Homemade toothpaste

This post is dedicated to my beloved dentist friends and family: Uncle Jim, Michaela, Susie, Daniel and Jen.  What you read here may horrify you, but I'm quite sure you won't be surprised.

I nearly ran out of toothpaste yesterday.  There's some in there, but it's at that stage where you are flattening it on counters and pounding the life out of it in hopes for a sudden blobbage.  I was thinking about the many uses of bentonite clay and I wondered if there were people out there who used it to brush their teeth and if there was any benefit from doing so (or if they are just plain crazy).  

The impending lack of toothpaste sped forth my immediate need for researching the topic. What I found was both illuminating and helpful.  (As you can well imagine.)  Apparently, people really do this thing of brushing their teeth with bentonite clay (among other things) and I was not imagining it (now, how many people exactly do this thing remains to be seen - I may indeed be in a club of an illustrious four people, but I am not alone).  

Bentonite clay is a detoxification agent.  It also contains a good source of minerals.  Adventurous people EAT it.  Yeah, seriously.  They eat dirt-like substances.  I haven't tried that yet, but according to Redmond Clay, native people would carry around a little pouch of bentonite clay for digestive upsets.  I personally don't eat the clay, but I do use it in my deodorant recipe, for face masks, and now in toothpaste.  

This information leads some people to suggest that there may be remineralization properties available to your teeth via the use of bentonite clay, and because of the detoxification qualities, it may also help with gum health.  I mean, it sounds good too, right?  Scrubbing your teeth with dirt?  Well, it sure beats Colgate Total's triclosan endocrine disruptor junk of death paste. 

I looked up a recipe and found one that seemed fairly straightforward (and I had all of the ingredients, minus the GoToob, which I got from REI - plus some awesome aerobars for my bike, but that is a different story and is my Mother's Day present - thank you, honey!  But I digress.).  I found the recipe at Overthrow Martha.  

Don't you want to try it?  I know.  I can hear Michaela even now wholeheartedly agreeing with this idea.   

Here is the recipe:  

1.5 Tbsp. bentonite clay (I get Redmond.)  
2 Tbsp. filtered water (I use R/O remineralized with Vitev REMIN)
Step 1: mix them together.  
Step 2: add the other ingredients, which are: 2 teaspoons of baking soda, a tablespoon of coconut oil and 10+ drops of essential oil.  She adds fine sea salt, but I don't want to scratch up my awesome chompers.  And as far as the essential oil goes, I did not listen.  My peppermint essential oil has a totally open bottle top lid and I think I dumped a teaspoon of essential oil in the mix.  EXTRA MINTY, people.  She also points out that you should not use metal anywhere with this recipe, as bentonite clay sucks toxins out like nobody's beeswax, and maybe you like to brush your teeth with aluminum, I don't know, but probs we should just stick with non-reactive things like glass or the GoToob.

It looks SO DISGUSTING, which I think adds to the whole positive experience of it all.  It's non-foamy grey toothpaste for crying out loud.  It is like drinking kombucha.  You just inhale like a boss and nod smirkily while you do it and I'm pretty sure it makes you tougher on some level.  I mean, hello?  "I brush my teeth with clay.  You probably don't want to mess with me."  It goes without saying!  Are you worried about not having fluoride in there?  (As a side note, I have not had any cavities since I switched over to using non-fluoride toothpaste and before that I was a 4 cavity a time kind of dental patient.)

Here, read up a little bit on poisoning your brain with fluoride:  
Wreck your brain - and fast!
It's way funner to be dumber!
Let's do it anyway, even though we know it's totally horrid for you!

So, are you wondering what the response is to using it?  I told my hubby I made toothpaste yesterday and so when he got ready for bed, he opted to try it (very brave soul - just think of all the things I subject him to on a daily basis).  I was already laying in bed, cringing quietly and waiting to hear what he would say.  

It went like this:  
Him: I'm going to try that toothpaste you made, I guess.
Me:  (Oh boy, here we go.)  Kay.  Let me know what you think.  
Him:  (squirting grey toothpaste onto his toothbrush...putting it in his mouth...brushing for one second) Weird! (muffled)  It's...salty!  
Me:  Well, yeah.  Of course it is!  (?  I think it sounds better if you respond that way.)  Him:  Oh, it's very minty.  
Me:  Yeah, I know.  
Him:  It's getting...minty-er.  
Me:  (ahem) Yeah, uh, that's um, how...I...made...it.  So, do you like it?  
Him:  Yeah, it's okay I guess.  
Me:  WIN!  

And that is the story of an obviously very positive personal account.  I think I brushed my teeth like five times yesterday to keep testing it (along with randomly asking family members, "Do I have stink mouth or am I good?").  It still works.

The kids have not tried it yet because they watched me make it and they keep saying that their mother is brushing her teeth with dirt.  Well, suck it up buttercups!  (Can't you make it white, Mom?  No.  Stop being a baby.)  

So, if you ever run out...hey...join the club!  

Peace, love, and minty fresh, 
Ms. Daisy