Our Sweet Birch Homemade ToothpasteI may have crossed the line this time. We were in the drugstore and remembered we were almost out of toothpaste. I bent down to grab some AIM (cheap and effective) when something clicked and I decided to take a look at the ingredients. When I stood back up, empty handed, Scrapple gave me his best “what is it crazy lady” look. Then I checked out the Toms of Maine tube...They both had some of the “moderate hazard” ingredients from the The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database and I still had the bitter taste in my mouth from my last creepy cosmetics experience. I turned back to Scrapple, “I’ll just make some.” Scrapple’s look intensified, “Ooooooh kay?”.
So I did, I made toothpaste, and not just any toothpaste! Not wanting to waste a flavor concocting opportunity, I payed homage to our love of all things cinnamon and spicy and ended up creating what, at the time, seemed like the most most fantastic and delicious cayenne/cinnamon/sweet birch paste. That was before I tested the stuff... about 10 times in 6 hours. After, well lets just say it makes my tummy turn to even smell the stuff. I used a coconut oil based recipe and tweaked it a bit. Then I decided to call it “Dentifrice”. Hubris! After the novelty wore off, there was something a little suspicious about the coconut flavor paired with minty birch. The kosher salt-sized grains of cinnamon were perplexing to ponder when you’re trying to clean your teeth (“should I floss again?”). On top of the nausea factor, the coconut oil left a cinnamon tainted coat on the sink that looked nasty after a day. I’m not exactly out looking for more things to clean here!
Scrapple was the most wonderful husband ever and used the stuff every day! He agreed with me that there was something a little gut wrenching about it, but the man didn’t give even a peep of a complaint :) I on the other hand desperately cranked on the now flat AIM tube, squeezing out just enough to get through another brushing for a good 5 days. When I finally realized that I wasn’t ever going to love my cinamintcoco bonanza, I gave it up and tried another recipe. I’m a little soft and once I figured out that a batch only cost around 50 cents to make, I went and tossed the offending creation. I think that Scrapple would have preferred just to put up with and save the cents, but that’s why I love him!
This time I tried not to get too wild and just stuck with the sweet birch as the flavoring. It tastes great and actually cleans my sink -touche! It did however explode all over the mirror last night when Scrapple went to use it, so be sure to let it sit out for 20 minutes before bottling and shake it down away from the opening to let the gas excape (hygdrogen peroxide) before opening the first time if it’s in a squirt bottle!
sand the opening of a squeeze bottle to at least 1/4" wide to make your own toothpaste bottleDid I mention I made a toothpaste tube out of a face wash bottle? With my dremmel (I love that thing). Instead of going out and buying a goo tube (which would be a good idea to do it you don’t have something to convert) I drilled some holes in a bottle I already had. Really easy and one less platic container that ends up in a landfill. To Scrapple it was another sign that I’m ready to get the hell out of dodge. He knows me well :)
Homemade Sweet Birch Toothpaste Recipe
UPDATE
I've tweaked the recipe a bit to better suit our tastes and thought I'd share. This version is sweeter and mintier and eliminates any salty or soapy flavors you might have tasted in the old recipe. Here it is:
6 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Dr. Bronners
1 tsp hydrogen peroxide
1 tsp stevia
30 drops birch oil (feel free to use another mint oil of your choice instead of birch)
6 parts baking soda
1 part Dr. Broners
1 part hydrogen peroxide
stevia to taste
birch oil or other to taste
Mix everything until the mixture is smooth and a “toothpaste like” consistency. Add more hydrogen peroxied if it’s too thick. To easily transfer to a squeeze tube, scoop into a plastic baggie and snip a tiny hole in one corner. Put the open tip of the bag into the mouth of your bottle and sqirt. Wash and save your baggie until the next batch!
