Toothpaste trials!
June 4, 2010
I did it, people! My entire family has been brushing their teeth with homemade toothpaste for 3 days now. (Well, only 2 days for my husband because I was already in bed on the first night and he wasn’t sure whether the jar on the shelf had the toothpaste or homemade deodorant in it–not that it would have mattered much, now that I think about it, since the deodorant ingredients are as non-toxic as the toothpaste, and the active ingredient in both is baking soda. I love it! But the poor guy just brushed his teeth with a plain wet toothbrush that night.)
To recap, the adult toothpaste recipe (with whitening!) is as follows:
1/2 c. baking soda, 1/4 c. hydrogen peroxide, TINY dash of salt, 1 packet of Stevia sweetener, and 20 drops of peppermint oil*
And the kid recipe (sans hydrogen peroxide):
2 Tbsp. coconut oil**, 3 Tbsp. baking soda, 1/2 packet Stevia sweetener, and 10 drops peppermint oil*
*The recipes I followed called for wildly different amounts of the oil. For instance, the adult recipe made twice as much paste as the kid recipe, yet called for one drop of the oil while the kid recipe said to go up to 25. I guess this is because not all oils are of equal strength/quality/etc. So the amounts I listed above seem like happy mediums. Really it’s to taste, so make it according to what tastes good to you. (And I mean “good” in the loosest sense of the term.)
**Something I have figured out is that, especially in summer months, coconut oil is very melty (melting point of 76 degrees or so!). So you might have to keep the kid version of the toothpaste in the fridge, or be a doofus like me and find yourself submerging it in a cup of ice at the last minute.
The Verdict
Thus far, I am loving the results of the toothpaste. While the lack of sweetness and presence of baking soda flavor was jarring the first night, at this point it already seems “normal”. My teeth feel spanking clean and sparkly after each brushing–absolutely no residue to be felt. They “look” really clean upon close inspection, too. The only drawback I’ve noticed is that instead of foaming, this stuff just immediately melts into a super liquid-y substance. So you have to keep your mouth REALLY tightly closed or lean over the sink to avoid becoming a drool-y mess. And of course, get over the fact that you will no longer enjoy that light, foamy feeling, if indeed that is something you typically enjoy.
As for the tot, I was nervous about the transition given the weird flavor, but I guess 15 month olds don’t know that baking soda tastes gross (the fools!). In fact, since switching to this, she seems to tolerate brushing her teeth better because I guess to her the flavor is more interesting than the very bland Tom’s of Maine she had been using. (She kinda digs strong/funky flavors, for whatever reason.) I would of course be terrified of trying to make this change with a pre-schooler who is used to bright pink bubble gum paste, but for this tiny munchkin, it’s going swimmingly!
One reader asked me if it’s a problem down the road that these pastes don’t contain fluoride. I will find out the answer and get back to you. In the meantime, feel free to educate us if you are in the know, dear readers!
Update: If you do use stevia, make sure it’s pure!!
Update II: Be gentle! You need to brush LESS aggressively with this stuff, not more!
