We can do many things around the house ourselves instead of buying them. Have you ever thought about making your own toothpaste? This is easy to do, but there are a few things you should keep in mind.
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Make your own toothpaste – it saves plastic packaging and is fun. You only need a few ingredients, accessories and time. We’ll show you a recipe for homemade toothpaste.
But be careful: Dental experts, such as those from the Federal Dental Association (BZÄK) and the German Society for Preventive Dentistry (DGPZM), advise against making toothpaste yourself. You see two major problems with DIY recipes:
- They do not contain fluoride. “However, the use of toothpaste containing fluoride is one of the most effective caries prevention measures. The BZÄK recommends using toothpaste containing fluoride,” the BZÄK writes to us. When it comes to recommending products containing fluoride, all dental experts agree – and Öko-Test also devalues fluoride-free toothpastes.
- Ingredients such as baking soda, lemon and especially chalk can be used in the wrong quantities increased abrasion of tooth enamel lead and thus damage the hard tooth structure.
In addition, dental professionals advise against using homemade toothpaste as it does not adequately protect against tooth enamel degradation, tooth decay or periodontitis. Instead, such DIY mixtures can actually increase the risk of these problems.
We therefore advise: If you really want to use homemade toothpaste, definitely go for it Regular check-ups with your dentist and it is best not to use DIY products permanentlybut in combination with other products. There are recommended organic toothpastes and also toothbrush tabs (“tooth loss) the experts from BZÄK see as a good alternative to conventional toothpaste – you can also get it without any plastic packaging in some Unpackaged stores.
If you want to avoid plastic and questionable ingredients when brushing your teeth, you have even more options: read our guide Brushing your teeth sustainably: dental care without plastic and harmful substances.
Make your own toothpaste: the ingredients
If you still want to try making it yourself, you can find a simple recipe here.
For your homemade toothpaste you need:
Xylitol is obtained from birch and beech bark and is naturally sugar-free. It has 40 percent fewer calories than sugar, but is just as sweet. Ideal for rounding off the taste of homemade toothpaste.
This recipe comes from the book “Live better without plastic“ by Anneliese Bunk and Nadine Schubert (here at Thalia).
Make your own toothpaste: This is how it works
Once you have all the ingredients ready, here’s how to mix the toothpaste:
- Measure out all the ingredients and be careful not to use too much coconut oil, otherwise the toothpaste will become too thick later.
- Heat the coconut oil until it becomes liquid. Remove from heat and add baking soda, chalk and optionally about 1/4 teaspoon xylitol.
- Mix the ingredients with a fork so that there are no lumps.
- Finally, add the peppermint oil and stir the toothpaste again.
- Finally, pour the mixture into an empty, properly washed screw-top jar. Close it and let the homemade toothpaste cool down.
Complete! Your “make your own toothpaste” project can be completed so quickly. But what does it feel like to use homemade toothpaste? We tried it.
Brushing your teeth with homemade toothpaste: Our practical test
At room temperature, the cooled toothpaste is slightly softer than coconut oil, but firmer than conventional toothpaste. We recommend them with a clean spoon or chopstick from the glass to the toothbrush so that no contamination gets through the brush head into the homemade toothpaste. The toothpaste is about three months durable.
The homemade toothpaste smells pleasantly of mint with a subtle coconut note and is in no way inferior to the fresh smell of store-bought toothpaste. The cream melts very quickly in your mouth. Since it mainly consists of coconut oil, it liquefies in the warm environment of the oral cavity doesn’t foam. Our subjective conclusion: The teeth feel brushed and a fresh mint taste remains after brushing.
By the way, the toothbrush from our practical test is predominantly biodegradable. When the toothbrush is no longer used, separate the brush head from the bamboo handle. The latter can be put in the compost or in the organic waste, the brush head belongs in the trash. This toothbrush from the manufacturer Hydrophil is available, for example Avocadostore, Here’s Green or Amazon.
** marked with ** or orange underlined Links to sources of supply are partly partner links: If you buy here, you are actively supporting Utopia.de, because we then receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.
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