Mountain News - Great Discoveries - No 'Storebought' Toothpaste (or Deoderant) For Me!


I had been reading up on all the chemicals there are in so many of the products we use every day. Now I'm not an alarmist and I know you cannot possibly remove all chemicals from your life but I do what I can. Reading about toothpaste and flouride actually bothered me a little because it can mess with your hormones. And as a menopausal woman, I don't need nothin' messin' with my hormones. I got enough of that already. By Golly.

I ran across a website I LOVE called "Wellness Mama" and she has all these great, easy healthy tips and ideas. She has several 'recipes' for toothpastes but this is the one that looked the easiest and is the one I use everyday. Yes it took some getting used to - there's no toothpaste 'lather' or foam and it's a little salty - but my teeth are noticeably whiter and I have peace of  mind about my hormones. My old school, traditional, persnickety, country husband even uses this toothpaste.

Natural Toothpaste

1/2 cup coconut oil
2-3 Tblsp. baking soda
2 small packets stevia
15-20 drops peppermint or cinnamon oil (I didn't have any of this so I crushed dried peppermint up in it. You can also use dried sage - it has antibacterial properties.)

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mash together well with a fork or spoon. Store in a glass jar.

P.S. If you leave the stevia and peppermint out you can use this as a deoderant. I do and it works great. Plus you don't have to worry about that pesky aluminum that is in most deoderants. I put bergamot oil in mine so I smell like spring time. ha ;) Just be careful about using it right after you shave, it might burn a little.