Homemade Toothpaste

In our quest to become more self reliant, we are always on the lookout for ways to make things for ourselves rather than buying them ready-made. Often the results are healthier for us and kinder to the planet — as well as costing less.Recently, I decided we should start making our own toothpaste. I have seen various recipies for toothpastes and tooth powders in books and on the Internet. This one, which I found on Path to Freedom, appeals to us because it consists of just a few easily obtained ingredients.

Toothpaste
6 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons vegetable glycerin
15 drops natural peppermint essence (optional)
Combine all ingredients, mix well, and store in an airtight container.

Note: Kevin and I like a thicker toothpaste, and don’t mind if it’s not very sweet tasting, so we halve the quantity of glycerin in each batch. Also, we like to make at least a double mixture, since the quantity this recipe makes is pretty small.
We get a lot of satisfaction from this toothpaste. It contains no saccharin, no artificial flavourings or colourings, no flouride, no sodium laurel sulphate, no sodium laureth sulphate. . . to name just a few of the less desirable ingredients that can lurk in commercial toothpastes. It’s easy to make, and our teeth feel shiny and clean after using it.
But what say we ran out of vegetable glycerin, or even baking soda? Or what if we wanted to buy even fewer ingredients? Then what? Well, we could always clean our teeth with salt and sage leaves. We bought a tiny sage plant at the market last Saturday, so perhaps we’ll be able to try this before too long.