Homemade Toothpaste

Again a story. I have one of the strangest allergies. I am allergic to sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a key ingredient in most toothpastes and mouthwashes among other things. Because of this, I had to buy the expensive all natural toothpaste. I really hate spending more than I have to, so I started trying to figure out what really needs to be in toothpaste. I spoke with a dentist who told me that as long as there is fluoride in my water, it wouldn't hurt to not have fluoride in my toothpaste and that baking soda is as effective as anything else at cleaning teeth.

The base is 2/3 cup baking soda and water to form a paste at whatever consistency you prefer. You can then add 1-2 teaspoons of flavoring to make it taste less like baking soda. I use a little bit of peppermint extract, which really doesn't provide much in way of flavor but does benefit the breath.

You can use peppermint essential oil, BUT some research has suggested that peppermint extract may cause bleeding during pregnancy. That was not a chance I was willing to take, so I don't use the essential oil. It would provide more flavor than the extract if that's not a concern for you. You can also use vanilla extract or whatever other flavor is preferable.

I store mine in a glass jar, but you can store it in whatever sealable container you prefer to keep it from drying out. It lasts quite a long time. Hint: moisten the toothbrush and then put some paste on the toothbrush. It will dissolve off the toothbrush if you pour water over the paste.

Cost breakdown:
Baking soda $0.58 for 1 lb (makes 3 recipes)
Peppermint extract (optional) $3.48 (makes 3 or 6 recipes depending on if you use 1 or 2 teaspoons)

Cost per recipe is $0.77 or $1.35. One recipe lasts me much longer than a tube of toothpaste by at least 2 or 3 times.