Today my son brought home a sample from school. Colgate toothpaste. I turn it over to read the ingredients and warnings. “Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age….(this was in bold print!) It states “If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed get medical help or contact Poison Control Center right away.” Seriously?!
Ok, food for thought. When you are having a heart attack, where do they recommend you put the asiprin? Under your tongue. Why? It is the quickest route to the blood stream. So, they are telling us to call poison control “right away” with something that is designed to be used in our mouths and goes straight to our blood stream!! Hmm…..I have a hard time understanding this.
So, a few of the ingredients in toothpaste: Triclosan (suspected of causing cancer in humans), sodium fluoride (developmental/reproductive toxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity, Occupational hazards, Use restrictions), propylene glycol (EPA considers PG so toxic it requires gloves, clothing, goggles and disposal burying; EPA warns against skin contact to prevent brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities), sodium lauryl sulfate (used in car washes, garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and 90% of personal-care products that foam; eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, skin irritation and death)….I’m going to stop there but there are a ton more ingredients in toothpaste that are listed. Who knows what else may be in there, that is not listed! Yikes.
So what do we do? Well, read your labels. Look for a natural toothpaste. Look at the EWG’s website (Environmental Working Group). We switched over to using Young Livings Thieves Aromabright toothpaste and it is amazing!!! I wrote a testimony a few months back. Alden has very porous teeth. Even when I was brushing his teeth, he was still getting cavities and had a ton of plaque that the hygienist had to scrap off. Once we started using Young Living’s toothpaste, the dentist has found no cavities. She even stopped halfway through the cleaning to ask what we were doing differently because there was such a noticeable difference in his teeth.
I haven’t personally made my own toothpaste but I know people that have. So take a minute tonight before bed or in the morning. Read the label on your toothpaste. You’ll be glad that you did.
Here is a recipe from LiveSimply:
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, soft but not melted (where to buy)
- 1 TB good-quality baking soda (where to buy)
- 1 TB bentonite clay (where to buy) or (where to buy)
- ¼ tsp pure liquid stevia (where to buy)
- 4-10 drops of essential oil: I use Sweet Orange for this. Lemon or Peppermint are also an option, if that’s more appealing to your kids.
- In a medium-size bowl, combine the coconut oil, baking soda, and clay. Mix thoroughly.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and mix.
- Store in a jar or for squeezable toothpaste, use these.
- Note: When mixing bentonite clay, please use a wood or plastic spoon. Bentonite clay should not come in contact with metal because it deactivates the clay.
- The consistency of this recipe can vary depending on the temperature where the toothpaste is stored, due to the nature of coconut oil.
