Homemade bentonite clay toothpaste:)

       Unfortunately, the world has come to a place where chemicals are being put inside almost everything these days. The clothes we wear, cleaning products, face washes, and even toothpaste. I've done an extensive amount of research on what goes into most toothpaste products, and I can tell you I do not want that to go into my body.

Here are some of the ingredients in most toothpaste:

Floride: You've probably heard of this ingredient in toothpaste considering it is in 95% of toothpaste sold in the U.S. I grew up with thinking that Floride was a good ingredient and it was drilled into my head that it is a must-have in toothpaste. What dentists and doctors tell you is that fluoride strengthens the teeth which is true for a little while... but what they don't tell you is that brushing with fluoride every day and consuming it as much as the average person does, can have some serious health effects. It can cause tooth-discoloration, stomach problems, skin rashes, and impairment in your glucose metabolism. 

Triclosan: In 2016 the FDA banned triclosan in soaps because it's a 'super chemical' but somehow it's still allowed in toothpaste. By definition, triclosan is a pesticide but is used as an anti-bacterial in toothpaste and claims to fight against plaque and gingivitis. Triclosan has been proven to cause many health problems. Here are just a few side effects Triclosan has been proven to cause- cancer, weakened heart muscles, bone deformation and much more. Fun fact: triclosan is also a chemical used in Agent Orange. What is Agent Orange? It's a herbicide (a substance toxic to plants) used in the Vietnam war by the U.S military as part of its herbicidal warfare program. That's right, you are consuming a chemical that kills plants. 

Saccharin: I won't go into to much detail on this one, but saccharin is an addictive sugar that links to cancer and shrinks brain cells.

Those are just some of the ingredients in the average toothpaste. Now, there are 'naturally' claimed toothpaste that I would recommend if you aren't opened to making your own toothpaste. The toothpaste I use while traveling and don't have access to making my own toothpaste is tom's toothpaste. Of course, though, you can't be 100% sure it's 100% natural. 

     A few years back, I was in Costa Rica and I met this guy who made his own clay toothpaste. Most people would probably think what the hell is this guys problem, but I was intrigued... He taught me that Bentonite clay is good for digestion, has lots of iron in it, and if you have a stomach bug it will pretty much just wash it right out. I went home and tried it and was set on it.

     I won't lie, it takes a few times to be able to stomach the taste but after a while, you figure out exactly the amount of ingredients you need to make it taste better and you get used to the flavor. Give it a chance.

     I get my clay from one of my absolute favorite stores ever, www.mountainroseherbs.com. This store is based in Colorado (where I live) and has every organic herb, tea and face mask I could imagine. If I could just buy a whole store and have everything in it, it would be Mountain Rose Herbs. 

     Here's the recipe:

1 tsp of bentonite clay

1/2 tsp of coconut oil for whitening

1/2 tsp of baking soda for cleaning and extra whitening

A 3-5 drops of 100% peppermint essential oil to give it some flavor

Just brush your teeth with the clay- just like you would with regular toothpaste (and swallow if you choose to).  Viola! Now you have safe, 100% natural toothpaste!