Tuesday 23 February 2010

£0.15p recipe to save money on your pearly whites...

Ok, so the best way to save money on your teeth is to not eat sweets, no wine, no coffee and no smoking. However, if you have no way of giving those up (most of us have little addictions that get us through the working week)... then how about making some toothpaste and saving a little money that way? On average a tube of the stuff costs £2 - I am pretty sure we could cost the recipe below at, ooooh - £0.15p max?

Even if we said £0.30 it's still a huge saving and it's freshly made compared to a tube of the stuff packed with preservatives and all sorts of other stuff.

The reality is, most toothpaste these days has a) sodium Laureth Sulphate which many people prefer to avoid, and b) Fluoride which can supposedly be toxic.

So making your own is not only better for health but also for your pocket, as you can make some from fresh for pennies. Will it have the same brand factor as Colgate? No. Will it look as exciting as stripy mint fresh? Probably not. However, next time I run out I am prepared to give it a go, as our current £2.99 Tom's of Maine toothpaste is fluoride free but it's also very expensive...


So here's the source website:
http://www.ehow.co.uk/way_5278502_recipe-natural-toothpaste.html

And here's their suggested recipe if anyone wants to test it our and report back with results:

Ingredients to make toothpaste

For this gentle toothpaste, you will need:

6 tsp. baking soda
1/3 tsp. salt
4 tsp. glycerin
15 drops of peppermint oil


The baking soda works to whiten and cleanse your teeth. The salt has the same effect as an antiseptic, cleaning the teeth. Glycerin is a base to help with flavoring and make the mixture thick and creamy. The peppermint is used for flavoring and to provide fresh breath.
Process

Combine the ingredients in a small storage container. Stir the mixture until it forms a thick consistency. This natural toothpaste can be used daily, just like other toothpastes. Store at room temperature in a plastic storage container or jar.
Use

Put a small amount of the toothpaste on your toothbrush. Begin at the back of your mouth and go forward. Brush your teeth for at least two minutes.

I still have a couple of tubes of om's toothpaste left, but the money saving bug is calling on me to try this recipe very soon as I like the fact that it would have no SLS.

6 comments:

Lindjemp said...

I didnt know you could make toothpaste! Thank you for that - will try and have a go!

madpiano said...

ummm - if you want to I send you some tooth soap. But I am sure you soon will be back to your normal toothpaste. SLS is a thing that many people want to avoid, I give you that, and it's pretty tough finding a toothpaste without it (they are out there, but cost quite a bit more than 2.99). But Flouride is not something you want to not use. I tried toothsoap for a while (as a soapmaker, it was a natural thing to try) and while it left my teeth sparkling clean and got rid of Tartar, my teeth became very sensitive and got stained more than usual by coffee.
Using baking soda can scratch your teeth as well. You don't need it. You essentially just need soap for disinfection. The mechanical cleaning is done by your toothbrush.
Now don't go and use your bar of Dove. That one contains Fragrance Oils which are probably worse than SLS. You need unfragranced natural soap, if you want to go down that route. It is honestly not as bad as it sounds, doesn't even taste that bad and could be done with a Peppermint soap as well.
If you really want cheap toothpaste, Tesco Extra Value comes in at £0.17. It's not the greatest, but it's toothpaste. And let me know, if you want to try some soap ;-)

Sophie Gist said...

Hi all, as I said I have not made it but love the idea of something with no fluoride in it in particular. See the following link, from the Independent, from which I have copied an excerpt:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/is-fluoride-safe-780948.html


What we do know is that fluoride is toxic – so toxic, in fact, that in 1984, the makers of Colgate, Procter & Gamble, reportedly admitted that a small tube of their toothpaste "theoretically at least contains enough fluoride to kill a small child".

Fluoride has been linked to cot death, eczema and Alzheimer's. It has been shown, at low doses, to cause genetic damage. And it has been linked by doctors from the National Cancer Institute and the National Health Federation to cancer.


madpiano - I am intrigued by toothsoap I must say - never heard of it - have you found it a good replacement?

madpiano said...

hello
yes, of course Flouride is toxic. So are many other things, like vitamins and salt and even water, if you eat/drink too much of it. Don't swallow your toothpaste (a little bit doesn't matter, but don't go eating it by the tube). Good thing is, Flouride actually makes you throw up, before you can eat enough toothpaste to die from it.
I like cleaning my teeth with soap, but I found that my teeth definitley need the flouride to survive my daily onslaught of coffee and other stuff. We don't have flouridized water here either, which might make a difference. I now use soap in the evening and toothpaste in the morning. It seems to work fine.
Give me a shout, if you want me to send you some soap, but I have no vegetarian unfragranced soap left. That one would have to wait for a while. If you don't like it, you can always use it in the shower instead ;-)

Sophie Gist said...

Hi madpiano, it definately sounds interesting, though I don't want to cause you any trouble - maybe you can let us know what to get and from where and then when we all run out of toothpaste we can experiment and report back with results!
Love the last article on your blog by the way - I tried to leave a comment and it wouldn't let me - I was having a bad tecchie day!

Unknown said...

I love you! These little recipes are what make your blog my favourite. From another MSE'er xx