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Homemade toothpaste – The benefits
Did you ever think about what’s inside your toothpaste? I never questioned that before. Since I remember I use the same brand every time just because mom and the dentist taught me that we need so to keep our buddies healthy. I loved so much my toothpaste that I used to eat it from the tube when I was a little girl, and listening to my mom: ‘That’s not to eat. It’s to brush.’ So I can’t eat..but I can brush with it?!
Toothpaste cleanses teeth and removes plaque, which is beneficial, but if your goal is to maintain healthy teeth through a proper diet, mainstream toothpastes will work against your efforts.
I am not a dentist or a doctor. But I do care about my health not only when there is something wrong with me but to prevent being ill. On my new path of discovery about this ‘new’ world of chemicals free, organic, natural and so on…I started to read the labels to find out about the ingredients used. But did you ever think about reading the toothpaste, shampoo, the make-up remover ingredients?! Well, it never crossed my mind before either besides the popular ‘paraben free’ and a few years ago also the ‘fluried’ started to be a popular subject, but I didn’t pay much attention back then. Now it’s different and I want to find out more.
Like in food, in the toothpaste you can find all this synthetic ingredients and strange names: triclosan, FD&C Blue Dye, sorbitol and other ones including the fluoride and aspartame. Yes! you do have a sweetener in your toothpaste, it’s everywhere! That’s why we are so addicted to it. Lately I’ve thinking about all this strange ingredients: Do you know what they are? Would you eat them?! I don’t think so. if we can’t eat them maybe we shouldn’t use this products at all. It’s just a thought, it doesn’t mean I will be that radical, maybe I can be half way.
First I started looking for a safe alternative to the common toothpastes. I found out that there are many alternatives but very pricy and some of them still containing some of that bad ingredients like sodium lauryl sulphate.
Realising that in my pantry I have all the ingredients necessary to make a homemade toothpaste, I decided to experiment and make my own without spending a fortune on store-bought brands. It is so easy and quick to prepare.
First I started with small quantities and adjusting to my taste. I must confess that the colour is not that appealing, but the most important thing is that it cleanses gently, leaving the teeth feeling clean and polished.
Do you have your favourite homemade toothpaste recipe? please feel free to share it! I’ve been experimenting with my own homemade toothpaste recipe for a while now after realising how easy it is to make it. And my next step is to get myself a bamboo toothbrush and start with oil pulling.
But be aware that the home made version doesn’t foam up like conventional paste and bicarb soda imparts a salty taste, but can be flavoured any way you like. It can take some time getting used to it. Also, due to turmeric the tooth brush will be yellow dye. Just warning you!
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 turmeric
• 1 clay
• 1 xylitol
• 3 tablespoon distilled water
• 20-25 drops of peppermint oil (start with half and adjust for taste preference)
It is important not to use metals when making this recipe, because the bentonite clay can absorb the metals.
How to prepare:
1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a ceramic bowl and stir with a ceramic spoon or chopsticks;
2. Add the wet ingredients and stir;
3. Storage in a glass container.