I've been trialling recipes for homemade toothpaste for a couple of weeks, and I have to say that most were rather awful! Way too salty - although if a lovely salty aftertaste in your mouth as you are going to bed sounds appealing, then maybe you could try the others I googled! Anyway, the last one I have been using is OK, although still not perfect, in that it isn't like the regular stuff and my kids won't touch it. If you interested in having a go, here is the recipe:
Homemade toothpaste
3 tbs baking soda (bi-carb soda)
1/2 tsp salt
approx. 1 tbs water
20-30 drops peppermint extract or peppermint essential oil
* Mix the bi carb soda and salt thoroughly, then add the water a little at a time to form a paste. Add the peppermint extract and combine well. Store in an airtight container.
I have also been instructed by the Chief Washer-Upperer that Dishwashing Liquid #2 is not up to his standards, lol. So I have modified the recipe for Dishwashing Liquid #1, omitting the lavender that I found offensive-smelling:
Dishwashing Liquid #3
3 tbs organic liquid castile soap
2 cups warm water
2 tsp vegetable glycerine
2 tbs white vinegar or lemon juice
10 drops lemon essential oil
* Mix thoroughly in a clean jar or bottle, and use 1 tbs at a time.
Since I have huge lemons hanging off my dwarf Meyer lemon tree at the moment, I used fresh lemon juice in this one - lemon is renowned as a great grease-cutter. I also use the lemon juice as an excellent oven cleaner:
Oven Cleaner
* Mix equal parts lemon juice and coarse salt and apply liberally. Leave for a few minutes and then remove with a clean cloth and warm water.
Couldn't be easier! And NO fumes, just a pleasant citrus smell in the kitchen :-)
31 comments:
Hi - all the other ingredients I can get, but where do you get vegetable glycerine from?
I'm keen to try your recipes :)
Hi Leanne :)
Some supermarkets sell it, in the cooking section, otherwise try a health food shop? You can also get it from chemists/pharmacies sometimes too, but it tends to be in smaller bottles (and more expensive). I buy mine in bulk (so cheaper) online from a soap-making supplies shop, so they are worth trying too. Have fun with the recipes!
Cheers, Julie
Do you have a recipe for shampoo that isn't just baking soda? Thanks!
Hi Leanne,
I've been meaning to try a recipe that uses (the herb) soapwort (Google soapwort shampoo recipe), but other than that, the only recipe I have is for a herbal shampoo, which you might like to try:
1/4 cup herbal tea (strong brew)
8oz liquid castile soap
- Stir over low heat until blended.
- Use your fave herbs, or ones suited to your hair type e.g. rosemary for oily hair.
- It doesn't say how long it will last, but there are no preservatives, so I would use it up pretty quickly, or make up small batches.
Cheers, Julie
Thanks for all these fabulous natural recipes. Today I made the dishwashing liquid. It smells so good and worked very well. I'm not sure how I'm going to go with the no suds thing - did it take you a while to get used to this?
Hi Melissa,
Yes it did take me a while to get used to not having suds when washing up. I've since done some reading and discovered that commercial detergents don't need to suds up either, but because we *expect* them to, the manufacturers add an ingredient that does nothing but make bubbles! Way back "when", pure soap was used to wash up, and bubbles were what helped mechanically lift off the grease, but nowadays we can add other ingredients that dissolve the grease instead - hence no bubbles required. Hope that makes sense?
Cheers, Julie
Thanks for that Julie and yes, that makes perfect sense :)
Melx
Hi,
I am new to this blog, and somewhat new to the whole sustainability idea. I saw a documentary called "The End of Suburbia" which got me thinking about it all. I like your blog and the simple living ideas here. One question I have - should we come to the end of cheap oil and then the end of suburbia as we know it, how then would we be able to get things like essential oils or liquid castile soap to make our homemade soaps, etc? (Actually I don't know how to get liquid castile soap right now!) Just thinking logically about how to realistically make it work in preparing for a lifestyle other than we know it today.
Hi Keith & Lacy,
It is relatively easy to make castile soap - it is a soap made from olive oil and caustic soda. Depending on where you live, olive oil could be a problem, although I am fortunate to live in an olive-growing region! However, like most people, I am still learning many skills and in amongst raising my kids I don't have time at present to make my own all the time, so I am currently buying it. I do plan however, to make my own in the future :-)
The End of Suburbia is a great documentary isn't it? It certainly got me thinking too... Good luck on your simple living journey.
