3 Ingredient Homemade Natural Toothpaste
A lot of things that are frugal also wind up being pretty hippie. Which is totally fine with me!
One of my mottos in life is that if I can’t read and identify all of the ingredients in something, I won’t get it.
Toothpaste has always been a tough one for me to justify. It always feels like they’re getting more and more expensive, and adding more and more questionable ingredients (remember the whole microbeads thing?
But it’s also something that I won’t get generic or the bargain brand. True story: I knew someone who had fallen on hard times and decided to buy Dollar Store brand toothpaste. I kid you not: it ruined her teeth. It actually tore apart the enamel on her teeth. She needed to get veneers on all of her front teeth. Her dentist said that it was DIRECTLY related to the toothpaste and the ingredients in it.
Yikes! And all to save a few dollars.
I refuse to sacrifice quality in toothpaste just to save a few bucks. You only get one set of teeth in your life, you need to make sure to take care of them!
In order to have control over what we put into our bodies, I started making my own toothpaste. And wouldn’t you know, it wound up saving me a lot of money!
We haven’t bought toothpaste in years. I now use this for not just my husband and me, but for our sons as well. They prefer our homemade toothpaste to any of the kids’ toothpastes that we’ve ever gotten.
Not only is it better for you, but it’s super easy to make, too! It’s one of those “this is too easy, it must not be working well” things.
But here’s the reality of it: I haven’t had a single cavity since I started making my own toothpaste. Neither have my sons! The truth of the matter here is that it works, and it works well.
What you’ll need:
- Coconut oil (this is the one I use, but I’m sure you’ve got some in your kitchen!)
- Baking soda (any ol’ baking soda you’ve got lying around)
- Peppermint essential oil (this one is my favorite)
- Thieves essential oil (they’ve changed the name since I took these pictures, but it’s still my favorite)
- Tea tree essential oil (here’s my favorite)
- A container to store the toothpaste (I use these BPA free squeeze bottles and I love them!)
Why these ingredients?
- Coconut oil naturally has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties due to its high lauric acid content.
- Baking soda neutralizes bacteria in your mouth, responsible for causing cavities. Also helps to whiten teeth, remove plaque, and maintains healthy gums.
- Essential oils have antibacterial qualities and help fight off bad bacteria in your mouth and keep it not just smelling good, but keep it healthy as well. If you prefer a cinnamon toothpaste, you can substitute peppermint with cinnamon essential oil, but start off with 4 drops and add more if you would like.
How you’ll make it.
1) Melt the coconut oil
2) Fill your container halfway with coconut oil
(I use these because they’re squeeze tubes that are easy to use and travel with)
3) Fill other half with baking soda
4) Add 6 (or more, depending on your taste preference) drops of peppermint essential oil
5) Add 3 drops thieves essential oil
6) Add 3 drops tea tree essential oil
7) Shake until it’s well mixed, and you’re done!
Coconut oil becomes a liquid at room temperature, so in the summer it will be more likely to shoot out of the tube when you use it. To prevent that, store in a cool, dry place or just be careful when you open it. In the winter, fill the sink with hot water and let it sit in there for a minute or 2, it will be much easier to manipulate.
And there you have it! Practically free toothpaste made from ingredients that you have in your kitchen. If you don’t have essential oils on hand, you can make this without them without a problem. They really do make it taste a lot better though.
Have you ever made your own toothpaste? How did you like it?
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Rachel Kaly says
January 26 at 10:50 AMI make my own toothpaste too! I swathes ingredients as well as bentonite clay and trace minerals. I need to buy some squeeze bottles like that because my main complaint since making my own is that its fru starting to apply it. Thanks for sharing your recipe! I usually use peppermint essential oil too ( I love Eden’s Garden! :)) but I think I’m going to try spearmint next time!
Caroline says
January 27 at 8:50 PMI’ve been meaning to try bentonite clay! I’ve been so happy with this recipe, though, I’ve had no motivation to try it. And it really is a pain to apply! I tried just keeping it in a jar, but it always made me uncomfortable to be dipping germ toothbrushes into the same container.
Olivia says
January 30 at 11:33 PMI have always been an advocate for using natural items. While I haven’t made my own toothpaste I would be willing to try it. Thanks for all the tips on how to DIY it.
Thank you for sharing with us at Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
Olivia- Co-hostess
Reinvented Collection
Renee says
February 5 at 10:11 AMI love using natural toothpaste! I currently buy natural toothpaste but have made toothpaste before. I have an issue with high blood pressure and have often wondered if using homemade toothpaste with baking soda affects one’s blood pressure? I still keep the homemade on hand so that when we run out of the store bought we still have a natural alternative. Your instructions are really clear. Great post! #LetsGetRealSocial
Elisia says
May 21 at 7:51 AMHow would you adapt this for toddler use? Since they swallow instead of spit, do you know what a safe amount of oils would be? Thanks for the recipe!
Caroline says
May 24 at 3:15 PMHi Elisia! You can completely cut out the essential oils for the kiddos if you want. I’ve done that before and they still have no problem brushing their teeth. If you’d still like to keep the essential oils, just one drop of each oil should be fine, especially if you make a batch of toothpaste that is more than 2tbs. (since for little ones the recommended dilution varies between 1 and 2 drops per tablespoon). Again, if it would make you more comfortable, I’d just as soon skip the oils altogether. It doesn’t detract from the effectiveness of the actual toothpaste! 🙂
Christina says
June 4 at 1:45 PMI have made my own toothpaste in the past, then I got lazy. At 63 they found my first cavity … ugg
I will go back to making my own, I love your recipe, but I use wintermint instead of peppermint. I like the fresher flavor, and my grandkids liked it too.
Caroline says
June 7 at 10:11 PMThat’s so cool! Not that you got a cavity, but that you’ve been making your own toothpaste! 🙂