In keeping with the pioneer theme, I decided to try making my own toothpaste! After perusing the internet for awhile, I settled on a recipe that seemed fairly easy and used ingredients that I already had. ALWAYS A PLUS!!!
Why should I make my own toothpaste, you ask? There are all kinds of weird ingredients in most commercial toothpastes. I've added a list of some of them at the bottom of this post. It's freakin scary what they put in toothpaste.Here's the recipe:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons baking sodee
- essential oil to taste
- stevia to taste
(note: I've seen several references to xilitol as a good natural sweetener for toothpaste, because it prevents tooth decay and gum disease. I'm going to try adding that in later, since I don't have any right now.)
That's it!!!
I left my coconut oil out of the fridge overnight so it would be soft enough to work with.
Put your coconut oil and baking soda in a little container. Mash together with a spoon or chopstick.Add more baking soda if your paste is too thin.
Add a few drops of essential oil. I used spearmint, probably 5 drops or so.
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| Dropping spearmint e.o. into the mix while taking a photograph. True talent. |
Start adding your stevia. I started with a teaspoon and then added maybe another teaspoon total. It actually adds a nice grainy texture to the formula.
And the result:
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| Also lookit my awesome shower curtain. |
Honest opinion: This does not taste good. Or let's just say it doesn't taste like what I'm used to tasting when I brush my teeth. It's a little disconcerting to stick a glob of what is essentially oil into my mouth. There IS a group of folk who believe in "oil pulling" (swishing oil around in the mouth for 20 minutes) for oral and overall body health. I'm trying to keep that in mind...
The awesome cool mouth tingly feeling you get from regular toothpaste is lacking here, also. After a few minutes it doesn't feel like you just brushed your teeth. I'm thinking that adding a few more drops of spearmint or going for the big guns and throwing some PEPPERMINT in there may help that.
The consistency can be played with here, too. The paste consistency changes when the coconut oil warms, so I think I'll add some more baking soda. You can make it whatever consistency you like.
HOWEVER! It works great! It really does. My teeth feel
really clean, and once you get past the oil in the mouth thing, it's not
a bad mouth-feel. My almost-4-year-old son doesn't have the slightest
problem with it, which is shocking considering he's been using
transformer toothpaste for the past few months (stupidly sweet and
bubble-gum-flavored. ACK!).
I will definitely be sticking with this toothpaste. Maybe a few tweaks here and there. Try it and tell me what you think! Share your personal recipes!
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| Pearly whites! |
Why do we need to make our own toothpaste?
Bad stuff in commercial toothpastes (taken directly from Cleure):
- Saccharin - this ingredient has been on the on and off list of FDA
- Antimicrobials - natural or synthetic can include tea tree oil, alcohol and triclosan among others. These days found in many products, such as deodorants, dish soap, hand and body soaps, shampoos, etc. Antimicrobials are warned by Center for Disease Control that with over use, could result in antibiotic resistant bacteria.
- Chlorine dioxide - industrial bleach, used for bleaching wood, flour, and disinfection of municipal water.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) - industrial detergent may cause canker sore, dry mouth and allergies
- Sodium hydroxide - NaOH, also known as lye or caustic soda, is a metallic base, used in textiles, drain cleaners and industrial detergents.
- Salicylates - allergic reactions to products are becoming very common. Salicylic acid, the common Aspirin ingredient for inflammation, could be one of the causes. Always look for salicylate free products.
- PEG/PPG - polypropylene glycol is a surfactant used as a wetting agent, dispersant and in leather finishing.
From Down with Basics: This is FREAKIN SCARY!!!!!
Sodium Fluoride: One of the main ingredients in rat poison and toothpaste
Many people are probably aware that most toothpaste and many mouth rinses contain fluoride because that’s what dentists have recommended for years to prevent cavities. But did you know that most popular toothpastes contain enough fluoride in four ounces to kill a small child within 2 to 4 hours? (From “Fluoride Retained From Mouth Rinses and Dentifrices in Preschool Children.”
In children and youth, minimal ingestion of sodium fluoride causes salivation, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, and diarrhea. Large doses of the carcinogen may cause paralysis, muscular weakness and clonic convulsions, followed by respiratory and cardiac failure. (From “Commercial Toothpaste – Natural or Poison?”)
It’s no wonder that fluoride can cause death in humans! In addition to being one of the main ingredients in toothpaste as well as rat and cockroach poisons, sodium fluoride is also a key component in anesthetic, hypnotic, and psychiatric drugs and SARIN NERVE GAS! (From “Neurotoxicity of Sodium Fluoride in Rats” & “Dental Conditions in Workers Chronically Exposed to Dilute and Anhydrous Hydrofluoric Acid”)
Fluorides have been used throughout history to alter the behavior and mood of human beings. It is a little known fact that fluoride compounds were added to the drinking water of prisoners to keep them quiet and to hamper noncompliance with authority, both in Nazi prison camps during World War II and in the Soviet gulags in Siberia. (From The Cold War and the University)
Surprisingly, fluoride has NEVER been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, a 1990 study stated that fluoride has been shown to NOT reduce cavities and scientists are now linking fluoride to dental deformity, arthritis, allergic reactions and about 10,000 unnecessary deaths each year from cancer. (From “Fluoride an equivocal carcinogen. National Cancer Institute)
FD&C Blue Dye # 1 & 2: Are you eating crude oil for breakfast?
