Homemade toothpaste with Essential Oils

                    I have been fiddling around with essential oils for some time now. 

 I finally went and got some high quality ones that I am much happier with using.  Slowly I am replacing much of our health needs with essential oils.  Essential oils can be used in place of medications to treat anything from pink eye to headaches.  One of my recent discoveries was making toothpaste using essential oils.

I would have never thought to replace my store bought toothpaste with homemade toothpaste and you may not either.  Here is my journey to changing my mind.

One evening my 6 year old lost one of his front teeth.   I pulled back his lip to take a look and was surprised at what I saw.  His lower front teeth {that had just come in}, had a severe receded gum line.  I was greatly concerned and hit the internet for some probable causes.  Receding gum lines brought all sorts of issues I did not want to know about.  Gingivitis and periodontal disease to name a few.  I was a good mom, washing teeth as often as I remembered.  I knew it was often enough he shouldn't have those kind of issues.  In my search I was surprised to read some causes of receding gumlines.  I have had receding gums for years and this was of interest for me.

Two of my favorite sources for homeopathic remedies are www.ehow.com and www.livestrong.com.

Both of those sites gave great information that changed my opinion on toothpaste.

One of the common ingredients in toothpaste is SLS, a surfactant that is used in everything from shampoo to conditioner.  It is what suds up.  Some claim it is natural derived from coconut oil but it is a know irritant and one of the worst.  It is also the most commonly used. Here is a site that talks about some of the problems with this surfactant.  SLS.  The problem with it in toothpaste is receding gum lines.  It is an irritant that causes inflammation in the gums causing them to recede.

{You also may be interested in Re-minerializing your teeth to help stop and prevent cavities and rebuild enamel. This will have to be a whole other post}

My son's gums were the cause of an under bite that pulled his gums tight around his lower teeth.  Good news is it is not from poor maintenance, bad news is this means braces.  So in order to save for this expense :) here is a great natural at home toothpaste to try.

The great thing about home made is variety.  It is a simple recipe that can be adjusted to taste.  You can also add in oils that fit your family needs.

I decided to use tea tree oil as it is great for killing germs and healing the gums.  It is not an oil that should be swallowed.  For children it may be best not to use Tea tree oil.  There are several oils that can be used and swallowed safely.

Reducing inflammation use one or several drops of each.
Cinnamon
Clove
Tea tree oil

By boiling cinnamon and cloves together for 20 minutes to make a mouthwash that is great for killing germs and reducing inflammation.

Pain and sensitivity

Clove oil

Taste and freshness

Cinnamon
Peppermint
vanilla extract

Minerals

Trace mineral 10 drops added
Powdered Calcium Magnesium ( I use Cal-Mag Citrate by Thorne Research)

Bases that can be used

Aloe Vera gel is great for healing and reducing inflammation.  It can help heal receding gum lines.

Sesame oil fights gum disease and heals receding gum lines by strengthening the tissue.

Coconut oil { greatness of Coconut oil here} has anti inflammatory, anti fungal, and anti bacterial properties.
{Can also be swished for oil pulling, more on that later.}

I do not recommend Glycerin as it can stop teeth from re-mineralizing and often comes from sources that are not organic.
Here is my recipe:

4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon of baking soda
5 drops of tea tree oil
5 drops of peppermint
8 drops of On guard ( Doterra brand blended oil)  optional
5 drops Cassia or stevia sweetener, Xylitol (which has shown improvement in enamel)

I am surprised how well it worked. 

 No suds and my teeth felt clean. 

 I also noticed that my mouth did not have the inflammation I was used to after regular toothpaste.   My mouth did feel clean and I like the soft taste.  Toothpaste is very sweet normally and this has a subtle taste. I also feel the sweetness in toothpaste leads to sweet cravings.  This just leaves your teeth clean with out the sweet toot.

