Teach Soap

Over the past week I've been researching homemade toothpaste. I was quite surprised that a lot of the recipes call for 10 - 12 drops of essential oils. Being that we have to be very careful in making sure EOs are skin safe, I never thought about putting it in a product for our mouths.

I'm looking at Coconut Oil recipes and wanted to know what the best ratio would be to make this safe in my mouth?

Anyone have some toothpaste recipes to share?

I'm back and forth on baking soda. Conflicting opinions on it being too harsh on your teeth. Others say regular store bought toothpastes are worse.

Thanks in advance.

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Joey

I use my handmade soap (mint, uncolored) as tooth soap. I would not use baking soda. It can scratch off the tooth enamel. Instead of an essential oil, I would use a lip balm flavor oil.
Some of those recipes on the net make me shake my head in disbelief.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Joey

Toothpaste as we know it today was invented in 1886. People brushed their teeth way before that.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I was using baking soda for toothpaste for a year before SB warned me off it. So you don't want that recipe. I am in between toothpaste recipes. I don't think I am likely to brush my teeth with bar soap, but if SB does it I might give it a try. For right now I am using 'Earthpaste' that I ordered off Amazon that only has a very few simple ingredients: water, food grade Redmond clay, Xylitol, Peppermint EO, Menthol, Salt, Tea Tree Oil (not EO). I think if I reverse-engineered this and added some olive oil to it that would make it better.

As SB informed me, there are many toothpaste recipes if you google 'standard toothpaste recipe without baking soda'. Most of them use xylitol instead of baking soda, and I think using food-grade clays, salts, & oils are a good idea too. Maybe a tiny squeeze of castille soap and/or glycerin?

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Joey

I keep looking at the BB clays I use for naturally coloring my soap and wondering why I can't make some homemade Earthpaste out of that? Clay plus salt ground up in thd Vitamix plus Xylitol. And some essential oils mixed into the salts. I'd use a carrier & mimic the EOs on the Earthpaste ingredients list, or stick w/ the GRAS list...

I just need some xylitol but I can get that off Amazon. I was thinking activated carbon would be a nice ingredient as well. I have seen it on toothpaste ingredient lists before...

Edit: nevermind on the activated charcoal- Internet says it may be too abrasive for enamel. I'm going to stick to BB clay, xylitol, a very small amount of Vitamix dusted salt, & EOs / oil. N make it into a paste with distilled water, I guess. I ordered some xylitol. I see that as a necessary ingredient, tho stevia could prob be substituted.

I'll update this after I do it. Replicate Earthpaste has been on my to do list for a year now...

johnnyusa, as soon as you add any water to the paste, you would need a food safe preservative. I would mix the ingredients dry, so it has a longer shelf life.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Yea, good point, SB. Add water to anything finished n u gotta add a preservative. That's why I prefer oil to lotion...

Anyway, so the question is: The ingredients list shows neither water nor preservatives.

Maybe, instead of water mix in some either oils, liquid Castille soap, or a mixture of the two. Laden with EOs, of course. I was reading in another thread that is ok to actually brush your teeth with just plain (liquid) soap. I haven't tried that yet, but some homemade liquid soap blended into some paste w/ some food-grade clay, salt, xylitol n EOs might be just lovely.

I SO don't like brushing my tongue n gargling w/ the store-bought fluoride stuff since I learned that fluoride is a very toxic industrial waste I don't know who's bright idea it was to put it in our toothpaste, & drinking water in the hopes I guess that the fluoride will splash our cavities on the way down...

Anyway, any ideas on my primary question: HOW does the company that makes Earthpaste make clay+salt+xylitol from dry ingredients into a paste?

Is it possible that the Earthpaste has glycerin? That could make it into a paste.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

It says on the Earthpaste box specifically no glycerin.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Earthpaste DOES contain purified water to hydrate the clay into a paste. The FAQ below says the salt provides the antibacterial protection (i figured the salt was an abrasant). I noticed Earthpaste has an expiration date.

http://www.earthpaste.com/frequently-asked-questions/

I just need to get some food-grade clays n some xylitol to mix it up. With distilled water, of course.

I think the EOs need to be mixed in an equal number of drops of carrier oil, like olive prolly...

I wonder if it is worth calling the COMMENTS/QUESTIONS? number on the Earthpaste box to ask how the water mixed with clay doesn't cause microbes? Maybe they pressure-cook the Earthpaste after it's made, but I think the salt & EOs provide the necessary antibacterial protection until the marked expiration. Earthpaste is a food product, i believe. Toothpaste is only a FDA-regulated cosmetic if they claim to treat or prevent cavities.

I was always taught that any products with water need a preservative. I would think the essential oils and the salt would not be enough to provide the preservative needed.

Here is a good site about preservatives. http://www.makingskincare.com/preservatives/

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

So I called Earthpaste and was told there is definitely no preservatives in their toothpaste. She was telling me exactly how they mix it; I couldn't believe it. Very nice lady. I got the impression I was talking directly to the person that mixes the paste. I didn't ask but it could've been the owner that answered. Also was telling me how she & a lot of their customers use the Redmond clay internally but bc of new FDA regs they can't advertise that anymore.

Sounds like a quality product from people that really use & believe in it themselves. I wish I hadn't already bought food grade clay on Amazon so I could get it from Redmond instead. Funny how they also sell the main ingredient to make your own Earthpaste (bentonite clay) & will basically tell you how to mix it up yourself if you call their comment line.

The nice lady explained that the salt & essential oils provide all the necessary antipreservative /antifungal properties, & that mixing good clay w water doesn't cause bacteria anyway. She said she has mixed the clay with water into paste and kept it for months to use as a poultice for kids' scraps, bruises, n burns and she never had any problem with bacteria or mold. She said if you leave the paste in the sun it will develop green algae, but other than that nature intended clay n water to mix. It's marvelously healthy stuff. You can even drink the bentonite clay to clean out your colon or mix it with water to use as an enema. It's negatively charged & picks up positively charged viruses, bacteria, worms, etc...

Also, she said she didn't use any carrier oils for the EOs but rather mixed the EOs into the clay. I presume we are just talking 2 or 3 drops into 8 ounces of toothpaste mix. Anybody know where is an EO Calculator for toothpaste on the net, or usage rates? Don't say IFRA pls; they made that website nearly indecipherable. It's worse than trying to read tax code or statutes.