Almost every home in America has a tube of toothpaste in the bathroom, or more than likely, several tubes. Toothpaste tubes are one of the most wasteful things we have in our homes. In America more than 400 million toothpaste tubes are thrown out every year and more than 1.5 billion globally. This is because the vast majority of toothpaste tubes are not recyclable. One of the best way's to cut down on your household's waste generation is by switching to buying toothpaste tabs, or making your own toothpaste.
For the past 6 years, my young daughters and I have been making our own toothpaste. It's become a fun thing that we do together, every month or so. We add food grade flavorings such as lemon, chocolate or orange, and play around with the ingredients to get different results. We now use a combination of toothpaste tabs from www.unpaste.us and our own homemade toothpaste.
Here's my favorite toothpaste recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
HOMEMADE CLAY TOOTHPASTE
Why Use Clay? Clay, specifically bentonite clay, is known to contain an abundance of beneficial trace minerals and vitamins and has traditionally been used to boost immunity and to treat mineral deficiencies. It also has an amazing quality of binding to heavy metals, toxins, bacteria, and harmful substances so they can be removed from body. When used in toothpaste, it helps remineralize our teeth with calcium and magnesium, and its binding component also cleans out the mouth of any bacteria that may be forming.
Coupled with stain-reducing baking soda, and the antibacterial component of coconut oil, this recipe makes an awesome toothpaste that leaves your mouth feeling clean and refreshed.
Remember, When Using Bentonite Clay…Bentonite clay should NOT come in contact with any metals. When this happens, it loses its effectiveness because it absorbs the metals that it comes in contact with. When using bentonite clay, use glass, ceramic, or plastic with your utensils and containers.
Recipe:
Ingredients
3 tbsp bentonite clay
1/4 cup filtered water plus more, if needed
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tsp baking soda
15-20 drops of a natural food grade flavoring (such as peppermint or chocolate)
Instructions
In a glass, plastic, ceramic container (do NOT use metal), mix together bentonite clay, melted coconut oil, and water with a non-metal spoon until well-mixed.
Add baking soda and food grade flavoring and mix again.
If the toothpaste is too thick, add a little bit of water at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Put in a glass or plastic container, where you can dip your toothbrush to use the toothpaste. Alternatively, if you have other people using the toothpaste as well, you can store in a bpa-free plastic squeeze tube.
Base recipe provided by: https://whatgreatgrandmaate.com/homemade-clay-toothpaste/, but modified by my daughters and I. Enjoy!