For those who follow me on facebook I promised a few recipes for making your own bath and beauty products. Why bother, you might ask? The answer lies in the ingredient list of the products lining the drug store shelves. Many of these products are loaded with irritants, neurotoxins, and carcinogens.
Let's start this series with a lesson in toothpaste (mostly because I am out and have to make more so I can brush my teeth tonight). My transition to homemade toothpaste was a gradual one. I used Aquafresh until my dental hygienist told me that it was eating away the enamel of my teeth. Colgate was an improvement but still not great. Next was Tom's of Maine. Tom's is much better than the others but still contains some potentially toxic ingredients. All of these pastes also contained sugar. Doesn't that somewhat defeat the purpose of brushing your teeth?
Here is a quick breakdown from the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database. I have highlighted the hidden sugar:
Aquafresh ingredients: Sodium Fluoride (0.15% w/v fluoride ion), Inactive
Ingredients: Water, Hydrated Silica, Sorbitol, Glycerin, PEF 8, Sodium
Lauryl Sulfate, Xanthan Gum, Titanium Dioxide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine,
Sodium Saccharin, D&C Red 30
Colgate:Sodium Monofluorophosphate (0.15% W/V Fluoride Ion)Inactive Ingredients:
Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate, Water, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Sodium Lauryl
Sulfate, Cellulose Gum, Flavor, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium
Saccharin
Tom's of Maine: Calcium Carbonate, Water, Glycerin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Xylitol,
Carrageenan (Chondrus Crispus), Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) Oils,
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Myrrh (Commiphora Myrrha), Propolis (Propolis
Cera).
Moving on to the homemade version. There are several recipes to choose from on Pinterest or other similar sites. I tried a few then tweaked the ingredients to meet my own tastes. I encourage you to play around with the essential oils to find a flavor that works for you.
Using a clay toothpaste does take a bit of getting used to. The kids made faces when they first tried it. I transitioned them first to Earthpaste (affiliate link). Now they use this with no problem.
Clay toothpaste:
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup red clay (affliate link)
1/4 tsp sea salt
10-12 drops peppermint essential oil
5-6 drops cinnamon essential oil
Combine ingredients and store in a covered jar. Scoop out a small amount and brush as normal.
No comments:
Post a Comment