The Great Homemade Toothpaste Experiment of 2014

For the past year or so I’ve been really thinking about the impact that chemicals and additives have on our bodies. I stopped drinking soda years ago and that seemed smart but in recent months I’ve been even more concerned about the other stuff.

Stuff like cleaning products, deodorant, toothpaste.

For the most part Matt and I have gone straight vinegar now for all of our cleaning needs. It works awesome at breaking down the calcified water we have here in Phoenix. Plus it’s:

• Virtually streak free
• Known to have anti-bacterial properties
• Got an odor that dissipates quickly
• Natural (so I don’t need to wear gloves while cleaning)
• Not harmful if the fumes are inhaled

So I’ve been on the prowl for other stuff like that and over the summer I started what I’m now calling the Great Homemade Toothpaste Experiment of 2014!

I believe after some trial and MAJOR error (more on that in a bit) I’ve perfected a toothpaste that is refreshing, effective and costs next to nothing.

I’m going to switch up everything so I started here

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows that one of my very favorite things is to explore new ideas in eco-friendly living.

Over the years I’ve tried all kinds of products touted as Green. A company would send an item for me to try. It was kind of cool to get free merch in exchange for an honest review.

But as far as I’m concerned, the Greenest possible option was not having all that extraneous stuff hanging around doing nothing.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that goes for ingredients too.

So I started doing all kinds of research, trial and error creation, and now (on our 5^th batch of homemade toothpaste) we’ve got a version that really works!

The general disclaimer

Please note that this isn’t meant to cure, diagnose or treat any health issues. I’m not a doctor or other health pro so I can’t offer advice on your ailments or maladies. This formula works for me but may not be right for everybody.

I’m only a Greenie with a blog. But, just because it worked for me doesn’t mean it will work for you. Use your own best judgment and/or consult your healthcare professional.

Got all that? Good. Now, on with the details!

Ingredients and information

Ingredients

2 Tbsp baking soda

2-ish Tbsp coconut oil

20+ drops Peppermint essential oil

10+ drops Organic Liquid Stevia (optional)

Let’s talk for a second about each ingredient.

Baking soda is a very mild abrasive. It only took a couple days for my mouth to get used to this ingredient and now I feel like my mouth is less clean if I have to use a commercial paste.

Coconut oil is the carrier oil. Basically that means it will “carry” the peppermint, Stevia, etc. to the corners of your mouth. It also helps dilute and spread the peppermint around the mixture itself.

Essential oil is the flavoring. Trust me, you probably want something because baking soda is not delicious. A word of caution: use a food or therapeutic grade oil, NOT Aromatherapy grade. Some oils are better than others; test on your arm or other inconspicuous place to make sure it won’t bother you before making a batch of toothpaste. For example, cinnamon can be an irritant for some people. Do research!

Organic Liquid Stevia is a natural sweetener. I like using a bit to cut the peppermint. Stevia is a plant based product. If you’re looking for some extra info on this herb check out this resource. I use it instead of xylitol because I’m still not convinced that xylitol is healthy.

Now, on to the mixing!

Remember I said I had a MAJOR error? Here’s where I went a little awry.

On the first try I added the coconut oil to the baking soda and then added the peppermint and sweetener.

BAD idea!

The carrier oil didn’t carry the essential oil as far as I would have liked. There was way too much coconut oil and my mix was nothing like toothpaste consistency.

Because baking soda is sodium bicarbonate – salt – it’s inherent flavor can be a little off-putting (to say the least!).

In that first batch, Matt and I were brushing with a soupy version of lightly pepperminted ocean water.

BLEH!

We used the whole batch of it (because we’re troopers and don’t like wasting stuff) but both of us were concerned that to be Green we’d actually turn green every time we brushed our teeth!

The second time around I got a little creative and that’s when we realized this whole thing was going to work out just fine.

Here’s what to do:

Put your baking soda into your toothpaste storage container.

Next, add most of the peppermint you plan to add (I generally use about 20-25 drops in total so I’d add about 15-20 drops at this stage).

Add in about half of the Stevia drops you plan to use.

With a small fork, blend the three ingredients together really well by smushing, mashing and stirring. The mixture should still be dry looking.

Slowly add coconut oil until the mixture gets to toothpaste consistency. Sometimes that’s a full 2 Tbsp and other times it’s not, so pour and stir slowly.

Finally, taste test a small dot of the mixture. Continue to add a small number of drops of essential oil and/or Stevia until it gets to the flavor you want. (Rinse and spit it out)

Keep in mind what happens when water and oil touch - the oil will spread. Too much peppermint can make it feel like your mouth is on fire. Use your best judgment.

My final thoughts on all things homemade toothpaste

After doing this for the past 6 or so months I’ve got a few observations to share:

• One batch lasts about a month for two of us brushing twice a day.
• I like to do a brushing rinse after spitting out the paste.
• A pea sized blob is plenty.
• I start by brushing “dry” (AKA – don’t put the brush under water or you’ll lose some of the oil’s benefit).
• We scoop the paste out with a separate tool so no water enters the paste container which could add bacteria and shorten shelf life.
• My teeth have actually whitened a bit since starting to use this paste.
• This stuff is all pretty shelf stable for up to about 6 months (but we’ve never had it last that long!)
• My mouth feels clean and refreshed every time I brush.
• I’ll likely never go back to conventional paste.

