My grandfather brushed his teeth everyday with just baking soda and water and had a healthy set of teeth into his 80’s. Now we have all of these fancy tubes in the stores. Have you read the labels on your toothpaste? All of them have chemicals with names I cannot pronounce. And if you read closely there is a do not swallow warning. Recently, I decided to try something simpler for my teeth this DIY toothpaste.
The active ingredient in most whitening toothpastes is hydrogen peroxide which can be dangerous if ingested. Essential oils are also not intended to be ingested. Please make sure you and your children do not swallow this toothpaste. (The good news is that it is salty and does not taste that great.) Or you can skip the peroxide and essential oil.
DIY Toothpaste
Ingredients
- 6 parts baking soda
- 1 part vegetable glycerin
- 1 part hydrogen peroxide (use the over the counter strength)
- flavor to taste (I made cinnamint with 10 drops each of cinnamon and peppermint essentials oils in 1/2 c of toothpaste)
Stir the ingredients together in a bowl and put in a jar. Peroxide is sensitive to light so the paste should be stored in a cabinet or in a dark jar. For more whitening power you can add activated charcoal powder to this mix. And the charcoal has many other uses.
I have not measured, but my teeth seem whiter since I have been using this.
One caveat, if you have sensitive teeth this may not be the right option for you as it can make teeth more sensitive. Discontinue use if you find your teeth becoming sensitive.
