Toxic Free DIY Mini Series: Mouthwash and Toothpowder

Yes, folks, you too can make your own tooth powder and mouthwash with just a few simple ingredients— many of which you may already have in your home. The ones you don’t will be pretty cheap making this a very economical pursuit. In addition, you’ll be skipping out on all the questionable ingredients from store-bought dental hygiene products. Not to mention saving the earth, one plastic toothpaste-tube and mouthwash-bottle at a time. The very best part? They work! My mouth has never felt better.

(These concoctions were inspired by “Making It: Radical Home Ec For A Post-Consumer World” by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen.)

Are you ready for the easiest recipes… ever!? OK. Get set, GO!

Tooth Powder

Ingredients:

• small jar with lid, preferably glass (I use a baby food jar)

• baking soda (find it here)

• peppermint essential oil (find it here)

Method:

Put the baking soda in the jar. Add peppermint oil to taste, starting with maybe 10 or 15 drops. Stir with the handle of your toothbrush to distribute the oil. I’ve found that occasional stirring throughout the course of the batch’s life is helpful, too.

To use, wet your toothbrush and dip it in the jar. Brush your teeth!

Mouthwash

Ingredients:

• medium-sized jar with a lid, preferably glass (I use an old olive jar)

• water

• baking soda (find it here)

• peppermint essential oil (find it here)

• tea tree oil (optional) (find it here)

Method

Use about a tablespoon of baking soda for a cup of water. Again, experiment with the peppermint oil–start with maybe 20 drops. Only use a TINY BIT of the tea tree oil. Like, a drop. Two, max. (Really. It’s very strong and can be toxic. I often omit it if I’m feeling particularly uncoordinated that day, because my tea tree oil bottle doesn’t have a drop dispenser.)

Put it all in the jar. Shake well before each use.

Toothache Home Remedy

Despite your best efforts at dental hygiene, DIY or otherwise, you might still be plagued (not to be confused with “plaqued”) by the occasional toothache. Have no fear. Getting rid of that is easy peasy, no chemical pain killers necessary.

(I’ve heard that this is a Chinese remedy.)

Ingredients:

• clove buds (find it here)

Seriously, that’s it.

Method:

Simply remove the bulbous head of the clove from the stem. Get maybe 5 or 6 of them (or fewer, if you have sensitive taste buds). Chew them near the toothache. You’ll get all numb. Repeat as needed.

Vanessa Query writes the blog They Call Me Oystergirl, which is all about real food and paleo living in Rhode Island (and beyond). She loves DIY projects and making things from scratch.

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