Sunday, July 31, 2011

Natural toothpaste crafting

There are many recipes for home-made toothpaste and mouthwash. Below some easy to make, non-toxic and efficient suggestions for adult oral care.

Most home-made toothpastes recipes contain sodium bicarbonate known as baking soda, essential oils such as pepper mint and menthol and they occasionally have salt and other ingredients to sweeten the paste. The internet offers several recipes with alcohol and glycerin, but these would push us closer to the conventional dental care, so I do avoid them. My favorite recipes include:


Grape seeds tooth powder
baking soda
grape seeds extract


Dip a wet toothbrush into a baking soda, add 1-2 drops of grape seeds extract onto it and brush regularly.


Natural tooth paste
2 tbl spoons of baking soda
3 drops of essential pepper mint oil or another oil with anti-inflamatory or anti-bacterial properties such as spearmint, cinnamon, or tea tree
5 drops of grape seeds extract
1-2 tbl spoons of strong salvia* tea solution (pour hot water over the salvia herb and let rest for 10- 15 minutes before adding)

Stir all well to create a paste-like mixture, stiffer rather than running so it hold on your toothbrush. Store in dark glass, air-tight recipient. Avoid dipping your brush directly into this mixture, use a little spoon to put paste onto the brush, for hygienic purposes - you want the paste to last for a week or so.

* you may use other herbal tea with anti-bacterial properties such as camomile
**make sure your essential oils are for internal use
***mixture of baking soda with hydrogen peroxides whitens your teeth and disinfects your mouth

Some may consider baking soda too abrasive for the tooth enamel, although it is used in most toothpastes. If that is your concern, you may try brushing with Salvia tooth oil instead, which mixes soya and almond oils together with a few drops of salvia essential oils. I'm yet to test this one but the inspiration comes from a producer of essential oils.


Herbal mouth wash
250 ml (one cup) of camomile or salvia tea solution (cold)
10 drops of grape seeds extract (optional)
2 tbl spoons of baking soda
5 drops of mint, clove or other anti-bacterial essential oil

Mix well and store this solution out of direct light. Optionally you may use distilled water but I prefer the calming effects of those herb teas, which are especially efficient for periodontal disease.


Related: Toothpaste's hidden dangers

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