Cheers, Julie
Hi Julie and Leanne,
Sorry for commenting on posts that are over a year old but I've only just stumbled onto this site. I've been using soapwort shampoo for a few years now - it grows rampant in my neighbour's garden! You might find it a bit sticky after rinsing, in which case you can make a "conditioner" from the juice of half a lemon and a cup of water. You can substitute vinegar for lemon juice (orange or grapefruit juice also works well!) but I've been told that the smell isn't as nice. ;-)
Congratulations on a great site, Julie!
Cheers, Karen
Hey, that's fine. I miss comments occasionally too. Actually, more than occasionally ;-)
Have a good weekend :-)
Thanks Karen :-)
Glad to help! ;-) I've got quite curly, fine hair and this combination means my hair doesn't get fizzy but still has plenty of body and feels lovely and soft. Even the organic shampoos and conditioners don't give the same result - they make my hair far too "fuzzy".
I know this is an old post but i finally tried this dishwashing recipe. I didn't get vegetable glycerine...I'm wondering is it a neccessity as the casile soap has vegetable oils and glycerine already in it? (sorry I'm a complete novice and clueless!) I didn't have the lemon essential oil either...and found the scent uh...unpleasant. Does the lemon essential oil fix this problem?
I haven't read all the posts on here, so hopefully i'm not repeating someone, but I would leave the glycerine out of the tooth paste recipe. Glycerine prevents teeth from remineralizing (filling in small holes on their own), and thus will have you going to the dentist forever. You will note that all commercial toothpastes have glycerine. It's not for your health.
Hi Linda - That's so interesting, and I didn't know about glycerine. Are you a dentist? How did you find this out?
So much for commercial toothpastes being great for your teeth, hey!
Hi Linda,
Wow, I hadn't heard that about the glycerine either? Totally doesn't surprise me that commercial pastes contain it then - looks like good 'old straight bicarb soda might be the best way to go then?
Cheers, Julie
Hi Julie - Except that bicarb by itself tastes TERRIBLE (I think!).
I might re-jig and re-post my toothpaste recipe without glycerine, but still with stevia and peppermint oil. It just tastes so much nicer that way.
BTW, if you're interested in dental health, I recently posted about amalgam fillings - what's in them, and why you should avoid them (not the reasons you might think!) - Dentists, mercury fillings, and poisoned fish over at Cluttercut.
I'm used to bicarb now Daharja, but the kids and hubby won't touch it LOL (it does taste pretty bad at the beginning).
Cheers, Julie
i used the baking sodaone time, it left a film, then i got to looking everything up, what i noticed was that baking sodawas made from glass that is finely broken down, so i left that out, now i use 1 box of borax, 1/2 box washing soda, 1 box salt, 20 pks of lemon koolaid make sure no sugar! LOL. its for the citric acid. i mix it all together in a 5 gal bucket and use 2T. i put in a little bleach to make it sludgy. i also use vinegar as the jet dry. this is cheap and works great for me! i hope this works great for ya'll :'}
I've made the glycerin/peppermint, baking soda etc. recipe for toothpaste, and my eight year old liked it, but progressively, with much experimentation, our family finally ended up with a small container of baking soda and a small pump bottle of hydrogen pyroxide and a small doll plate! A little spoon of baking soda in the plate, a splurt of hydrogen pyroxide, and brush away. From what I've read, the glycerin doesn't seem to work that well with tooth enamel. Both my husband and I are smokers, and for the first time, we no longer have the yellow build up that comes with the habit. And my son's teeth are nice and white.
Hi Medo,
Thanks :)
Hi Deb,
Awesome :-) We just use baking soda too now - great stuff!
Cheers, Julie
Hi Julie, I love your encouraging stories of your gardening adventure! Great to see alternatives for sometimes questionable commercial products.
However, in our quest to "return to nature" we need to avoid believing ~
(a) that everything "natural" is good for us
(b) old wives' tales
(c) everything we read.
Lemon juice does have a great reputation as a "grease-cutter" indeed, but this is undeserved. Try mixing lemon juice and oil - they don't mix, do they??? But lemon does smell so fresh. No harm in washing up with it.
I stll favour good old gentle Velvet soap or cheap laundry soap, swished through the washing up water in that archaic wire contraption, the "soap saver." Trouble is now, finding a soap saver!
WARNING - I am HORRIFIED by Medo's recipe for - is that really toothpaste??? I cannot believe that anyone would put that concoction in their mouth! Or even flush it into the sewer to poison the water table! For starters, baking soda is NOT made from powdered glass. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3. Baking soda is soluble; powdered glass is not!!
LEMON KOOLAID - So artificial it doesn't even rate consideration as a substitute for any toothpaste ingredient! And to use it for the CITRIC ACID??? That stuff is stripping the enamel off your teeth every time you use it!
