Make Your Own Toothpaste
By Mrs Money on February 3, 2010 – 5:13 am -
In a quest to green our lives and save more money, I have decided that when we run out of many of our personal hygiene products, I’m going to try my hardest to make the replacements myself. Here are the recipes I’ve concocted so far. When we ran out of toothpaste last week, I knew that I would be creating some of my own toothpaste. I have a couple recipes that I’ve been using, but Mr. Money wanted something more like commercial toothpaste, so the search was on. Enter this super simple toothpaste recipe.
Ingredients
-4 T. Baking Soda
-4 T. Vegetable Glycerin (I got mine at the grocery store in the pharmacy area, but you can get it from Amazon
-2/3 t. Salt (I used pink Himalayan sea salt)
-30 drops of Peppermint Essential oil (I got mine locally, but it’s on Amazon
-Container (I use an old toothpaste tube that I cut the end off)
-Toothpaste Tube Squeezer 
Instructions
Mix baking soda, glycerin, and salt in a bowl. Add in 30 drops of peppermint essential oils and stir. It should be the consistency of real toothpaste. You can add more or less glycerin if preferred.
Put it in a container or reuse a toothpaste tube, and use it to brush brush brush your teeth!
Do you use all natural toothpaste? Would you make your own?
Posted in Green Living, Recipes | 32 Comments »
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:12 am
My husband remembers his grandmother making them brush their teeth with baking soda and salt. It works, but it’s not for those with a hair-trigger gag reflex, as the taste is not, um, pleasant.
Also, you can apparently make a mouthwash with diluted hydrogen peroxide. The instructions are right on the bottle of h.p., though I haven’t tried it yet.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:40 pm
kristin- I tried plain baking soda and salt but it was gross for me too. I’ll have to look into the hydrogen peroxide mouthwash! Thanks!
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February 3rd, 2010 at 8:24 am
Cool! I didn’t even know it was possible to reuse a toothpaste tube. I like xylitol in my toothpaste. You can buy it at Earth Fare, but I wonder how much would be good to add. We’ll have to try this!
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Jenny- I cut the end off of it, washed it out, and then bought one of those toothpaste tube squeezer things for like $1. It really tastes very good. The glycerin is pretty sweet naturally, so this is the closest recipe I’ve come up with that is like real toothpaste!
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February 3rd, 2010 at 8:31 am
I’m really curious how you’re liking your toothpaste, and how you got it back in the tube, as this is a very cool idea that I would love to try.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Laura- It is awesome! The glycerin is naturally sweet, so that is good. I took the spoon and scooped some toothpaste on it and then held it above the open end. I cut the end off.
It was a little tricky but would have been better with three hands!
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February 3rd, 2010 at 9:07 am
I’ve been using my homemade toothpaste for months now and love it.
Here is my recipe:
– 2/3 cup baking soda
– 1 tsp peppermint extract
– water (add until desired consistency)
Also, I have been gargling w/HP for months too, super cheap – super effective.
My toothpaste saves me about 75% in costs.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Matt- That’s awesome! Is it sweet?
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Matt Jabs Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 10:05 am
No, not sweet. Peppermint extract is basically like essential oil.
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February 3rd, 2010 at 11:15 am
Okay, I have to try this! I’m tired of spending what seems like a fortune on toothpaste, only to be dismayed at the weird ingredients…now my only issue will be getting my husband on board. :-)
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Cate- The glycerin isn’t too expensive. I figured it was worth it because I’ve made toothpaste before and it wasn’t nearly as good as this. My husband was like “uhh I’m going to go buy some real toothpaste.” He’s giving it a try.
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February 3rd, 2010 at 12:01 pm
how do you re-use an old toothpaste tube? are there any other good ways to store it? I’m intrigued.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
ami- I should have clarified. I cut the end off! That little purple clippy thing you see in the first picture is one of those toothpaste tube squeezers that helps you move the toothpaste down. I clip that on the end and it keeps the toothpaste from coming out!
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February 3rd, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I also would like to know how you get it into the toothpaste tube. I’ve been using bar soap for years. It only took a couple of days to get used to it. It keeps your teeth from getting fuzzy all day. I will try your recipe though–men and boys especially like toothpaste.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Marsh- My hubby likes it! I have heard of people using Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap as toothpaste. I HATE fuzzy teeth!
I cut the end off the tube and then put the toothpaste in that way. There’s a little purple clip in the first picture that I got for like $1 that helps clamp it down. It’s meant to take the toothpaste towards the opening. Works well!
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February 3rd, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Never tried it but my father used the HP and baking soda for years. His dentist instructed him to.
We cut our TP costs by over 60% by simply learning how much you really need. I’d always though you had to load up a toothbrush like in the commercials. My dentist shared you only need a pea sized amount.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
LeanLifeCoach- That’s awesome!
I use a pea sized amount but it’s been falling off every morning, which is making me use twice as much! Talk about aggravating.
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February 3rd, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Hi! You can just use baking soda. I also do the peroxide mouth wash. Super cheap. And works great!
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Becky R- I’ll have to try the peroxide mouth wash. The baking soda alone was too salty for me.
I am weird.
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February 4th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Hi I like the sound of that recipe. But a word of caution to others re the Hydrogen Peroxide it is dangerous to use as a mouth wash and is to be used very carefully, it can damage the lining of your bowels. Dentist recommend making a salt/warm water gargle to swish aroun the mouth or an apple cider/warm water gargle. Use about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of each salt or the a/c to a glass warm water.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Sarah- I hadn’t heard about that! Thanks so much for mentioning it to everyone.
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February 5th, 2010 at 9:27 am
[...] Mrs Money shares a recipe for homemade toothpaste. [...]
February 8th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I have been making my own toothpaste for months now. Are you worried about getting cavities now that you aren’t using fluoride toothpaste to clean your teeth? My dental hygienist kind’ve scared me into using fluoride toothpaste once a day and using homemade once a day. I’ve researched fluoride and there’s so much contradicting information, I’m not sure who to believe, but I don’t want cavities either. After using homemade for months, I had a small cavity starting to form which they are going to cap for me. Maybe it would have been there even if I was using fluoride toothpaste. If I knew for sure I didn’t need fluoride, I’d stick with only homemade!
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T Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Also, I use a bit of baking soda mixed with water as a mouth wash. I have a container of baking soda in my bathroom, so I mix it in a cup with water each time I use it.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
T- I’m not really worried about getting cavities because of a lack of fluoride. If I drink tap water, there’s fluoride in that. I hear you on the controversy about fluoride. I’m not sure it’s good for you either. That’s a good idea to make a mouth wash like that!
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February 8th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
[...] Make Your Own Toothpaste – Exactly like it sounds, a recipe for making your own toothpaste, complete with pictures. [...]
February 8th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Interesting idea. I’ll have to try this at some point, as it seems pretty simple (and the cost of toothpaste can add up over time).
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Roger- It is really simple! I can’t believe it tastes good
Let me know if you make it!
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February 12th, 2010 at 5:09 am
[...] all the discussion that my toothpaste recipe sparked regarding mouthwash, I knew I would have to come up with some natural mouthwash ideas. [...]
February 13th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Has anyone used tea tree oil in this recipe?
Bless your heart, I am on a budget and and looking for a frugal/greener way of living..
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 14th, 2010 at 11:22 am
MomOfMusa- I would say tea tree oil is fine as long as it is food grade.
Thanks so much for your compliments! Please let me know if I can help you in any way!
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February 15th, 2010 at 6:31 am
[...] frugal people make their own laundry detergent, toothpaste or meals from scratch, while more extreme, this is really no [...]