Toothpaste:
Unrefined Coconut oil is hugely affective in getting rid of bacteria and viruses in the mouth. It is proven to inhibit strep bacteria. It’s side effects include improved digestion and metabolism, good heart health, and a stronger immune system just to name a few! Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is fantastic for killing bacteria. Lauric acid attacks harmful bacteria in the mouth that can cause bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease! It is particularly effective at killing an oral bacteria called Streptococcus mutans, which is a leading cause of tooth decay.
More Beneficial Ingredients:
- Xylitol has the ability to reduce cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. It is also great for sweetening up your toothpaste!
- Baking soda because it’s alkaline. Our mouth and teeth are adversely effected by acidic foods. Neutralizing these acids with vegetables and water is essential to maintaining proper pH in the mouth to encourage the right bacteria as well as protect the enamel from decay. Baking soda has a pH of 9 to 11 (alkaline), so it helps to neutralize acids while not being too abrasive to teeth.
- Raw Cacao Powder is a great alternative to fluoride believe it or not! The compounds in cacao beans promote remineralization! Recent studies show that chocolate is effective at fighting cavities, plaque, and tooth decay in the mouth.
- Bentonite Clay acts as a tooth polisher that is rich in minerals and alkaline. I have not added bentonite clay to my toothpaste but according to Ask The Dentist, a wonderful site for learning about oral care, he adds it into the coconut oil at equal parts. It might be a great alternative to baking soda which tends to taste really salty!
Essential Oils for Oral Care:
Essential oils can be great for oral care due to their ability to kill bacteria, fungus and microbes. However, you must keep the amount of essential oils to a minimum because much like the gut, the mouth thrives on good bacteria. We want to kill the bad but leave the good and too many drops of oil can kill it all and wreck the crucial balance!
- Clove essential oil is effective against cavities, and traditionally, in India, clove oil was added to a small cotton ball and put at the end of the tooth which had the cavity. They did this every day before going to sleep. The cavity would vanish in a few days.
- Peppermint and Rosemary oil, due to their antiseptic properties they are both very useful in toothpaste. They also eliminates bad breath and help teeth and gums fight off germs.
- Cinnamon essential oil helps with pain relief.
- Lemon essential oil helps whiten teeth!
- Wintergreen essential oil helps with tooth sensitivity.
- Shield Blend is a combination of lemon, rosemary, clove, cinnamon and eucalyptus and is powerful when killing harmful bacteria.
In my opinion, the best essential oils to use in your new homemade toothpaste would be Peppermint and Shield Blend. You can also use Young Living’s Thieves or DoTerra’s OnGuard.
My x-husband had a tooth pulled a few years ago. The pain was unbearable and the risk of infection was HIGH. He used Shield Blend on his gums and said that the pain was greatly reduced. His dentist was very happy with the rate of healing and lack of infection.
You can make your own Thieves/Shield Blend and enjoy the vast benefits of having this essential oil blend on hand!
Homemade Toothpaste Recipe:
- 2 TBSP. Aluminum free baking soda (find it HERE)
- 1/2 cup Organic unrefined coconut oil (find it HERE)
- 1 TBSP. Xylitol (find it HERE) *sweetener*
- 5 drops of Peppermint essential oil (find it HERE)
- 5 drops of Shield Blend (find it HERE)
- 1/2 tsp. Raw Cacao Powder (find it HERE) *optional*
Directions:
- Fill a medium pot 1/2 way full with water and place on low-medium heat on the stove top.
- Place a glass pyrex bowl in the water and add coconut oil.
- Melt coconut oil in the glass bowl.
- Add to 4 ounce glass container and allow to slightly harden.
- Mix in baking soda, xylitol, cacao powder and essential oils.
- Continue to stir until you have a soft, whipped like consistency and the coconut oil has cooled. This will ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
**You can place coconut oil in the fridge to thicken it up. Check it often, stirring each time.
Oil Pulling and Oral Health:
Oil pulling can be incredibly effective when it comes to oral health. Oil pulling is the method of swishing an organic oil (I like coconut oil) in your mouth for 5-20 minutes then spitting the oil out. With the oil, you spit out loads of toxic bacteria! Not only does it strengthen gums, it whitens your teeth! Oil has a pulling effect which is why we like it with the oil cleansing method!
DIYing your teeth and gum care can be a bit daunting but it is an effective way to stay on top of your oral health. A homemade toothpaste is a great way to start naturally improving your gums and teeth and take your health into your own hands. Remember, no one is invested in your body more than yourself! Blindly trusting a dentist or doctor has gotten many of us in a lot of trouble.
Enjoy fresh clean teeth and breath with extra benefits for your body! It’s a win win!
xx, Jenni
I made this about a week ago & was unsure at first, but I think I might love it now. Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Do you find that it’s whitening your teeth a bit?
I know what you mean-I wondered if I could handle the salty taste but after a while I grew to love it! It’s just so good for your gums and teeth! I do think it whitens. Thanks for visiting!