VINEGAR: Another strong acid which dissolves dental enamel and thus contributes to tooth decay.
WASHING SODA - Sodium Carbonate, Na2CO3. Heated with silica, produces GLASS, maybe how Medo got confused about baking soda being "made from glass." Na2CO3 is strongly alkaline, so neutralises the acids Medo puts in this "toothpaste" recipe. But Acid + Alkali gives salt + water + CO2. Basic science!!
BLEACH: Sodium hypochlorite, NaClO. Bleach must NEVER be combined with ANY other cleaning agents and chemicals, as it is very reactive, releasing EXTREMELY TOXIC CHLORINE GAS!!!
BORAX: Sodium Tetraborate, Na2B4O7.10H2O. A HERBICIDE, an INSECTICIDE, & RAT POISON.
Here is a WARNING for Borax, essential reading for anybody who imagines they are using "natural" and "safe" alternatives!!
The HAZARDS of USING BORAX
Natural Mineral Cleaner or POISON? Borax is Both.
http://www.suite101.com/content/the-hazards-of-using-borax-a161104
DANGERS of BORAX EXPOSURE
Borax is a NEUROTOXIN. Ingestion of less than 5 grams can KILL A CHILD OR PET; adults would succumb after swallowing LESS THAN 20 GRAMS.
BIRTH DEFECTS that can be caused by borax include BRAIN and SKELETAL ABNORMALITIES and INFERTILITY.
...Borax is associated with SKIN AND LUNG IRRITATION when ingested or inhaled. Repeated low dose exposure ... has been implicated in cases of LIVER CANCER over five to ten years.
TAKE PRECAUTIONS
... DO NOT USE ANY FORM OF BORAX NEAR FOOD OR WATER and KEEP IT OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN OR PETS. Thorough rinsing from skin and laundry is important, and BORAX SHOULD NOT BE USED AROUND EYES OR MUCOUS MEMBRANES (= MOUTH.) Pregnant women should limit exposure to borax.
References:
U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
PLEASE PEOPLE - DO NOT FOLLOW SUCH DANGEROUS ADVICE AS MEDO HAS POSTED HERE!
Hello Raine,
Medo's recipe is NOT for toothpaste, it is for DISHWASHER POWDER - she's left her comment on the wrong post.
Thank you for pointing it out.
Cheers,
Julie
Raine I should also point out that my husband uses fresh lemon juice to degrease his bicycle parts, as it works just as effectively as any of the toxic commercial cleaners he has used in the past - and it has the advantage of being free as we grow them.
If you have any alternative degreaser for him to try, I would love to try it out?
Cheers,
Julie
Hi Julie much appreciation for your interesting blog. I made up the toothpaste today minus glycerine and used Xylitol as a sweetener and a few drops of Peppermint Essential Oil and I am over the moon with the results. Wish I had been making my own using these simple and inexpensive ingredients years ago. I have been paying up to $7 for a tube of so called natural toothpaste.
Looking forward to experimenting with some more natural products soon.
Can the toothpaste be stored in my sink drawer or does it need to be in the fridge?
Thanks!
Another toothpaste recipe that my husband and children love is as follows
3 TBSP Coconut Oil
3 TBSP Baking Soda
1 TBSP fine grain salt (breath sweetener -- optional)
20 drops essential oil -- for the kids I use 17 tangerine and 3 drops clove oil.
2 pckts Stevia -- just to make it sweeter (I only use it for the kids)
Make sure your coconut oil is melted before putting other ingredients in. Then cool down. In the summer if the house is hotter than 78F which our is, you'll have to put it in the fridge to keep it solid. :-)
We like this because it stays on the brush so nicely and isn't quite so difficult in taste as straight baking soda. The coconut oil is good for yeast, soothes skin (like inflamed gums), and it tastes yummy (if you like coconut).
Enjoy! Leanne
I'm afraid of trying out homemade toothpaste since I need to take care of my dentures. I'll try to ask a Dentist in Sydney CBD dental veneers so I'll know if making this is well worth it.
Thanks for the share.
It is great that we really can make these toothpastes and dishwashing liquid ourselves using ingredients that we can easily find in our supermarket. Thanks for this easy to follow instructions!
Thanks to everyone for the recipes and advice:)
I have recently started making my own toothpaste also. I mix baking soda, peppermint flavoring, and a little peroxide for whitening. It leaves my teeth clean, fresh, and white.
After reading the info about borax, does anybody have another alternative for neutralizing liquid castile soap other than borax?
thanks so much!
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