These dyes are artificial colorings often found in familiar toothpaste brands and a wide variety of other products. Recent studies indicate that FD & C Blue Dyes 1 & 2 can trigger a wide number of behavioral, learning, and health problems. FD&C color dyes may also cause potentially severe allergic reactions, asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness, lack of concentration, and cancer. (From “Formation of carcinogenic aromatic amine from an azo dye by human skin bacteria in vitro” & “Skin discoloration with blue food coloring”)
Using FD & C Blue Dyes 1 & 2 is just like ingesting crude oil as it too, is synthesized from petroleum. These dyes were originally made from coal tar oil, which is a black, sticky tar by-product of steel making and petroleum distillation, and is a source of numerous complex chemicals. Through repeated human exposure, some of these isolated coal tar components were classified as active carcinogens, ultimately leading to government regulations and restrictions.
Nowadays, coal tar dyes are synthetically engineered rather than extracted from actual coal tar, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of being contaminated with carcinogenic residuals from the coal itself. However, the dyes still contain carcinogenic properties. Over several decades of use, some of these synthetic dyes have come under greater scientific and government scrutiny due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. Because of this, they are still referred to in the industry as “coal tar dyes,” according to the FDA. (From U.S. Food & Drug Administration. “Color Additives Fact Sheet.”)
Even if toothpaste is never swallowed, these dyes can be absorbed within seconds through the skin on the lips, or through the mucous membrane in the mouth. According to the Physician’s Desk Reference, the mucosal lining inside of the mouth has an absorption efficiency of over 90 percent. Because of this, these carcinogens get into your blood, your brain, and your cells in no time at all – especially when you consider most people use dental care products 2 to 3 times a day. (From U.S. Food & Drug Administration. “Color Additives Fact Sheet.”)
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): Used clinically to irritate skin
Perhaps the most dangerous ingredient in personal-care products is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). Because SLS has a foaming property, it is added to toothpastes in order to generate foam and give the impression that the toothpaste is working. However, SLS has been found to be quite corrosive and harmful to skin tissue says a report by the American College of Toxicity.
In the cleaning industry, SLS is used in products such as garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and car wash soaps. Elsewhere, SLS is used for clinical testing as a primary skin irritant. Laboratories use it to irritate skin on test animals and humans so that they may then test healing agents to see how effective they are on the irritated skin.
The journal of the American College of Toxicology reports that SLS can penetrate and be retained in the eye, brain, heart, and liver with potentially harmful long-term effects. Also found in most shampoos including “no tears” baby shampoos, SLS can keep children’s eyes from developing properly, can cause cataracts in adults, can retard healing, and can impair hair growth.
Triclosan: A pesticide found in many types of toothpaste
Triclosan, a chemical used for its antibacterial properties, is an ingredient found in many detergents and toothpastes. However, the formulation and structure of this ingredient are similar to some of the most toxic chemicals on earth. Because of this fact, triclosan has been scrutinized in regards to human health and safety, according to Tufts University School of Medicine.
While the companies that manufacture products containing triclosan claim that it is safe, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered it as a dangerous pesticide. The EPA gives triclosan high scores both as a human health risk and as an environmental risk.
Triclosan is a chlorophenol, which is a class of chemicals that is suspected of causing cancer in humans. Externally, phenol can cause a variety of skin irritations, but since it can temporarily deactivate sensory nerve endings, contact with it may cause little or no pain. Taken internally, even in small amounts, phenol can lead to cold sweats, circulatory collapse, convulsions, coma, and death.
Additionally, chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides can be stored in body fat, sometimes accumulating to toxic levels. Long term exposure to repeated use of many pesticide products can damage the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs, suppress the immune system, and cause hormonal disruption, paralysis, sterility and brain hemorrhages. (From . “Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings.” Environmental Protection Agency)
Hydrated Silica: A whitener that damages tooth enamel
Hydrated silica, which is primarily used as an abrasive in toothpaste, is made from a crystallized compound found in quartz, sand, and flint. (From “The Safe Shopper’s Bible”)
Tooth enamel re-mineralizes daily from the supply of ionic calcium and phosphorus in the saliva. Scratching the surface of the tooth with an abrasive such as hydrated silica harms the enamel and prevents re-mineralization, much like using sand to clean glass. Severe wear could eventually occur.
”The public is cautioned against excessive use of products containing ‘dioforms,’ which are abrasive substances that can cause the breakdown of tooth enamel. Products containing the ingredients silica and cellulose, in particular, should be avoided when gum disease, tooth decay, sensitivity and receding gums are present.
While these ingredients can remove tartar and make teeth whiter in appearance, they also may do harm to dental health by altering the acidic balance of the mouth, gums and tongue,” said Dr. Warren Scherer, New York University College of Dentistry, as reported by The Naples Daily News.
MIRI
