You might be surprised to know that clay toothpaste actually leaves your teeth feeling very clean.
One of the things I like best about it is that it doesn’t contain glycerin, which doesn’t clean but actually coats your teeth. This coating, while it may sound like a good thing, prevents teeth from being able to remineralize and can actually weaken teeth over time.
Many of us have gotten off of conventional brands of toothpaste and switched over to something more natural. However, most “natural” toothpastes on the market still contain glycerin (but not all– some products such as this one don’t).
I wrote a while back that for the purpose of avoiding glycerin, as well as fluoride, preservatives, sodium lauryl sulfate, among other things, our family was looking for something different. We had tried homemade baking-soda based toothpaste recipes and they just didn’t do it for us at all. Instead, we found Earthpaste!
Now, I still love Earthpaste and there are a couple tubes of it in our bathroom upstairs as I write this. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone looking for a 100% all-natural toothpaste option and you can read more of my glowing praise in this post.
Much as I love it (and many of you have tried it and told me you love it too), not all of my readers can afford it (or any other health food store toothpaste, for that matter). I understand. There have been many seasons in our lives when we simply couldn’t justify purchasing a pricey toothpaste when there were so many other bills to pay and just not enough money to go around.
Seeing that it’s Make It Yourself month, it seemed like the perfect time to figure out how to to it myself!
And besides… am I the only one who gets this strange kick of out seeing how many of the things we use that I can make myself? Call me a nut, but I do this sort of thing for fun.
The other night, for example, I had a Friday night to myself after the kids were in bed. And what did I do with this jewel of an opportunity? Read? Take a bath? Go to bed early?
Oh no. I mucked up my kitchen making vapor rub, facial lotion (or trying anyways), more deodorant, and perfecting my clay toothpaste recipe. Just call me a party animal.
Homemade Earthpaste1/4 cup bentonite clay.2 tablespoons coconut oil (mine was very soft but not liquid at the time, but it probably doesn’t really matter)1/4 teaspoon RealSalt or other unrefined sea salt.6 drops peppermint essential oil.3 drops tea tree essential oil.Water.
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1/4 cup bentonite clay.
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2 tablespoons coconut oil (mine was very soft but not liquid at the time, but it probably doesn’t really matter)
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1/4 teaspoon RealSalt or other unrefined sea salt.
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6 drops peppermint essential oil.
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3 drops tea tree essential oil.
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Water.
Mix it all up and taste to make sure it is to your liking. You can add more oils or sweetener to make it taste good. I like mine peppermint flavored, the kids like a citrus mix (orange, lemon & grapefruit) and my husband prefers cinnamon. There are lots of flavor options.
I loved the Earthpaste and wanted to use our clay to make out own to cut on costs. Since the Earthpaste only has a few ingredients, I was not too intimidated to make it. I made it with our Rocky Mountain Essential Oils which add their own awesome healing properties! (They have a huge sale this week! be sure to stop by & check it out)
If you are unfamiliar with Redmond Clay it is a clay that has lots of healing properties. It is a brand of bentonite clay. It’s a sodium and mineral rich clay and is used in thousands of ways to heal and cure naturally! Some ways it is used include digestive, skin problems, cuts and bruises, burns and rashes, an internal detox, and more! We have used it a few different ways and have been pleased with the results!
I found these awesome silicone squeeze tubes that we put ours into. It tends to dry out and get hard to squeeze after a little while, so I just open the top, add a tiny bit more water and massage it around a bit. It moistens it right back up perfectly. This recipe filled one tube.
A while back I got a sample box of awesome stuff from Redmond Clay. They sent me some cool samples including Real Salt seasonings, Redmond Clay masks, Earthpaste toothpaste and also some powdered Redmond Clay. I have been having lots of fun trying them out and experimenting with them.
How to make clay toothpaste
Five simple ingredients. Well, six, if you count water.
1. Dump the powdered clay in a bowl, then add sea salt.
2. Pour in the boiling water.
3. Using a hand mixer (or a sticker blender would also work), start mixing the clay until it is well blended with the water.
The consistency that you’re going for is just thick enough to stay on a toothbrush, but still thin enough that you will be able to dip a toothbrush in and easily scoop some up. If it’s too thick, this gets harder to accomplish.
In my original recipe, I used an extra 1 tsp. of clay as well as a slightly heaping 1/4 cup of it. This gave me a nice, thick texture that was still easy to use. The only problem was that over time, taking off the lid of the jar to use it started to dry it out a little bit.
(It didn’t help that my 3-year-old started helping herself to it because she liked the flavor, and guess who never remembered to put the cap back on? Hey, at least this toothpaste is completely edible and non-toxic!)
In this second batch, I decided to make it less thick up front, to account for that slow amount of drying out that will happen over time. Either way, it will still work fine, so I’ll leave the exact texture and thickness up to you!
4. Start adding stevia, and both the peppermint and tea tree essential oils. But don’t put the full amounts in yet. Start with half of the drops first. This gives you the ability to taste it as you go and not end up with something sweeter/stronger than you will enjoy using.
Mix it well after you add the first of the drops. Then taste a bit on the tip of your finger. Go ahead and add more stevia and/or essential oils until it tastes how you want it. For me, about 20 drops of stevia, 13-14 peppermint, and 4 tea tree was perfect.
In my first batch I used about 15 drops of stevia, 12 peppermint and 8 tea tree. It was fine, but the tea tree came through too strong for my liking and I wished it was slightly sweeter, hence the recipe adjustment the second time around.
Scoop it up into a jar. I chose this wide mouth, shallow glass mason jar, because I thought it would make it easy to dip my brush in, and it does.
Make sure you put an airtight lid on top, and keep it screwed on whenever you aren’t using it (i.e., keep it out the toddler’s reach, in my case). I used a plastic screw-on mason jar lid, which was ideal.
Another idea that I had but haven’t been able to try yet is putting it into those refillable, squeezable shampoo/conditioner bottles with the flip cap that you buy at the dollar store. Do you know what I mean? If anyone tries using one of those, please let me know how it works! That’s how I plan to try it next.
Redmond’s EARTHPASTE | Review (Organic Toothpaste)
FAQ
Can I make my own natural toothpaste?
Does earthpaste remineralize teeth?
How do you make homemade toothpaste?
Homemade toothpaste made with bentonite clay and coconut oil and flavored with essential oils and stevia. Mix powdered clay with water in a small, non-metal bowl, with a non-metal spoon. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. Store in a glass or plastic jar. Shelf life is about 1 month.
What makes a good toothpaste?
Bentonite clay – draws out toxins, reduces acidity in mouth, non-abrasive polisher and is full of minerals like calcium and magnesium that are good for teeth Essential oils – anti-bacterial and fights plaque (I chose a blend of orange and peppermint) What’s not in this toothpaste?
How do you store homemade toothpaste?
Store your homemade toothpaste in a small glass or plastic jar. I save and reuse jars from food and beauty products especially for my DIY concoctions – but Amazon sells 2-oz glass jars that are the perfect size for a batch of this toothpaste. Personally, I love that this is an affordable and zero waste toothpaste recipe!
What if everyone made their own paste?
If everyone started making their own paste, a huge amount of waste would be eliminated. Plus, the health effects on the environment and human health of baking soda, salt and peppermint oil are probably very minimal in comparison to whatever is in store bought paste.