Want to make your own toothpaste? Here is a frugal and natural way to do it!
Making your own toothpaste is very easy and very frugal. With tubes costing up to $4 or more these days, home made toothpaste can really save you some money, especially if you are like me. I obsessively brush my teeth at least four times a day if not more. I was blessed with “marshmallow teeth,” as one dental hygienist pointed out. It takes a lot of care to keep my teeth healthy.
When you make your own toothpaste, you won’t have the benefit of fluoride, so you’ll have to weigh that in as far as what works for your family. Many people try to minimize their exposure to fluoride, anyway. Children younger than four or five, who haven’t learned not to swallow toothpaste shouldn’t be using fluoride toothpaste, anyway.
An added benefit of this toothpaste is that it contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners.
For a basic toothpaste, you will need:
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Glycerine (look for it in pharmacies or craft stores. It is basically an oil that is used to make a mild soap.)
- Water
You can add in other ingredients for flavor, such as a very small amount of peppermint oil, oil of cinnamon or oil of cloves. Ever see those commercials for funky flavored toothpastes? Try making your own using vanilla, almond extract, etc. Just remember not to add anything that has sugar in it.
To make your toothpaste:
Mix together three parts of baking soda for every one part of salt until you have about 1/4 cup mixture. Add three tablespoons of glycerine. Add enough water to make a thick paste. Then brush normally with your new toothpaste. Any extra toothpaste should be stored in an airtight container. You can easily double or triple the recipe.
Enjoy!
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