Category: Natural

Natural Toothpaste Alternative – a second recipe

I wasn’t looking for a new toothpaste or tooth powder recipe. I was happy with my baking soda tooth powder. But one day, I happened across a blog post or website that had a tooth powder recipe using bentonite clay. I had some (calcium) bentonite clay on hand from one of my natural deodorant recipes (it didn’t make it into my latest and favorite deodorant, but I plan to formulate another that combines bentonite clay and zinc ricinoleate to get the benefits of both). Anyway, I was intrigued so I researched bentonite clay a bit, and liked what I found (more on that below). So I mixed up bentonite clay tooth powder.

a second recipe for a natural toothpaste alternative, using baking powder and bentonite clay

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

The New Tooth Powder Recipe

My new favorite tooth powder recipe isn’t much more complicated than my original one – just 2 ingredients!

Intructions

Pour equal parts baking soda and bentonite clay into a non-metal container. Stir to mix, or put on a non-metal cover and shake to blend.

I use a 1/2 cup mason jar with a plastic lid, estimate the measurements, put the cover on tightly and shake well to blend the baking soda and bentonite clay. If there are clumps of baking soda, I use a popsicle stick to break up.

I use old, empty prescription pill bottles for travel tooth powder containers.

tooth powder ingredients: baking soda and bentonite clay
tooth powder ingredients: calcium bentonite clay and baking soda

How I use bentonite clay-baking soda tooth powder

To use my bentonite clay and baking soda tooth powder, I wet my toothbrush, shake off the excess water, then dip the edges of the bristles in the tooth powder. Then I just brush like normal! I spit and rinse out my mouth after brushing.

What is it like, using this tooth powder?

My baking soda tooth powder is very salty tasting. I like that this tooth powder is less salty, because basically I am using half as much of the salty ingredient in each brushing. I do not notice any taste to the bentonite clay, and it is very, very fine so I do not feel it. However, I do very occasionally notice that if I do not rinse my mouth well, I feel a little “grit” in my mouth. Nothing compared to sand! If this happens, I just take a sip of water and swirl it around, spit, and the grit is gone. The reason I never get this lingering grit with the pure baking soda tooth powder is because baking soda is water soluble and dissolves in my saliva.

tooth powder using bentonite clay and baking soda

I prefer this tooth powder over my original recipe, because I prefer the more mild taste, and I like the (at least possible) benefits to using bentonite clay on my teeth.

I also still use activated charcoal as a tooth whitening tooth powder – about once per week.

Using this bentonite clay and baking soda tooth powder daily, with the charcoal tooth powder as well, for over a year, I have strong, healthy, white teeth. Obviously there are tons of other factors that impact oral health, but for me, these tooth powders are part of my healthy oral hygiene routine.

What are the benefits of bentonite clay in a tooth powder?

Bentonite clay has been used throughout history and has many believed and scientifically proven benefits. I like it in a tooth powder because it binds to toxins, may be antibacterial, and contains minerals like calcium that *might* (not sure I believe this one) help remineralize and strengthen teeth. Additioanlly, bentonite clay is very fine so it doesn’t scratch my teeth, yet it has enough “grit” to gently scrape away plaque from my teeth.

I am pretty new to experimenting with bentonite clay. Once I have tried it out in other applications, I’ll post on other uses. However, if you’re looking for information now, Wellness Mama has a great post about the benefits and her uses of bentonite clay.

Have you tried any alternatives to standard toothpaste? Please share (the good or bad!) in the comments below.

Uses for Glycerine & Tea Tree Oil

Last April I wrote about using glycerine and tea tree oil to help clear up my contact dermatitis. I am a fan of multi-use products, so I wanted to see what other ailments this glycerine and tea tree oil could remedy. Since I first tried this, I have been trying out this mixture to help with other skin irritations.

