Did you know you can make your own toothpaste? People often just buy toothpaste from the store, but you also have the option to make some yourself, perfect if you want to know exactly what you’re cleaning your teeth with.
Follow along with Arizona PBS student intern Faith Wheelington to experiment with making your own toothpaste at home.
For your toothpaste experiment, you’ll need:
- Distilled water
- Fine sea salt
- Baking soda
- Arrowroot powder
- 1 gallon size plastic bag
- Scissors
- Cup
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Squeeze bottle with a cap
Begin by adding two tablespoons of baking soda, then two teaspoons of fine salt, whisking it together when you’re done.
While you could stop here, you can also add some other optional ingredients to make your toothpaste more enjoyable to use. In this case, Faith uses arrowroot powder and Stevia. You can add two teaspoons of arrowroot powder to act as a thickener for your toothpaste. Stevia, a sugar free sweetener, can make the toothpaste taste better. You can whisk in a pack of it for a better tasting toothpaste.
From here, add one to four teaspoons of distilled water and a few drops of any essential oil. Faith is using peppermint, but you can use whatever essential oil you want.
Slowly combine the water and powder mixtures. Then, to transfer the toothpaste into a container, place a plastic bag into a cup and pour it in. Cut the corner of the plastic bag, and let the mixture drain into a small plastic container.
After following the tutorial, you should have your very own homemade toothpaste! Use this toothpaste to clean your teeth whenever you brush your teeth.
Now not only do you have homemade toothpaste, but a clean and healthy smile as well.