I love this and love wellness mama too. I’ve tried a few different versions of homemade toothpaste and still haven’t found one I like yet, so I’m still buying Tom’s flouride free. Question about your measurements…is the coconut oil a 1/2 cup? I assume so based on the photo, but wanted to make sure. Oh, and I’m a fellow okie girl. 😉
Hi! I know what you mean, I continue to make a different recipe every time I run out-the baking soda is hard to take. I have noticed that my teeth are so much cleaner using my own toothpaste. It is 1/4-1/2 cup. I think the more coconut the better, it’s just amazing for the teeth! Glad to know I have some local readers!! Where are you? Thanks for visiting my site!
Weird…not sure why it’s showing that I’m not logged in for comments. Anywho. I’m not in Okieland anymore…made my way down to Texas in the late 90’s and never moved back. My entore fam still lives there though. Stepbrother is a cop in Edmond, Mom lives in Wellston. Thanks for the clarification on the measurements. I’m going to make this. I’ve brushed straight with baking soda, so hopefully it won’t bother me in this. Thanks again for your wonderful site!
Edmond is where I am! Thanks for replying! Anything is better than straight baking soda! I just read another blogger’s post on using clay instead of baking soda. I’m going to check this out. She said her kids liked it.
You are welcome! Thanks for coming!
I used both bentonite clay and baking soda. I also add a few drops of trace minerals and calcium carbonate powder. I love it, although mine turns a greenish tint so that it a little weird.
Brittney, That’s neat, thanks for sharing!
Hey there lady…. I have a question: if I want to use the other oils mentioned (just because I already have all but one) how many drops of each would I use? Thanks so much!!!
Hi Jenni! I’m always trying your new recipes. I’m experimenting with food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) in my deodorant, and will try it in the toothpaste instead of the baking soda. It has toxic-pulling benefits to go along with the coconut oil. Baking soda is a bit too abrasive for my gum sensitivity. I have Melaleuca brand of thieves (Armor) to add for the essential oil blend. Keep up the good work! Ally
Allison-Thank you! That all sounds great! I agree, baking soda is salty and can be a bit much. I was excited to find that clay is a great alternative! Let me know how it turns out!
DE is perhaps too abrasive for toothpaste. I would use bentonite clay instead
I missed the version with the Bentonite clay. How much do you add in?
Two important things to remember when using this recipe:
1) Coconut oil will clog pipes so spit in a trash can not in the sink.
2) Xyletol is DEADLY to pets even in very small amounts so keep it far away from them (yes I do brush my dog’s teeth daily, almost as often as I brush mine!).
Jamie-Hi! I did not add bentonite clay into mine but plan to do it in my next batch. From what I have researched, you can add equal parts of coconut oil to clay. I didn’t want to be too specific since I’ve not personally done it yet. Thank you for mentioning about coconut oil-I will add that in! Also, had no idea about xylitol being deadly to animals!! Wow! Good for you brushing your dog’s teeth-I really need to brush my dog’s teeth-his breath is deadly!!
Thank you for mentioning Xylitol’s toxicity to pets. It is a bad one for sure along with some other artificial sweeteners.
Annette-You’re welcome! I had no idea and am so glad I ran across this info.!
Hi!
I absoutely love all of your recipes!! I haven’t tried this toothpaste with the coconut oil yet but I thought I would share what I have been using exclusively for a little over a year now. I had no idea you could remineralize your teeth until about a year ago! I actually healed a cavity with it! I would love if it could help someone else too. I hope this is ok to share.
Remineralizing Tooth Powder:
4 parts (food grade) bentonite clay
3 parts (food grade) diatomaceous earth
1 part ground cinnamon
1 part ground clove
1 part powdered xylitol
1 part baking soda
a few drops of peppermint or spearmint essential oil to taste *optional*
(I use 1/2 Tbsp as 1 part.) Mix well with plastic or wooden spoon. Store in glass jar or plastic. Be sure not to use anything metal because of the bentonite clay. (I use the baby food mason jars that come with hard plastic lids.) Wet toothbrush and dip into powder. Brush as usual. If you are trying to remineralize hold the mixture in your mouth for a minute or so after brushing before spitting out.
It takes a bit of getting used to…but I absoultely love it now!! I hope this can help someone else out!
Natalie-Thank you! And thank you for posting this-I’ve been wanting to look into a remineralizing tooth powder! Feel free to share anything you’d like here-I love to see other’s creations!!
Spilanthes tincture is also good to add. (Or dried powder if you have it)
Clove essential oil (in VERY tiny amounts) will help tooth pain and gum health.
The best bioavailable calcium to add for remineralization is Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite Calcium.
It is the best one for oral ingestion and rebuilding calcium in the body. It may be a bit difficult to find, but most other calciums won’t do anything to actually build up teeth.
When making any homemade toothpaste, I always add these ingredients to whatever else I’m using.
Carol-Thank you for the info! I had heard that about clove but not about spilanthes or microcrystalline hydroxyapatite calcium. I need to check it out.
Sounds great but xylitol is poisonous to pets
I noticed women concerned about sensitivity. I used to work for a Periodonist and he always had his patients use salt and baking soda after surgery in water, to toughen the gums and help them heal. Then later less water, but still use the mixture to brush the teeth. So he said to take the salt and or baking soda and blend it in the blender for some time, and it was like fine powder. So maybe these ladies do the same with the baking soda and you would be surprised how powdery it becomes. And less abrasive.
Sue-Interesting! Thanks for sharing!