a very foodly diary

Squeaky clean

25 August 2012 at 11:17pm 10 comments

These jars contain my deodorant and toothpaste.

As you may be able to tell, I made them myself. And, yes, my toothpaste is a soft shade of pink.

I am constantly amazed at the health, beauty and household cleaning potions we can cheaply concoct for ourselves from pantry basics. If you’re like me, you always have extra virgin coconut oil in stock and its naturally antimicrobial property makes it an excellent base for personal hygiene products.

After reading Olive on Blonde’s recent adventures in DIY toothpaste and deodorant, and this toothpaste recipe from Food Matters, I got all inspired to do the same. Making my own deodorant and toothpaste was not too huge a stretch for me, especially considering that I have alternated between coconut oil and olive oil as my face/body moisturiser for the last two years, and I have used my own unsoap for months at a time.

The deodorant recipe I followed was basically the same as Olive on Blonde’s, and I used lavender essential oil as well as a Peace and Calming blend (both Young Living oils) to scent my creation.

My toothpaste, however, is a little different to other recipes I have come across, mostly by virtue of my inability to source pure Stevia or vegetable-based glycerine near to me in spite of multiple attempts. As a result, my end product is flakey and gritty and not really pastey. It’s more of a toothpaste crumble, actually; I quite like it.

Recipe #136: Minty, Thievesy Toothpaste. Makes 200-250mL. The oils I use come from Young Living, but you could use any good, organic oils.

You will need:
► 12 heaped tsp of bicarbonate of soda
► 3 heaped tsp of finely ground salt [I used Himalayan salt, hence the pinkness]
► 3 Tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil
► 15 drops of peppermint essential oil
► 10 drops of Thieves essential oil blend
► Love + tender thoughts

Mix the bicarb and salt with the coconut oil until a thick paste forms. Add your essential oil(s) and combine really well, then place in a jar/container to store. To use your toothpaste, lift out a small amount with a spoon or small spatula, then apply it to your toothbrush; wash the spoon/spatula between uses.

Because Perth is in Winter and coconut oil is solid under ~25°C, I crumble a little paste from a mustard spoon onto my toothbrush and let it melt into a mushy paste in my mouth. You may prefer instead to soften your paste by running your container under hot water for a few moments, or you can add glycerine for its sweetish flavour and gooey sensation.

Combined with oil pulling, my new toothpaste is giving me teeth that feel cleaner and fresher than ever before and I actually enjoy the mildly salty flavour. I am excited by the facts that I have made it myself, that it is free of fluoride and sodium lauryl sulfate (and other nasties), and that I can mix personalised flavour combinations for future batches. My head is spinning with imaginings of cinnamon-orange, ginger-grapefruit, lemon-thyme, pepper-rose…

While purchasing good base ingredients may seem expensive, a little does go a long way and you will find yourself saving your money as well as your health in the long run. Plus, because DIY health and beauty involves far less packaging, it is also a more sustainable way to live.

I hope you enjoy – and, as always, please let me know what you think.

H

PS. Thanks so much for the inspiration, Em!

Entry filed under: dairy free, foodly experiments, gluten free, ideas, recipes, sugar free, Thermomix, vegan, vegetarian. Tags: DIY deodorant, DIY toothpaste, minty thievesy toothpaste, personal hygiene products, vegetarian, virgin coconut oil.