If for no other reason than cost benefit!

I haven’t done the exact math yet (because I’ve had all the ingredients for months and use them in different stuff as well as the paste) but suffice to say the Stevia and baking soda aren’t even half empty. I’ve only had to replace the peppermint once. Buying a gallon of coconut oil brings the price down to pennies per Tbsp.

**Here’s the exact ingredients I use**

**Please note that there are affiliate links so if you purchase any of the products from these links I’ll make a commission but you won’t pay anything extra**

Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Eden’s Garden Peppermint Essential Oil

Omica Organic Liquid Stevia

Baking soda has experienced some controversy in recent years. The alleged aluminum debate rages on. If you want to know why I don’t mind using this product as packaged from a big box store (until it is gone) this article should explain it nicely. 

Like I said before, I’m not trying to treat or diagnose any ailments, so use your own judgment if you decide to try this or any other variation of this recipe.

My next experiments will include laundry detergent, body lotion, deodorant, face lotion, lip gloss and chapstick. Wish me luck! 

Have you tried any experiments at making more natural versions of everyday products? How many tries did it take before you got it right? Does it save you money? Share in the comments!

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To color or not to color...Aveda makes the dyeing dilemma less painful

Hey all you GLR regulars, Melissa here, taking a spin for Jenn. Enjoy!

Among my many baby steps toward a greener way of living have definitely been a few that some people would not even contemplate. I won't even bother to list them, but I figure these are the ways in which I account for the steps I, in turn, can't contemplate. Like navy showers. Like trying to fit three kids in car seats into a Smart Car. Like moving from the suburbs to the city. Everyone has their level...enough said.

One step I've contemplated, but ultimately rejected (for now, anyway) is giving up on hair color. I gave up on length (going from shoulder-length to my current pixifed do) to save shower time months back, and have been loving how fast it is to shampoo and rinse now -- so much less guilt! That said, all the trims that have been necessary to maintain the shorter style have brought me up short in another way: the last of my last hair color session (done at home, from a box that cost probably no more than $10) was all gone. And the greys were taking a spot front and center.

For months and months, I hesitated. I really hated to be responsible for dumping more dye chemicals down my drain. It just seemed out of kilter with everything else I've been trying to do. And I didn't really want to pay my colorist to dump them down her drain either. I know I'm not the only person who cares about the environment to fret about whether to color or not. But who wants to look 50 at 40?

Well, not me, for one. So, in doing some desperate online research, I was reminded that Aveda, purveyor of a range of beauty products and services, offers hair coloring services that use more nature-based ingredients. But since I didn't have time to look up the details right then, I didn't get too far.

After some more stalling, I finally decided the time had come, and booked myself at a salon that uses Aveda products. I verified with my colorist that, indeed, Aveda's line is more environmentally-friendly (Um, not to say I would have leapt, outraged, out of the chair if the answer had been "no, not really!" The greys had to go!) than most other DIY or salon coloring products.

Here's how Aveda's Web site describes its Shades of Enlightenment Advanced Lifting Creme Hair Color (not sure if this is what I got, but I think it's close): "Blondes awaken with the first permanent hair color system that's 97 percent naturally derived—capturing the active energy of plants."

My colorist noted that the hair color line does contain a small amount of peroxide -- necessary for the color to "deposit" (I have to confess I don't know precisely what this means, but my guess is that it means the peroxide helps the dye to do what you want it to do to your hair). But the overwhelming majority of Aveda's products are plant-derived, and they have a whole policy around their process for selecting green ingredients. And a quick search on Aveda at Treehugger shows them to be generally beloved over there.

As for my experience, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't smell any of the usual smells when the colorist wheeled out her tray with the mixed color. She warned me that some natural products can actually have a stronger smell even than traditional peroxide-heavy colors, but even when my entire head was foiled, I never smelled a thing. And I have an obnoxiously well-developed sense of smell, so that's got to be worth something!

And the color, when all was said and done, looked good. I'd say great, but we went for highlights and lowlights of blonde and brown -- subtle with a capital sssss. It's so similar to what my own normal hair would look like that it's hard to gush about it...maybe I'll be a little bolder next time. All the same, I'm happy I did it, because I'm not looking quite so salt-and-peppery now.

Oh, and one more thing...my hair remains happily unfried, something I could not say of my past out-of-box experiences!

If there's a downside, it's the price tag. Like any salon process, this cost more -- way more -- than doing it yourself from a box you buy at CVS or Target. And it probably even cost a few bucks more than I've shelled out in the past for highlights, even when my hair was long. But I think the environmental benefits made it worthwhile. What with the sun finally warming things up now, I can probably stretch this round of color six months, right? So I'm pinning four green leaves on Aveda for the moment -- could jump up to five if my next attempt at a slightly gutsier look works out!