This Natural Whitening Toothpaste Recipe with Activated Charcoal is a simple recipe that anyone can make at home. Improve the health of your mouth while also whitening your teeth!
We all want whiter teeth and a great smile. At the same time, we also want to be healthy. Switching to a natural whitening toothpaste can help you achieve all three things in some rather unexpected ways.
Health is a big concern for our family. In addition to switching to filtered water, changing my diet and giving up aluminum based antiperspirants, I’ve also switched to a fluoride free toothpaste with fantastic results. My teeth and gums look and feel great and I didn’t have to sacrifice my health to make that happen.
While fluoride free toothpaste options are more readily available than they have been in the past, you can also make your own natural toothpaste. As whiter teeth are a concern in addition to healthy teeth and gums, I came up with a simple, natural whitening toothpaste recipe that anyone can make at home.
The addition of baking soda and activated charcoal in this recipe work beautifully together to help whiten teeth.While coconut oil and bentonite clay help to reduce bacteria and remineralize teeth.
Why switch to a fluoride free toothpaste?
The lead poisoning caused by the water in Flint, Michigan was a fresh and terrifying reminder about the chemicals and toxins that can be found in drinking water. And while the government does make efforts to offer clean drinking water and prevent incidents such as the one in Michigan that began in 2014, some of these efforts seem to be negated by what they add to our water.
The ADA insists that that adding fluoride to drinking water is both a safe and effective way to reduce cavities in children and adults by 25%. In addition, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hailed community water fluoridation as one of ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. Unfortunately, while fluoride can prevent cavities on teeth, drinking water with fluoride can have devastating effects on your health when consumed.
70% of public water supplies contain added fluoride. And while the ADA quotes their 70 years of scientific research to support fluoridation, countries like India, China and parts of Africa that have naturally high fluoridation make efforts to remove excess fluoride.
By adding fluoride to drinking water, not only are we, as consumers, unable to control the dose of fluoride we consume (aside of using only filtered and bottled water) but for those with compromised immune systems or health issues, the long term effects of drinking fluoridated water can be devastating. In fact, many children exceed the recommended daily intake of fluoride from toothpaste alone.
Fluoride is meant to be a topical treatment, not an ingested one. A healthy adult kidney is only able to excrete 50-60% of the fluoride ingested each day. The remainder actually accumulates in the body in calcifying tissues such as bones and the pineal gland. In children only 20% is excreted leading to approximately 80% of their daily fluoride consumption accumulating in their bodies.
There is evidence to suggest that this excess fluoride causes dental fluorosis in children, while the elderly develops skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride can affect the brain as well with studies showing that the use of sodium fluoride or aluminum fluoride causes not only issues in the kidneys but also the brain.
In rats this use has been shown to cause an increased uptake of aluminum into the brain which is believed to lead to alzheimer’s, lower IQ and even neurotoxic effects. In addition, fluoride can also negatively affects the thyroid and causes bone damage that can mimic the symptoms of arthritis, cause infertility issues, and impair kidney function.
With so many potential negative effects from fluoride consumption, it’s important to consider not only what we are putting into our bodies everyday, but how it’s getting there.
Switching to a natural whitening toothpaste recipe is a small but easy change to make. I hope you’ll try my natural whitening toothpaste recipe with activated charcoal and see what a difference it can make for you!
NATURAL WHITENING TOOTHPASTE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 oz. aluminum free baking soda
- 1.25 oz. coconut oil
- .5 oz. bentonite clay
- .2 oz. coconut activated charcoal powder
- .1 oz. xanthan gum powder
- a pinch of fine pink Himalayan salt
- 20 drops peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops tea tree essential oil
Learn where I shop for high quality therapeutic essential oils online.
DIRECTIONS:
STEP #1:
Using a digital scale, weigh out 1.25 oz. of coconut oil into a small glass bowl or measuring cup. Gently heat until melted. Add the essential oils using either a dropper or a graduated transfer pipette, then stir and set aside.
STEP #2:
In a separate container, weigh out the baking soda, bentonite clay and xanthan gum powder. Add a pinch of salt then mix well with a non-metal utensil to combine.
