How to Make Natural Toothpaste

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How to make natural toothpaste
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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
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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

338 responses to “How to Make Natural Toothpaste”

  1. Jessica Avatar

    Thanks for this recipe – I have yet to try it and curious to find out, why you put stevia in it? Could you leave it out if you wanted to?

    Thanks in Advance!

  2. Adila Avatar

    Hi I’ve been using my homemade tooth paste for a few months now. But my gums bleed everytime. Is this normal?

  3. Bryn Avatar

    I’ve tried this recipe and many other natural toothpastes, including Earthpaste, and while I feel that my teeth/mouth have been very healthy since switching to natural toothpastes, my teeth get brown staining around the gum lines no matter what type of natural toothpaste I use, which includes this recipe. This has only happened since switching to natural toothpastes. I don’t want to go back to using regular toothpaste because of all the harmful ingredients, but I’m at a loss for what to do to keep these stains away. It sounds like other people have had great results with this and other natural toothpastes, so I’m wondering if this staining is just something that happens to certain people. My husband and I both use natural toothpaste and have the same diet, but he doesn’t experience staining.

    I’ve also had problems throughout my life of acquiring a lot plaque on my teeth (especially on the bottom front ones), even after changing my diet to be even healthier and switching to using natural health/toiletry products. This is also something my husband doesn’t experience, even though I’m more diligent with my oral care, so I’m wondering if both the staining and the plaque are just random things that I’ve been “blessed” with.

    I imagine that the only reason I didn’t use to experience staining on my teeth when using regular toothpaste before I switched to natural is because of whitening agents in the toothpaste that are probably not very good for teeth.

    I can combat some of the staining by using baking soda, but it doesn’t take it all away and continues to come back. When I go to the dentist they’ve been able to get it off when polishing my teeth, but between dentist appointments I want to know if there’s a way that I can keep my teeth whiter at home while still using natural toothpaste.

    I’m still convinced that natural is the best way to go, especially because I’ve had a couple times when I’ve felt like I’ve had a tooth infection (similar to the one time I ended up getting a root canal years ago), and was able to make the tooth aches go away both times by using combinations of natural ingredients in my mouth and around the tooth ache pain.

    Anyways, if anyone has any advice for how to combat staining when using natural toothpaste, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

  4. Kathy Avatar

    I have been using baking soda and peppermint essential oil for about 2 weeks now, but I want to mix together a recipe in a small glass jar for easier use. If I add coconut oil to my recipe will it be safe for the drain pipes? Also, what is the shelf life of homemade toothpaste?
    Thank you

  5. Wendy Avatar

    I just read on another blog about DIY toothpaste that calcium carbonate is better than bi-carbonate. I’m going to use this recipe with a crushed calcium carbonate tablet to help remineralization. Any comments?

  6. Wendy Avatar

    Is the mint safe during pregnancy? I’ve read conflicting reviews about essential oils and I think I would just leave that and the myr out, along with the stevia. I’m assuming they’re just in there for flavouring?

  7. KELLY Avatar

    great recipes!, can not wait to try these. Should you sanitize container?.

  8. SAM Avatar

    Good info, but you could have made it much shorter. Sweet and simple is common sense.

  9. Dorinda Avatar
    Dorinda

    I can not wait to try this. Please NOTE: to all dog owners – do not use Xylitol, if they eat it, they can and will die if you do not get emergency care right away. Even if they vomit it up, it is already in their blood and will put them in liver failure. We just had this happen to us. so I wanted to share that. Going to go make my toothpaste now.

  10. Molly Avatar

    What is the purpose for the Myrrh? I know you said it is optional, but I see it in all of your toothpaste recipes, so I’m guessing there is a great reason! Thanks!

  11. Renee Avatar

    Hi, thanks for your helpful tips and recipes. I am desperately trying to find a toothpaste for my 15 month old. assuming she will swallow, I’d prefer not to give her essential oils. Do you have a recommended recipe for babies/toddlers?? Thanks so much!

  12. kate Avatar

    I have tried many different homemade toothpaste recipes, but each time after two weeks of use I will get an increasingly bad taste in my mouth, which i did not have when using store-bought natural toothpaste. I am feeling frustrated because I am not sure how honest some opnions are when they say diy toothpaste works.

  13. Renata Avatar
    Renata

    Hi there! Just wondering, when you say “2 small packets of Stevia powder”, how much that actually is? I have decided to try and buy in bulk so just need to know approx. how many grams you would use?

  14. Raine Avatar

    Hi! I just made this recipe and was wondering if it will harden or stay at a kind of liquid stage?

  15. Kirsten Avatar

    I’m a bit anxious about using cinnamon oil in a toothpaste. Cinnamon is an irritant – does it not irritate the mouth?

  16. Heidi Avatar

    This by far the busiest thread I’m on. I’m always getting comments in box. I have to share a recent testimony. 6 weeks ago I was at the dentist and discovered I had a severe cavity, tho had no pain yet. The cavity had reached the pulp chamber. I decided against the root canal and instead upped my game w oil pulling and a homemade toothpaste. I combined a couple recipes from this blog and another. Basically I threw everything into that toothpaste that I came across as helpful that I had. I included: diatomaceous earth, bentonite clay, cinnamon, cloves, tea tree, baking soda, coconut oil. No sweetener. It tastes a bit earthy but your teeth feel awesome afterwards. So much that all four of my kids (4-10)come in and steal my toothpaste toothpaste instead of there better tasting Tom’s. I asked them why and they said because it’s whitening there teeth that they were embarrassed about and there teeth feel so much cleaner after. They don’t even mind the taste! But back to my story. Today I went in only asked for an x-ray again and didn’t tell her what I had been doing. She said ” what have you been doing?!”, si I told her. My cavity has pulled away from the pulp chamber and is healing! I am thrilled and am going to keep doing this, I’ve been aiming for after every meal, 3x a day. But at worst I do it am n PM. To speed things up I’m going to do oil pulling 2x a day and when I get the money add Ora wellness. Isn’t this amazing that we can naturally heal our own cavities! So empowering!

  17. Kate Avatar

    You show GSE in the picture, but it’s not in the recipe… should it be? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      It was in the original recipe but I found it wasn’t needed and there are some concerns with its formula and with the glycerin on teeth so I removed it from the recipe.

  18. Maura S Avatar

    Dear Katie,
    I love your site! I am sorry you were not around when my son was little (he is 24 now…), but I enjoy very much your health recipes and I always know where to look for a natural remedie.
    I am definitely going to try your toothpaste , the oil pulling and the whitening stuff with the activated charcoal.
    Thank you very much for all the things you share with us.

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