It’s minty, fresh, and invigorating. I always feel incredibly refreshed after brushing my teeth.

But have you ever looked at the back of your toothpaste tube? When you do, you will read the warning, “Poisonous if swallowed.” It’s in the fine print, so it is often overlooked. I don’t know about you, but this really bothers me. Most of the ingredients in my toothpaste I can’t even pronounce. It was in my journey of trying to eliminate as many chemicals as I could from our diet and our home that I started researching all natural toothpaste.

That’s when I discovered buying chemical free, safe to swallow toothpaste was incredibly costly. I definitely didn’t have room in my budget to add up to $2-$3 per tube, especially the way my kids squeeze and waste their toothpaste all over our sink and floor and mirror.

That took me on another journey of researching how to make my own toothpaste and I was surprised to learn how easy and cost efficient it was to make my own. Finding natural, organic, easy toothpaste recipes online is incredibly easy. I browsed quite a few and ended up with our version after many trials. We love it because it is prudent, it falls in line with our intentional life choices, and many of the ingredients used are ones we use for cooking and cleaning and making our own Laundry Soap, so they are already in the house!

(If making your own toothpaste currently seems overwhelming to you, we get it. We have been there too. Just one more thing to add to the list right? Well, we aren’t about shaming over here, just providing resources to enrich your life when you are ready. Gatherhaus desires to be your resource for all things prudent, healthy and lifegiving. Bookmark this page and come back when you are ready!)

Chemical Free Toothpaste

Foundation Recipe:
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup baking soda
10 drops of stevia
10-20 drops of Essential oils of your choosing – I am a traditionalist, so it’s peppermint for me – try almond or citrus or lavender if you feel creative

Add In’s:
1 capsule of activated charcoal emptied (my prefered method for detoxifying chemicals)
1 capsule or 1 Tbls of calcium powder
1 Tbls Xylitol (this natural sugar is an excellent bacteria blocker preventing cavities.)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. I use the back of the spoon to smash the softened coconut oil together with the other ingredients. Store toothpaste in an airtight container. I use a glass jar with a seal top because that’s what I already had. Just wet your brush, dip and scrape it through the toothpaste and viola! You can also purchase a  plastic tube to squeeze it on your brush if you prefer the traditional method. (You can easily find BPA free plastic tubes, but remember that the chemicals used to replace BPA aren’t tested to know how they affect your body. Use plastic with caution, or use glass containers for peace of mind.)

This is one of those recipes that once mixed, try a little and if you don’t like it, add in a drop more of oils to heighten the flavor, or stevia or xylitol for more sweetness. You want to end up with a toothpaste that you like and enjoy, otherwise you most likely won’t use it. The bonus? Taste testing this toothpaste won’t hurt you!