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This post is part of the series How to Green Up Your Life Without Getting Overwhelmed. You can find more green toiletries recipes here.
I’m slowly trying to eliminate the tons of chemicals and preservatives in our household. Pinterest has been super helpful in this regard since most store bought “green” products are budget busters. I got this toothpaste recipe from here…crunchybetty.com
We’re on our fourth (Update: More like hundredth batch!) Even Andy thinks it’s great! (And our three year old!)
The ingredients:
3 Tbsp of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
3 Tbsp of Baking Soda
25 Drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
1 Packet of Organic Stevia
(I didn’t use the optional glycerin that the original recipe called for. Why buy more ingredients?)
During the mixing process…. trust me, it will look less scary when it’s done.
It fits super well in old baby food jars by the way. Depending on the temperature in your house, this will either be a rather liquidy paste or quite solid. It doesn’t change its effectiveness. It’ll just warm up and melt in your mouth.
NOTE: We have had some problems with slow running drains because of all the coconut oil in our toiletries. Until I can find a simple solution to the problem, we just keep a “spit jar” under the sink and throw it out when full. Sorry, I know it’s gross, but I don’t want you to have to call a plumber.
Erin Borrett says
You had me hooked until the ‘spit jar’ part! LOL!! What brand of oils do you use?
Julie says
Ha ha! Just keep it under the sink. Not on display. lol! We JUST started using the spit jar cuz I was getting sick of the drain problem. We used it straight up for two years ish. I have used many different brands. NOW and Aura Cacia are readily available and high quality. But sometimes they don’t have the oil I want. If I order online, I really like the company “Mountain Rose Herbs”. Their stuff is organic. I prefer that if I’m using it medicinally compared to a cleaner or something. Do you have a brand you like?
Sybil says
Hi Julie, I just discovered your blog, and I’m loving it.
Some notes on my own journey away from commercial toothpaste ….
I have discovered that I like the liquid oil, rather than the solid. So I use only fractionated coconut oil – it does not solidify – and my favorite oil – spearmint. I put it into a bottle with a dropper for a cleaner way to get onto toothbrush.
My oral hygiene of choice is now fractionated coconut oil and organic spearmint essential oil. No stevia as I don’t like the aftertaste of that, and I don’t feel a need for sweet tooth cleaner.
With fractionated coconut oil, no more slow drains.
For those who like the “paste” idea, use Julie’s recipe, exchanging fractionated coconut oil for the regular solid oil, add the baking soda, and your favorite oil and you have tooth paste.
Oh, and amazing and unexpected bonus — after about a month of using this to clean my teeth — I noticed that the sensitive teeth issue was gone. The longer I use this recipe, the healthier my teeth feel.
SPIT JAR: Before I discovered the fractionated coconut oil, I just kept a roll of paper towels in the bathroom and spat into handful, then dropped it into trash can. With fractionated oil, even that is not necessary anymore.