How to Make Natural Toothpaste

Katie Wells Avatar

Reading Time: 5 minutes

This post contains affiliate links.

Read my affiliate policy.

How to make natural toothpaste
Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » How to Make Natural Toothpaste

Since learning about how diet can drastically affect oral health and the need for minerals in the body for oral health, I’ve increasingly turned to homemade mineral-rich natural toothpaste options.

Why Use Natural Toothpaste?

I’m not a dentist or a doctor, just a mom who has tried a TON of different toothpaste options and read a TON of books and medical literature. I first started making my own toothpaste after getting frustrated that I couldn’t find a store-bought brand that didn’t have questionable ingredients, including:

  • Sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners like sodium saccharin are often used in toothpaste to improve taste, but some of these substances are controversial. Until scientists reach some more definitive conclusions, sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol seem to be a better choice and rated safe for non-food uses by the EWG.
  • Fluoride: The most controversial toothpaste ingredient. I personally have to avoid it like the plague because of my thyroid disease (read about the connection here). Additionally, fluoride interferes with my thyroid hormone uptake. Our family doesn’t use fluoride toothpaste and we filter it out of our water, but there is definitely research on both sides. (You can read Mark Sisson’s take here and Dr. Mercola’s opinion here.) Whatever your opinion, fluoride does come with a warning to call the poison control center immediately if ingested and after seeing a close friend’s scare when her son ingested some fluoride, it isn’t something I keep in our house.
  • Triclosan: A chemical used in antibacterial soaps and products. Triclosan was found to affect proper heart function in a study at the University of California Davis and the FDA ruled in 2017 that triclosan isn’t generally recognized as safe.
  • Glycerin: Another controversial ingredient, glycerin is found in many toothpastes, especially natural toothpastes. Glycerin is a sweet, colorless liquid and some research says it can coat teeth and prevent them from benefitting from the minerals in saliva. I know that when I used glycerin toothpaste in college, my teeth started to yellow, but the research is still mixed on whether glycerin is harmful or not. Especially when I was working to remineralize cavities, I concluded after research that it was better to just avoid it.
  • Surfactants: Many kinds of toothpaste contain surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, which gives toothpaste its foam and lather. Some research shows that SLS can cause mouth ulcers and canker sores.
  • Artificial colors/dyes or synthetic flavors: There are a few good natural toothpastes out there, but after looking at the ingredients, I realized I could make a similar concoction at home… and the toothpaste experiment was born.

Homemade Toothpaste Trial & Error

If you’re not sure you want to try making your own toothpaste, there are good store-bought options out there (scroll down for my favorites).

If you’re a DIY master, then jump right in!

I admit, I had several failed attempts before I figured this recipe out. I originally tried mixing coconut oil and baking soda in equal proportions (which makes coconut-tasting salt!). I also tried using pure ground stevia leaf, but my husband and kids couldn’t get past the green color.

Homemade Toothpaste ingredients

I finally made a concession to use stevia powder (the most natural one I could find). I’ve also tried making this with xylitol, as it has some supposed benefits in dental health.

Here it is… the new, improved, and kid-approved recipe!

How to make natural toothpaste
Print
3.69 from 133 votes

Natural Toothpaste Recipe

Make a natural toothpaste at home with coconut oil, baking soda, stevia powder, and essential oils.
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

Instructions

  • Melt or slightly soften the coconut oil.
  • Mix in other ingredients and stir well. If you are using a semi-hard coconut oil, use a fork, if not, use a spoon. If you are using completely melted coconut oil, you will need to stir several times while the mixture cools to keep the baking soda incorporated.
  • Pour the mixture into a small glass jar (I make different ones for each family member).
  • Let cool completely.

Notes

To use: dip toothbrush in and scrape small amount onto bristles. You could also use a small spoon to put it on the toothbrush.

Does Homemade Toothpaste Work?

Healthy natural homemade toothpaste recipeWe have been using natural toothpaste years now, and it seems to work great! I’ve noticed less plaque when brushing our teeth, and my teeth feel smoother. Years of great dental checkups have to count for something, and I have several friends who have used similar concoctions for years and never get cavities.

More DIY Toothpaste Recipes

Since I originally wrote this post, I’ve created a few additional toothpaste recipes which are even easier to make! I still love this recipe, but you may also want to check out these:

Pre-Made Natural Toothpaste Options

If you don’t want to make toothpaste yourself, thankfully, there are several pre-made natural toothpaste options that are both effective and safe. Some of my favorites are:

Wellnesse

My Wellnesse Whitening Toothpaste uses only the safest EWG-rated ingredients, like hydroxyapatite to remineralize teeth and make them strong, and neem oil to fight unhealthy bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque. Instead of fluoride, our formula contains green tea leaf extract, which is loaded with antioxidants. Plus, a phytochemical in green tea is shown to fight bacteria that leads to tooth decay. Did we mention our toothpaste is Glycerin-Free?

