Home-made toothpaste

Friends,
I saw this in Wikihow--- thought of sharing here...


Make Toothpaste





Whether you don't like the flavor of commercial toothpaste or are looking for little ways to cut expenses, making toothpaste can be a fun project for anyone who's into making their own stuff. Plus, you can avoid many of the artificial ingredients contained in commercial toothpaste, such as sweeteners (usually saccharin), emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial flavors.^[1]

This can be an especially enjoyable activity for children, who are at risk for developing fluorosis and symptoms of toxicity if they swallow fluoride toothpaste on a regular basis.^[2][3] Your homemade toothpaste will be fluoride-free, and children might be more enthusiastic about brushing their teeth with toothpaste that they made themselves.

1. 
   Pour a half of a cup of baking soda into the mixing bowl . Baking soda has a natural cleansing ability and can even be found in some commercial toothpaste. It's non-toxic and will help polish your teeth. Some recipes call for table salt, in which case you should mix three parts of baking soda with one part of table salt.
2. Add three teaspoons of glycerine for every 1/4 cup of dry mixture. This is optional; it acts as a sweetener. An alternative is stevia.
3. 
   Add 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide and one drop of peppermint oil. Hydrogen peroxide naturally disinfects your mouth and will also help whiten your teeth. If you don't have it around, use water. The drop of peppermint oil will leave your mouth feeling fresh. If you're not into the peppermint flavor, some alternatives are ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, fennel, ginger, lemon or lime juice (see Warnings), and almond extract. Whatever it is, make sure it doesn't have sugar added.
4. 
   Mix the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda until it is a paste . If you need to, mix in more hydrogen peroxide until you get the right consistency.
5. Store the toothpaste in a small plastic container where it won't dry out. You can also purchase a small, empty lotion bottle so that you can squeeze out the toothpaste onto the toothbrush more easily, rather than dip it.

[edit] Tips

• Kids might enjoy adding food coloring to the toothpaste to make it more personal. This might be a good time to teach them about how colors mix to make new ones. Try to avoid artificial colors derived from coal tar (e.g. FD&C Yellow #5 (E102), FD&C Red #40 (E129), etc.), which have been linked to negative health issues including ADHD in children ^[4].

Warnings

• Adding anything acidic (such as lemon or lime juice) to the toothpaste will cause a fizzling chemical reaction with the baking soda.
• In addition, adding anything acidic will cause unnecessary wear to your enamel.
• It is good practice to use a store-bought toothpaste that has fluoride in it.