Humans have been making their own toothpaste for centuries, but in today’s world toothpaste is readily available at most stores across the country. So, why would you consider making your own toothpaste at home? Many individuals look for alternatives because of the synthetic ingredients found in store-bought options. But the question remains, is homemade toothpaste as effective as its store-bought substitute? Let’s explore.
Upsides of Making Your Own Toothpaste
DIYing your own toothpaste comes with these benefits:
- Control of Ingredients
The recipe for DIY toothpaste can vary depending on your needs. Some typical ingredients include baking soda, coconut oil, sea salt, and essential oils. One major benefit of making your own toothpaste is that you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
- Reduce Consumption of Plastic Packaging
As you may be aware, the majority of store-bought toothpaste comes with its fair share of packaging including the tube and its box. Creating your own product means you are consuming less packaging.
- Customization Opportunities
Because you choose the ingredients when making your own toothpaste, you have the opportunity to customize the texture, flavor, and abrasiveness. All of those factors depend on the ingredients you include.
- Lowered Cost
The initial cost of DIYing toothpaste is the most expensive part of the process. Once you have the proper ingredients the cost over time becomes much less than that of buying a tube each month from the store.
Downsides of Making Your Own Toothpaste
As you’ve read above, making your own toothpaste does have many benefits. However, homemade toothpaste does come with its fair share of downsides.
- Purchasing Supplies
To DIY your own toothpaste you will need to gather the appropriate supplies. These should include a container to store the toothpaste, mixing and measuring tools, and the specific ingredients from the recipe you follow.
- Not Every Online Recipe is Safe
Some recipes that you find online may have ingredients that can be harmful to consume. Never include hydrogen peroxide or vinegar in your homemade toothpaste. These two ingredients will break down your tooth enamel causing staining and may also lead to gum concerns.
- No Inclusion of Fluoride
Do consider that your homemade toothpaste will not contain fluoride. Fluoride is proven to be the most effective ingredient for preventing cavities and maintaining a healthy oral state. This ingredient strengthens your enamel making it more resistant to tooth decay.
Now that you know the pros and cons of making your own toothpaste at home, what are your thoughts? Will you try to create your own concoction? If yes, consider consulting your dental provider at your next visit. They can help you to make sure the ingredients you are using are safe!
