Twice a day we brush our teeth, so toothpaste is pretty quick to get through. Apart from all the worries you might have about what’s in your toothpaste, it’s also a shame that store-bought toothpaste comes in a tube that you can’t recycle or reuse (I have tried reusing one before…did not work out as nicely as I hoped!)
So maybe it’s time to try DIT toothpaste with this squeezable homemade toothpaste recipe. There are plenty of toothpaste recipes out there in cyperspace, so don’t feel stuck to use my recipe. Find one with ingredients that suit you. My current recipe is an adaptation of one I found on the net (on Mother Nature Network), minus the glycerin. (Other toothpaste recipes here, here and here noted that glycerin, although making the toothpaste texture better, was bad for the teeth because it coasts your teeth and prevents remineralisation.) A lot of recipes called for a jar to store your toothpaste, but we really wanted to keep things simple with a squeezable toothpaste.
What you need to make your own squeezable toothpaste:
- A Squeezable Bottle (I use an old honey bottle; I later upgraded to a glass bottle with a pump top and made a runnier toothpaste by increasing the water content)
- 4 tablespoons Sodium Bicarbonate (bicarb soda)
- 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
- 6ish tablespoons warm-hot water
- a drop or two of peppermint oil
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Add the hot water and whisk together until it is your desired consistency.
- Add the peppermint oil and mix in.
- Transfer to your squeezy bottle and voila!
A note on the quantity of this squeezable homemade toothpaste recipe:
You may have noticed that the toothpaste did not even come close to filling the bottle. After making various sized batches, I found I liked this amount. This is because by the time it starts changing consistency, due to good old fluctuating Aussie temperatures, it is almost finished and I don’t have to waste any.
A note on reusing a squeezy bottle:
We were lucky enough to be able to bring home an empty honey bottle from the office. I like how it sits nozzle down, so we’re ready to squeeze out our toothpaste whenever we need it. Maybe you don’t have one of these lying around because you’ve been decreasing your plastic consumption, and maybe you don’t have an office with a near-empty one ready for the taking.
In that case, ask around some family and friends for something of the sort. “What?!” you ask? “But they’ll think I’m super weird.” Never fear: if you’re about to make your own toothpaste, chances are they already think you’re weird before you ask for an empty bottle! And if they don’t, you may have just found yourself a new toothpaste-making buddy!
A note on the taste of this DIY toothpaste:
You may also notice that this toothpaste tastes like you are brushing your teeth with the ocean. That is, it’s really salty! I personally don’t mind it (plus I like to make things from ingredients I already have in the cupboard), so haven’t bothered to add anything to sweeten it, but you will find other recipes out there with ideas on how to make it taste good (e.g. using xylitol or stevia).