Homemade Natural Toothpaste

I probably wouldn’t have bothered with homemade toothpaste if organic, fluoride-free natural toothpaste was easy to get here, but it isn’t and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy the commercial stuff.  So, I started to look for natural, easy options for which I could find all the ingredients.

We used plain baking soda for a while.  It’s certainly easy, reasonably effective and not unpleasant, but I thought we could do better.  I found a recipe for baking soda with coconut oil and it is fantastic.  Easily the best toothpaste we’ve ever used!  Within just a few weeks, virtually all my plaque has gone.  My teeth feel smooth and clean for much longer and I actually enjoy brushing my teeth now.  It makes you wonder what they put in that stuff doesn’t it?

The recipe:

• find a small screw-top jar
• half fill it with coconut oil
• fill it with baking soda mixed in to a fairly stiff paste

Options:

• add a few drops of peppermint oil
• I didn’t have peppermint oil, so I used mint leaves steeped in olive oil for a couple of days – about a teaspoon and it turned the paste a light green and gave it a slight minty tang and a good creamy texture

Coconut oil is antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial.  Baking soda removes stains and odours, helps neutralize acid and has a slightly abrasive texture that helps remove plaque.

No fluoride, no other chemicals, cleaner teeth, fresher breath and it’s cheaper.  Beat that!