Making Homemade Toothpaste, Research Paper Example

Abstract

Toothpaste is a common, yet expensive product that poses an increasingly significant health concern. With an eye towards fluoride and other chemicals in many commercial products, many have turned to homemade toothpastes for an answer. Today, homemade toothpaste gives a certain amount of advantages, most notably in cost, health, and simplicity. With a few short steps, individuals can make their own toothpaste to use regularly. It can also be customized in terms of flavor rather easily. Noting the breadth of possibilities and the overall simple process, making toothpaste has come to be a strong alternative for many. A short learning curve and maximum viability, long-term, allows homemade toothpaste to stand out for many. For those concerned about health risks in commercial toothpastes, making toothpaste at home may be an ideal option. The current analysis takes a look at the process, its advantages, and the overall state of toothpaste. Homemade toothpaste could be the answer for many looking to save time and money, and feel safer about dental health.

The process of making toothpaste can be quite valuable. As it will be investigated in further depth, homemade toothpaste can promote better dental and overall health. Also, homemade toothpaste can be fun to make. Building on its healthiness, homemade toothpaste adds other benefits and stands as an easy item to make.

Background

In the history of dental care, there have been some interesting solutions seen to keep the mouth clean. According to Dr. Val Kolpakov, in his “History of Toothpaste,” a number of odd items replaced what people use today: old urine as mouthwash; wearing bones from wolves to guard against toothaches, along with washing teeth with the blood from a tortoise; goat’s milk for a sweet breath; and using ashes from burnt rabbits’ heads, ox heels, and other animals for gum health (n.d.). Indeed, the beginnings of oral care involved an interesting beginning.

According to Kolpakov, one of the earlier recipes for toothpaste was seen. The following toothpaste was published in 1855 by the Farmers Almanac: 1 ounce of myrrh, 2 spoonfuls of “your best honey,” and a pinch of green sage (n.d.). Into the 20^th century, liquid cleansers and other pastes became more popular (n.d.).

Making Homemade Toothpaste

While the ingredients won’t be reminiscent of those in the first (or 19^th) century, today’s homemade toothpaste involves easy-to-use ingredients. Additionally, the process is quite simple as well. As the benefits will be examined in depth later, the current text can proceed to a simple and easy recipe for homemade toothpaste.

Ingredients

Thankfully, the ingredients used to make homemade toothpaste are rather simple. Able to avoid chemicals that could undermine one’s health, a homemade toothpaste solution can keep things simple. There is a bit of variety that allows the solution to be versatile, which is another plus in the recipe.

There are only a few base ingredients in the recipe from Melissa Breyer (2011), from “Homemade Toothpaste.” It actually comes from Stephanie Tourles’ Organic Body Care Recipes. The first ingredient is a teaspoon of baking soda, which is the staple of most homemade toothpaste recipes. Then, one-half of a teaspoon of sea salt – finely grounded – is used. The final ingredient in these “base ingredients” is a few drops of tap water, though that will be added only when used, as it will be described.

The versatile ingredient is chosen by the user. According to Breyer, in addition to Philip Schmidt’s “Homemade Toothpaste Recipes Put to the Test,” only a drop of an essential oil is used (2011). Peppermint, sweet orange, clove, spearmint, or cinnamon are some examples of oils that can be used.

One of the strengths of this recipe is its versatility. With regard to the flavoring, a wide range of essential oils can be used. Users could even try the solution with more than one oil, if desired.

Process

Making toothpaste at home is rather easy. After adding just a handful of ingredients together, one can enjoy the benefits of homemade toothpaste with ease. The following steps may be used to produce and enjoy homemade toothpaste.

First, combine all of the base ingredients together. In other words, combine everything except for the water – baking soda, sea salt, and the essential oil – together for the moment. While one teaspoon of baking soda, one-half teaspoon sea salt (finely grounded), and a drop of essential oil are to be used, one can experiment with varying amounts. Keeping the same ratio, less or more can be put together at once. Remember that too much can waste the solution, as it will not stay “good” for too long; and of course, too little may be impractical.

