I cannot tell you the amount of agony that has gone into perfecting my homemade toothpaste. It seemed that no matter what route I went down, something was lacking.

I had made a decision years ago to cut out fluoride due to its toxicity, so that left all conventional toothpastes out. I started buying fluoride free toothpastes, but then learnt that the glycerin in them, though not necessarily dangerous, stopped the teeth from remineralising. So, after all that time of thinking I was doing the right thing by eliminating fluoride with an easy option of just buying a more natural brand, I then panicked about my teeth not remineralising and the fact I’d have to make my own, because that just seemed like too much effort. Then I realised it really wasn’t so much effort and decided to try and make my own toothpaste. But Lord, there are so many recipes and so much conflicting advice regarding the right ingredients, which led me back to my original fear of it being too hard! But by this point I already knew what I was doing wrong and that I couldn’t continue doing it so I had to find a solution.

I tried making charcoal toothpastes, turmeric ones, with bicarb, without bicarb. The advice from some is that bicarb is abrasive but others say it’s not. Diatamaceous earth is used in some recipes but also can tend to be abrasive so I took that option off the shelf. I didn’t find the charcoal did anything particularly. I tried a tooth powder using bentonite clay and calcium carbonate with cacao. This was fine, and I do still use it, but I still felt I needed a paste.

Guys, this, as you can see, has driven me to insanity and been a real labour of love, but I am FINALLY happy with the final result, which turned out to be a really simple one, and I’m sticking with it! It does use bicarbonate of soda but after four years of researching this, I have come to the decision that I think it’s ok for teeth and I’m ok with that decision, and the results are showing.

The recipe uses a few simple ingredients: coconut oil, calcium carbonate, bicarbonate of soda and essential oils. Thankfully, the mixing together of the coconut oil and calcium powder really does make it into more of a paste than a runny liquid or solidified block when the coconut oil goes hard in cold weather. Apart from when it’s super hot (which it has been recently) and the oil comes to the top a little and requires a bit more mixing before using, it generally stays the same pasty consistency. Although how it works is what is really important here, I also really wanted a toothpaste that felt and tasted like a toothpaste, which this does.

Since using this I’ve noticed not only a difference in the whiteness of my teeth, but my teeth are no longer sensitive. I used to not be able to use cold water to brush my teeth with and all of a sudden I can. I really feel like these ingredients are the optimum mix to ensure all aspects of dental health are covered.

However, leading on from that it is important to note that so much more plays a part in dental health than just toothpaste. I have learnt a hell of a lot about how diet and nutrients play a part in tooth decay – not just “eating sugar gives you cavities”, but how everything we eat and the nutrients we do or don’t get and absorb will play a part in how our teeth will shape, form, colour and how many cavities we will get. I recommend reading this book for a comprehensive overview on how to maintain healthy teeth and gums for the whole family.

This toothpaste is totally fine for babies and children, and you can add whichever essential oils you think they will like. I use wild orange for Braxton, and for us I use peppermint and wild orange together. If giving to children I’d advise introducing it really early on so they know no different because it really took my husband and I a long while to move on from our love of the taste of conventional toothpaste!

If you’d like to know more about doTERRA essential oils and why I use them over any others, please get in touch on the contact page.

Ingredients

5 tbsp coconut oil
5 tbsp calcium carbonate powder
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
A few drops of favourite essential oils (I used 3 drops peppermint and 3 drops wild orange)
Optional: 1 tbsp xylitol powder if you want it sweetened. I left this out as I didn’t feel the need to add sweetness

Method

Mix all ingredients in a glass jar.

Simply dip your clean toothbrush in when you need to use it or use a small spatula to take out the paste and put on your brush.

Please let me know your thoughts on this and if you try it as it’s been years in the making and I’d love to know what you all think!

Love & health,
Lauren