Make Toothpaste

Whether you don't like the flavor of commercial toothpaste or are looking for little ways to cut expenses, making toothpaste can be a fun project for anyone who's into making their own stuff. Plus, you can avoid many of the artificial ingredients contained in commercial toothpaste, such as sweeteners (usually saccharin), emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial flavors.

Steps

 * 1) [[Image:Toothpaste_358.jpg|250px|right]] Pour a half of a cup (110g) of baking soda into a mixing bowl . Baking soda has a natural cleansing ability and can even be found in some commercial toothpastes. It's non-toxic and will help polish your teeth. Some recipes call for table salt, in which case you should mix three parts of baking soda with one part of table salt.
 * 2) Add three teaspoons (15g) of glycerine for every 1/4 cup (55g) of dry mixture. This is optional; it acts as a sweetener. An alternative is stevia.
 * 3) [[Image:Toothpaste_981.jpg|250px|right]] Add 1/4 cup (60g) of household hydrogen peroxide and one drop of peppermint oil. Hydrogen peroxide naturally disinfects your mouth and will also help whiten your teeth. If you don't have it around, use water. The drop of peppermint oil will leave your mouth feeling fresh. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down very quickly in the presence of UV light, so it is necessary to store the toothpaste away from sunlight. If you're not into the peppermint flavor, some alternatives are ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, fennel, ginger, and almond extract. Whatever it is, make sure it doesn't have sugar added or that it isn't strongly acidic, since acids will produce a fizzing reaction with the baking soda.
 * 4) [[Image:Toothpaste_978.jpg|250px|right]] Mix the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda until it is a paste . If you need to, mix in more hydrogen peroxide until you get the right consistency. See Warnings below.
 * 5)  Store the toothpaste in a small plastic container where it won't dry out. You can also purchase a small, empty lotion bottle so that you can squeeze out the toothpaste onto the toothbrush more easily, rather than dip it.

Tips

 * If the baking soda proves to be too abrasive for your teeth or gums, you can get similar effects by rinsing your mouth with a very light baking soda solution after you've brushed with a bare brush. A milder abrasive is salt.
 * Kids might enjoy adding food coloring to the toothpaste to make it more personal. This might be a good time to teach them about how colors mix to make new ones. Try to avoid artificial colors derived from coal tar (e.g. FD&C Yellow #5 (E102), FD&C Red #40 (E129), etc.), which have been linked to negative health issues including ADHD in children if they ingest them..

Warnings

 * Adding anything acidic (such as lemon or lime juice) to the toothpaste will cause a fizzling chemical reaction with the baking soda.
 * Although some people may find baking soda to be too abrasive for daily use in a toothpaste, it is an ingredient found in some toothpastes approved by the American Dental Association. Also, baking soda dissolves almost instantly in contact with water and saliva, which makes the solution as abrasive as salt water would be. Your toothbrush itself is far more abrasive (even the super-soft ones) than a fully dissolved baking soda solution. Baking soda is far less abrasive than the other common toothpaste abrasive, hydrated silica (otherwise known as sterilized wet sand).
 * Only use household hydrogen peroxide, a common alternative to alcohol as a disinfectant. It is readily found at drugstores next to the rubbing alcohol and witch hazel. It has a 3% concentration, which is far more dilute than hair bleaching and industrial strength solutions. Consuming excessive amounts of hydrogen peroxide can result in poisoning, but according to the National Institutes of Health, "Most contact with household strength hydrogen peroxide is relatively harmless." If you make sure that equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide and water are mixed into the toothpaste, you will be safer than using the 3% solution straight. Hydrogen peroxide always decomposes into water + oxygen, and does so faster in an alkaline solution, such as this toothpaste. Unless you make the toothpaste just before using, there is a very strong chance that the hydrogen peroxide has already decomposed. If you want to use hydrogen peroxide for its whitening effects on enamel, use this toothpaste immediately after making it.
 * While children who use and regularly swallow conventional toothpaste are at risk of developing fluorosis the only real concern from swallowing this toothpaste is the sodium content. The baking soda in this fluoride-free home remedy may be abrasive on teeth if you do not wait for the baking soda to dissolve fully, and the hydrogen peroxide can be irritating if swallowed, so it should be substituted completely with water.
 * Toothpaste without fluoride may not protect enamel as well as toothpaste with fluoride, nor does it provide remineralization of decayed teeth. It may be prudent to consult with your dentist before switching yourself or your children.
 * Do not eat toothpaste for any reason. Try to avoid swallowing it too, if possible. The small amount used for brushing is not usually harmful when accidentally swallowed, unless you are extremely sodium sensitive.

Things You'll Need

 * Mixing bowl
 * Teaspoon
 * Baking soda
 * Peppermint oil
 * Hydrogen peroxide (optional) (for household use, not for hair bleaching or industrial use, see Warnings)
 * Table salt
 * Glycerine (available in craft stores and pharmacies--make sure it is unscented, as glycerine is also a skin moisturizer.)

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Brush Teeth Without Toothpaste
 * How to Brush Your Teeth
 * How to Keep Your Children Brushing Their Teeth
 * How to Keep a Clean Toothbrush
 * How to Whiten Teeth With Natural Methods
 * How to Whiten Your Teeth Without Spending a Lot of Money

Sources and Citations

 * VideoJug: How to Make Organic Toothpaste. Shared with permission.
 * http://www.vegthreads.org/how-to-make-green-toothpaste/