OraWellness Brushing Blend

I use OraWellness Brushing Blend as an ingredient in many of my homemade oral health products, but I also just like using it alone. It is great for traveling, even for flying since it comes in a small bottle and since you only need a few drops, it lasts forever.

We also use OraWellness Bass Toothbrushes regularly at our house.

Earthpaste

Earthpaste is another favorite at our house. The kids like the lemon flavor and my husband and I like all three mint options (cinnamon, peppermint, and wintergreen). I haven’t found it locally, so I often bought a four-pack online every few months.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Steven Lin, who is a Board accredited dentist trained at the University of Sydney. With a background in biomedical science, he is a passionate whole-health advocate, focusing on the link between nutrition and dental health. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor or dentist.

Best Natural Toothpaste Options

What do you think? Up for making your own toothpaste, or is it too much? Tell me about it below!

Most tooth pastes are filled with unhealthy ingredients. Making your own natural toothpaste at home saves money and is healthier for your teeth and gums.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

336 responses to “How to Make Natural Toothpaste”

  1. Emre Avatar

    5 stars
    Hi Katie. I have been following your blog for many years. Very successful and useful. I have a question for you. Are you still using this recipe?

  2. Michelle Avatar

    Do you have a toothpaste recipe that does not use Baking Soda? I’m wanting to make a natural toothpaste for someone with a corn allergy. Thanks!

      1. Michelle Avatar

        Thank you for the helpful links! I may have been thinking of baking powder, which sometimes has corn in it. However, toothpaste with baking soda in it makes her lips and mouth swell up quite a bit. She hasn’t yet had anaphylactic shock from baking soda, but I don’t want to chance it! The recipe with Bentonite Clay looks like a good one to try. Thanks!

  3. Ellie Avatar

    Are essential oils safe to use in toothpaste for inside the mouth, or do they need to be food-grade? Can I use a peppermint extract/flavour instead? What specific ingredients or terms in essential oils do we need to look out for(either positively or negatively)?

  4. Joanne Avatar

    Hello 🙂
    Thankyou for the great recipe! I just have a question regarding the esential oil.. how do you measure your drops? I was presuming as they come from the bottle but wanted to check! I in fact already did this.. but only used roughly 10 drops,
    Thankyou

  5. Miranda Avatar
    Miranda

    Hello! I noticed that grape seed extract is in photo but it is not listed anywhere on the page. How many drops of grape seed extract do you recommend adding to the recipe above?

    Thank you!

  6. Shahul Hameed Avatar
    Shahul Hameed

    Let me know what we do to avoid the solidification of coconut oil during winter. And how to give a pasty structure for home made tooth paste

  7. vee Avatar

    hello, when I click on your shoping link I get a alert from Mcafee about your link. Please advise

    Thanks

  8. Michele Avatar

    I’m confused, coconut oil and mint(s) are anti-microbial wouldn’t that simply negatively change the biome in the mouth? To me any anti-microbial action in the mouth would be a bad thing.

  9. David Svarrer Avatar
    David Svarrer

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing your recipe! We will try it out. The tube, though, is a very practical construction. I was thinking, can one make it so that it can be pumped like one pumps liquid hand washing soap, onto the toothbrush?

    I will let you know what we find out..

  10. Suzy Caddy Avatar
    Suzy Caddy

    Hi, love your site. Just a question. I have multiple chemical sensitivity, which means no perfumes, no chemicals and that is also natural as well as man made, so no lavendar, tea tree oil, aloe vera, neem oil, essential oils and the list goes on. I am going to try your shampoo and toothpaste as I cannot get anything anymore commercially. In Australia that is. But I thought I could still make these and leave out the essential oils. Just wondering if you had any thoughts on what to substitute for essential oils. I can use peppermint essence. Would this work in toothpaste? Lemon juice but not the essential oil. I also cannot use any sweeteners, especially stevia, any of the tols either. I can use coconut sugar and maple syrup. So mostly no essential oils but will the other things work instead? What about honey? I recently tried manuka honey. Good just expensive. I am a pensioner.

  11. Vera Avatar

    I haven’t really considered a homemade tooth paste, but I might as well try out your recipes and see how it goes.

    Thanks for Sharing

  12. Joanna Avatar

    Hi Katie – so impressed with everything you do. I do have a question though: I just recently came from the dentist and needed to have a cavity filled. Totally rare for me. I have been using Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil and Baking Soda toothpaste for about 6 months. My dentist was surprised that things had changed so quickly with this certain tooth and asked what changed so I told him which toothpaste I switched to. He told me that Baking Soda was a big big no no (along with charcoal) because it was an abrasive agent and breaks down enamel. Curious to know yout thoughts on that. BTW I am 46 years old and haven’t had a cavity in over 20 years. I agree with your research and feelings about flouride (am in remission from Ulcerative Colitis) so would love to stay on the natural path. Would love your thoughts! Thank you!

Older Comments
1 8 9 10

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating