Do you use coconut oil? It’s super beneficial and can be used for everything from sauteing vegetables to removing makeup! Read here about the benefits of coconut oil. One thing I hadn’t considered using it for is toothpaste! Since coconut oil is an antimicrobial and an antibacterial agent it makes sense that it would be perfect for cleaning teeth. Coconut oil makes a great toothpaste for the following reasons:
1. Contains zero harmful chemicals – Conventional toothpaste such as Colgate Total contains an antibacterial chemical called triclosan, which has been linked to concerns over antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals are a serious concern, as they can promote a wide variety of health problems including breast, ovarian, prostate, and testicular cancer. Other health problems associated with endocrine disruption are preterm and low birth weight babies, precocious puberty in girls, and undescended testicles in boys.
Fluoride is another common chemical in conventional toothpaste. Fluoride is a toxic industrial waste product that is a poison to your body even in trace amounts. Read more about why fluoride is harmful here.
2. Effective against cavity-causing bacteria – Research shows that massaging coconut oil into your gums for about 10 minutes daily for three weeks significantly reduces decay-causing Streptococcus mutans as well as plaque.
3. Contains no foaming agents– Many toothpastes also contain surfactants like sodium laurel sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). Surfactants are chemicals responsible for the foaming action of the toothpaste, but they also interfere with the functioning of your taste buds by breaking up the phospholipids on your tongue.
This enhances bitter tastes and is thought to be the reason why everything tastes so bad right after you’ve brushed your teeth. This may also be part of why coconut oil works so well for oral hygiene, as it helps maintain a more natural balance of lipids on your tongue, while still having potent antibacterial properties.
4. It’s inexpensive– It takes only a small amount of coconut oil to keep your teeth clean, and one jar can easily last you months, making it a very inexpensive toothpaste.
5. Simple to make – Coconut oil toothpaste is simple to make with just a few ingredients: Coconut oil, baking soda, essential oils and stevia or xylitol (optional)
RECIPE FOR COCONUT OIL TOOTHPASTE
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 2-3 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp stevia or xylitol, blended into a fine powder (optional)
- 10 drops of essential oil (peppermint, cinnamon or orange are tasty)
- Melt the coconut oil on a low heat. I used a double-boiler method by putting the jar of coconut oil into a pan of gently simmering water.
- Remove from heat once melted. Pour 1/2 cup coconut oil into a bowl or glass jar and stir in baking soda.
- In a coffee grinder or blender, blend the xylitol into a fine powder so that it easily dissolves.
- Add the xylitol. Feel free to add more if you’d like it sweeter.
- Add essential oil.
- Once the mixture has solidified, give it another stir (the baking soda may have settled on the bottom.)
Store toothpaste in a glass jar with a lid.