Non-toxic toothpaste and minimalism

Toothpaste and minimalism may seem an odd couple but I promise they are related. Hang with me! We love living in a modest 1400 square foot log home in the woods. It's beautiful and toothpaste does not easily wash off logs. Ask me how I know. Enter my toddlers! They have helped, with the squeeze and squirt experiments, to motivate me to find alternatives to the traditional tubes. Plus, we are working towards a zero waste household and less toxic lifestyle.

Hence, we reduced our need for commercial toothpaste to making our own in small, naughtiness-limiting amounts that were non-toxic and organic in case they simply eat it all.

Here is the recipe that we use modified from tons of different recipes on DIY websites on line. It came down to what ingredients I already owned or could easy purchase. Have fun with this! The main point according to our dentist is to actually brush more the ingredients anyway.

Non-Toxic Toothpaste Recipe: 

Equal parts depending on the size of your family, about 2 Tablespoons for us......

Coconut oil (organic unrefined from Walmart or Mountain Rose Herbs)

Arrowroot (organic from Whole Foods or Amazon)

Bentonite Clay

Baking Soda

Xylitol

Mix Well - add Distilled Water if needed

Add high quality, food grade essential oils about 20 drops to your taste. We used lemon this time but we like peppermint also.

I put them in sterilized small glass French jars from Amazon with lids that are attached. Then I also sterilize their bamboo toothbrushes with either boiling hot water or I often get hurried and just peroxide on them when everyone has had colds. I try to keep it as clean as possible and then I find their toothbrushes on the floor getting stepped on....we can only do so much. They totally eat dirt outside so I guess these steps may be quite silly!

That's it, though, super easy.

Minimalism is not about less for the sake of less. For us, it is really is creating a way to live that is healthier for us all.