"many uses for glycerine and tea tree oil" text over an image of a bottle of vegetable glycerine, organic tea tree oil, and a mixture of glycerine and tea tree oil

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

My glycerine and tea tree oil recipe

I decided to mix up a 1 fluid ounce batch of glycerin and tea tree oil so it would last me a while. This recipe can be scaled to make any size batch. Also, the ratio of glycerine to tea tree oil can be adjusted.

I prefer to use a ratio of 1 teaspoon glycerine to 2-3 drops tea tree oil for myself. This comes out to about 2-3% dilution. If I was using this on children I would use 1 teaspoon glycerine to 1 drop tea tree oil for a 1% dilution. I reference Mommypotamus’s essential oil dilution guidelines to decide how many drop of essentail oil to use in my recipes. Note that glycerine is water based and therefore NOT the same as a carrier oil. However, from my experience, the thickness of the glycerine or some other property of glycerine helps to keep the essential oil distributed throughout.

tea tree oil & glycerine

Ingredients

Recipe

I poured 1 ounce of vegetable glycerine into a clear glass jar, added 15 drops of organic tea tree oil, and stirred with a toothpick. That’s it!

To apply, I dip a clean fingertip in the mixture and apply the area of my skin that I am trying to treat. When I’m not using the solution, I secure the cover on the jar and store out of direct sunlight.

How I use glycerine and tea tree oil

For my skin, the combination of glycerine with a small amount of tea tree oil is great for healing and soothing a wide variety of ailments and irritations. Here are my 5 favorite ways to use glycerine and tea tree oil.

  1. To soothe skin and clear up rashes caused by eczema or contact dermatitis.
  2. To soothe dry, cracked skin around my nose due to allergies, colds, and the flu.
  3. To stop itching of bug bites.
  4. To ease itching and clean small cuts and scrapes. (When you’re like me and your skin is sensitive to everything, something as minor as a paper cut will swell and itch.)
  5. To soothe general dry skin. My cheeks and elbows get very dry in the winter, and applying a little glycerine and tea tree oil mixture once a week or so helps to smooth and hydrate my skin.

Just last week I had the opportunity to try this on eczema again. The cold, dry air and wind triggered an eczema outbreak in my face again. This time I was prepared with my tea tree oil and glycerine. I applied it the day the outbreak occurred, before it has a chance to get really bad. Then I applied 2-4 times daily for the next 5-6 days. After that, my skin was completely clear again. I love this remedy- for me it works better than anything else, and so quickly!

glycerine-tea tree oil, decongestant salve, and coconut oil moisturizer
glycerine-tea tree oil, decongestant salve, and coconut oil moisturizer

Where I purchase ingredients

I purchase my glycerine and tea tree oil on Amazon.  I have had good luck with Now Organic Essential Oils Tea Tree Oil, which for me is most easily available on Amazon. Now Essential Oils are also available at other online shops and in some local natural food stores.  I choose to use organic oil to reduce the risk of allergens contaminating the oil and causing me a reaction.

Glycerine is available at most pharmacies, natural food stores, or stores with a pharmacy (drug store, grocery store).  It is typically behind the counter of the pharmacy, but can be purchased without ID or a prescription.  I am not sure why it is hidden back there,  but that’s where I recommend looking if you don’t want to order online.  I chose to purchase on Amazon because I wanted to ensure that my glycerine was from vegetable sources.  Not all glycerine is vegetarian.  So if that matters to you, ensure you purchase vegetable glycerine.

Cost

If I didn’t already have the ingredients in hand, this would have cost about $14 to get started (but would leave ingredients left over for other recipes).

The cost to mix up this remedy depends on how much you need, how large an affected area being treated.  A 1 fluid ounce batch (6 teaspoons glycerine plus 15 drops tea tree oil) only cost me about $1.51 and looks like it’ll last me a year or more of regular use.

[($5.20/4oz) x(1 oz)=$1.30 for the glycerine, ($8.25/1 oz)x(1 oz/600 drops)x(15 drops)=$0.21 for the tea tree oil]

Have you found other uses for glycerine and tea tree oil? Please share in the comments below!