For my Kids I made this:

5 tablespoons Coconut oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
5 drops peppermint
1/2 tsp cinnamon or Vanilla extract
sweeten with stevia or Cassia essential oil optional

Mouth rinses can also be made very similar to toothpaste.

*Cinnamon and Clove rinse
Add essential oils to distilled water or boil cinnamon and cloves in water for 20 minutes.

*Tea tree oil in water  (2)

*Aloe Vera and peppermint rinse
Reduces inflammation, kills bacteria, and restores tissue

*Sesame oil swish for killing bacteria and strengthening tissue.  (2)

Using natural home care can take time for results.  It takes time for the body to heal and rebuild.  Give it time to see the benefits of using naturally safe products.  

It does take some getting used to and my husband is not convinced.  I suggest doing your own research and learn for yourself why this is a good choice for your family. 

I am not a doctor, dentist, or a health professional.  I am only a mom that is looking for natural and safe products to use in place of commercial products.  I encourage doing your own research and making sure these suggestions are safe and appropriate for your family.




References:

1.http://www.livestrong.com/article/270335-tea-tree-oil-for-receding-gums/
2.http://www.livestrong.com/article/277208-natural-remedies-to-strengthen-receding-gums/

DIY Vapor rub

Vick's vapor rub is one of my favorite products, I just do not think I can live with out it.  But I just do not like the petroleum jelly it is made from.  I have read about petroleum jelly and see that it has some great benefits.  { I believe only come from its sealing ability on the skin} I think those benefits are the same for other oils like coconut oil and Shea butter.
Here is the list form Vick's of ingredients:
Inactive Ingredients
"Regular: Cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, special petrolatum, thymol, turpentine oil
Lemon: Cedarleaf oil, lemon fragrance, nutmeg oil, special petrolatum, thymol, turpentine oil"
Reference: http://www.vicks.com/products/vapo-family/vaporub-topical-ointment/

Do you want turpentine oil on your skin?

You may not think that a topical use product needs to be organic or used from non petroleum products, I would suggest doing a test.  Cut a clove of garlic and rub it on your heel.  It takes a minute for the taste of garlic in your mouth.  You can also do this with Vick's and feel the coolness go through your blood as it moves up your legs.  Your skin is taking it inside your body.  This means your organs have to clean it out of your blood.  Another reason I did not want to use Vick's is that petroleum jelly should not be placed in the nose.  Guess where everyone puts Vick's?   If it is inhaled it collects in the lungs and can cause a rare disease called lipoid pneumonia.

Reference: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/petroleum-jelly/an00947

It is easy to make some at home and you can customize it for your family.

I started with an empty vitamin container and some coconut oil.  Any oil will do to get the essential oils on the skin.  Even a lotion base will work.

Coconut oil 2-3 tablespoons
Rosemary  oil7 drops  Great for relieving pain and clearing congestion
Eucalyptus oil 10 drops Great for clearing sinuses
lavender 6 drops Clears sinuses and relaxes
peppermint 8 drops Clears sinuses

You can also try Thyme, cedar, and campor { which is in Vick's} Pine, spruce.
There are many oils that improve congestion, coughing, and asthma symptoms.  I added lavender to help calm and help sleeping.  I just used what I had on hand.  You may try sharing your oils with friends to make all the different mixes with out buying it all yourself.

Once you choose your oils and carrier oil like Olive oil, Grape seed oil, Shea butter, Ghee {clarified butter}, or plain lotion.  Add in your essential oils  to your liking.  I rub it on the chest and heels of the feet.  It works for about four hours.  I have been using it for Little mans teething.  It clears up his constant runny nose from his new incoming teeth well.

I did melt my coconut oil and mixed in the essential oils.  I wanted it to dry smooth to look more store bought.  I am still a sucker for pretty things. 

Soon to come is making Homemade Ghee.

Vapor bath balms.


Other uses for essential oils.



Eucalyptus Oil  Uses
Rosemary Uses
Lavender uses
Peppermint uses