Mix the items together in a small bowl. Using a toothbrush, finger, or small spoon, the items can be blended to create the right consistency (2011). The next thing to do is to make sure the solution is ideal. It shouldn’t be too runny, as it will need to be able to stay on the toothbrush. Ensure that the paste is ideally thick.

Finally, when the solution is ready to be used, the “few drops” of tap water can be added. Depending on the thickness of the solution and how it reacts with the water, more or less water can be used. The water is added later as to ensure that the solution will not go bad.

Benefits

There are many practical benefits to using homemade toothpaste. Both related and unrelated to commercial toothpaste, homemade toothpaste’s benefits can certainly stand out for many users. With these reasons, many users have decided to opt for homemade varieties of toothpaste.

Health Advantages

Homemade toothpaste is often chosen as an alternative to commercial products. Certainly, at the center of this choice is the concern over health, or, more precisely – fluoride. According to a news report from Ethan Huff, the debate over the place of fluoride has taken many turns (2011). With Calgary voting to stop adding it from drinking water, it joins smaller communities in viewing it as a harmful element (2011).

Along with fluoride, other chemical components of commercial toothpastes are frowned upon. Similar to conventional farming, many want to take the “organic” route – at least, so to speak with toothpaste. Homemade toothpaste offers a healthy and pure way to take care of one’s teeth, without the dangerous possibilities present in commercial products.

Practical Advantages

While some people may enjoy the health advantages of homemade toothpaste, there are some practical benefits that take precedent as well. One of the first is the relative ease of making the solution. With only a few ingredients and a quick process overall, making homemade toothpaste might just be easier than going to the store and purchasing a commercial tube of toothpaste.

With a purchase comes a price, and thus another major benefit of homemade toothpaste is seen. The cost of a few ingredients offers a respectable savings amount over commercial tubes. As present with a number of other similar products, such as homemade shampoo, homemade toothpaste offers considerable financial savings.

There is also something that can be said about being able to make homemade toothpaste. As a sort of do-it-yourself project, so to speak, making such a product can allow someone to be self-sufficient, in a way. With such an easy solution, individuals can make such an integral product in a simple way. Also lending to plenty of versatility, it is easy to made small changes to a favored recipe, adding a suite of practice advantages along with cost.

Conclusion

With a few simple steps, individuals can make their own toothpaste. Not only is it a simple process, but there is plenty of versatility involved. Different ingredients can change the taste and consistency. Also, quantity can be determined with ease, providing users to keep small and large amounts as needed.

There is a long-running debate as to the health benefits posed by such recipes. With a growing concern over the element of fluoride, health-conscious individuals have increasingly turned to these types of choices. From fluoride to other chemicals that can be concerning, the health benefits of homemade toothpaste are certainly present.

Overall, homemade toothpaste can be a viable alternative to commercial products. Health-related benefits may turn out to be more important than first thought. The ease in price, practicality, and other integrated issues – such as the ease of the process – all speak to the advantages of homemade toothpaste. With a handful of ingredients, and a small amount of time, anyone can be on their way to an efficient, inexpensive, and healthy alternative to commercial toothpaste options.

References

Breyer, M. (2011, May 2). Homemade Toothpaste. Care2. Retrieved from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-toothpaste.html

Huff, E. (2011, February 14). Major Victory: Calgary City Council Votes to Remove Fluoride from Water Supply. Natural News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/09/15/homemade-toothpaste-recipes-put-to-test/

Kolpakov, V. (n.d.). History of Toothpaste. Toothpaste World. Retrieved from http://www.toothpasteworld.com/history.php

Schmidt, P. (2011, September 15). Homemade Toothpaste Recipes Put to the Test. Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/09/15/homemade-toothpaste-recipes-put-to-test/