STEP #3:
Combine the dry ingredients with the melted coconut oil, mixing well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined, then spoon into a glass container of your choice. (You want to avoid the use of metal as it will deactivate the bentonite clay.)
NOTES:
To use, remove your desired amount of natural whitening toothpaste from the jar using a small disposable spatula (to avoid contamination,) then brush as normal, twice a day. I noticed a significant different in the whiteness of my teeth after the second use and I drink a LOT of coffee.
If you prefer a tooth powder instead, simply omit the coconut oil, xanthan gum powder and essential oils, evenly mixing the remaining ingredients and combine in a 2 oz. glass salve jar. You can also use the dry powdered toothpaste version as a face mask for acne (or just use my Charcoal Face Mask Recipe, which uses similar ingredients).
MORE POSTS ON HEALTHY TEETH, GUMS, AND MOUTH:
- 7 Natural Toothpaste Recipes
- 12 Natural Toothpaste Alternatives
- Black Oil Recipe for Natural Teeth Whitening
- Mouthwash Recipe that Whitens and Remineralizes
- Why You Need to Try Oil Pulling
Rebecca Dawn Dillon is a soapmaker, DIY-er and blogger whose life is controlled daily by a dachshund. Find more of her homemade skin care and soap recipes at her blog, Soap Deli News. You can subscribe to Soap Deli News blog here for updates on future DIY projects and skin care recipes.
Jojo Ejlersen says
Hi,
I live in Bali so finding bentonite clay, zanthan gum powder and coconut activated charcoal powder is quite a challenge. Any idea where I can buy them online?
Thanks and best,
Jojo
Rebecca Dillon says
Amazon is usually a good place to start but unfortunately I’m not familiar with suppliers in other countries.
Desi says
Can you change over measurements to cups- tablespoons??
Elizabeth W. says
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, if that helps.
Suzanne says
https://www.calculateme.com/Volume/Ounces/ToTeaspoons.htm
Here is a conversion calculator
Jacqueline Wills says
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. I never made toothpaste at home but I will surely try it. I have used mant toothpaste from Oralb, Burst, Sensodyne but never used charcol. Anyways, Thanks for this information.
Flavia says
Hi! I’m a big fan of your blog from Perú. I wanted to know if this recipe can be used daily. In case the answer is no, what other recipe would you recommend for the rest of the days?
Elizabeth Walling says
This recipe should be fine to use daily. Thanks for being a fan! 🙂
AP says
Hey I made this toothpaste according to the measurements using a kitchen scale. I used it for 3 weeks and found that my teeth felt clean and my mouth and breath felt fresh, and the taste and experience was similar to that of using lush’s cola toothy tabs but saltier and without the added flavor. The main problem why I don’t think this recipe is complete is that it actually made my teeth significantly more yellow and discolored. I’m surprised because the ingredients are pretty basic as far as homemade toothpastes go, and charcoal is really a trendy option both for DIY and health food stores when it comes to whitening teeth. However I have to say that it really didn’t work for me at all and even just my normal arm and hammer baking soda toothpaste from the drug store (which doesn’t claim whitening) kept my teeth in much better shape! Sorry for the discouraging comment.. I think helping people live more sustainably is great! I just wouldn’t recommend this recipe and wanted to share my experience because dental health is a really serious matter. Thanks!
Hilla says
I tried to make this and I really like it but the coconut oil cooling down gets hard, any advice to what to add and quantities? aloe vera same amount of coconut oil for example?
Elizabeth Walling says
I would recommend replacing 1/2 of the coconut oil with a liquid oil such as avocado oil. This will prevent the final mixture from becoming too hard.
Erin says
How long will a batch last for if used twice a day? And if I were to double the recipe, could I keep it longer, or does this need to be made fresh on a regular basis?
Elizabeth Walling says
This recipe can easily last for 3-4 months if used twice per day. Because it contains no water-based ingredients, this recipe will keep for at least 6 months.
Kerstin says
I did try this recipe yesterday. It didn’t turned out as smooth as in your picture. Also I already added some more coconut oil, but didn’t wanted to put too much in mixture neither. Any advice? Although it is more like a crumble, I used it already two times and my mouth and teeth feel and look great. I even think, that my mouth felt much cleaner during the day than with regular toothpaste. Thank you for this amazing recipe.