DIY All-Natural Toothpaste

People have been cleaning their teeth for thousands of years with natural ingredients such as bone, oyster shell, chalk, brick, salt, charcoal, herbs, spices, oils, and tree twigs. Today there are chemical additives in toothpaste that can be poisonous, especially for children. Some of these additives include fluoride, triclosan, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Many people don’t know it is possible to avoid these chemicals and make their own toothpaste from ingredients used for thousands of years.

Toothpaste needs some kind of abrasive to remove particles from the teeth. The best abrasive is calcium carbonate, which is a naturally occurring substance in rocks, shells, pearls, and eggshells. When ground into a fine powder it not only removes particles from the teeth, but remineralizes them as well. You can make your own calcium carbonate by grinding organic eggshells in a mortar and pestle. Many natural toothpastes contain baking soda which has a bad taste and does not add anything to the teeth. It is also harsher than calcium carbonate.

The next ingredient a toothpaste needs is a liquefier. Organic sesame, coconut, or sunflower oil are the best choices since they also eliminate bacteria and fungus. Sesame oil has a wonderful flavor and can be pulled between the teeth to enhance its healing properties. Coconut oil has a sweet taste, but it solidifies when cold, so must be warmed. I use a cup warmer for this.

Those are the only necessary ingredients in toothpaste! However, you may want to add flavor or ingredients that will heal particular problems such as irritation, sensitivity, recession, halitosis, and plaque. Anise, bloodroot, cinnamon, cloves, mustard seed, myrrh, neem, salt with minerals, and white oak bark are powders that serve these purposes. You will need to research their healing properties and either purchase them or make them yourself. I buy them organic and in bulk from a health food store as well as gather and grind my own white oak bark.

You can also add essential oils for flavor and healing. Once again, you will need to research their properties. Be aware, they are stronger than powders and can irritate the mouth. I personally cannot use them, but there is a wonderful variety out there.

I hope this article helps in your natural toothpaste adventure. My standard recipe is one-half cup organic sesame oil, one half teaspoon ground organic eggshells, and a pinch of organic powdered cloves. If you are not interested in making your own toothpaste, I would recommend Uncle Harry’s products at http://www.uncleharrys.com/. They have the most knowledge and the purest ingredients I found on the web.