It seems harmless enough. It is supposed to clean your mouth, prevent cavities, and protect your teeth from decay. Unfortunately, main stream toothpaste brands contain a vast array of chemicals toxic to the human body like sodium laurel sulfate, saccharin and other things I cannot spell or pronounce.
During a recent trip to the dentist, we were discussing toothpaste. She reminded me that toothpaste is just an added benefit. It really is the motion of the toothbrush that gets your teeth clean. If it is just an added benefit, shouldn’t it benefit our bodies too, and not harm them?
Years ago we started making our own toothpaste with coconut oil. I’ll admit – I was very skeptical at first. After a couple days of using it, I was hooked. Surprisingly, I found when I used this toothpaste at night versus a store bought “natural” one, there was not a bad taste in my mouth in the morning! It really cleans better.
Homemade Toothpaste
6 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons coconut oil
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
15-20 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix all in a baby food size jar. To use, simply remove lid and dip toothbrush in. We use a jar for each person, marked with his/her name on the lid.
The idea of natural toothpaste is to keep the teeth healthy by re-mineralizing them. Store bought toothpastes contain vast amounts of glycerin, which is a cheap base. Glycerin coats the enamel of your teeth, keeping them from absorbing the minerals they need to prevent decay. This causes the glycerin disrupted enamel to look “yellow”. Modern toothpaste companies try to solve this problem by adding toxic chemicals like fluoride to whiten the teeth back up.
Here’s how it works naturally: baking soda works as a polishing agent, cleaning and whitening your teeth. It also serves to alkalize your mouth, making it a balanced environment to properly clean. Coconut oil has antibacterial properties, making it an excellent choice with the baking soda. Sea salt helps to draw out infection and heal gums. Using sea salt instead of regular salt is important because of its vast mineral content, which are all needed to draw out, heal and re-mineralize.
Making your own toothpaste can be economical too. We figured with buying our coconut oil in bulk, it costs about $0.45 a jar! I haven’t kept good track, but I believe a jar lasts about a month with one person using it twice a day.
Recently, I began experimenting with bentonite clay in toothpaste and have been so impressed with the results! That is the fun of making your own body care products. You can experiment and learn as you go. Research and go beyond toothpaste ingredients. Know what is going into your body so you can keep it healthy and strong. Today is the day to start … to be prepared for whatever God has for us in the future! “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” – I Corinthians 6: 19-20