DIY Minty Toothpaste

Hey there lovely readers,

As a follow up to a recent post I wrote on natural dental care, here is a toothpaste recipe for all of those DIY mavens in the house. This recipe is very simple and, I must say, leaves you feeling extremely gratified because you can make something (*you thought*) only giant corporations with names that rhyme with ‘best’ and ‘tollgate’ could produce.

Go on and try your hand at this toothpaste, even for the sake of saying you did. If you realize the handmade stuff is not your thing, than as I suggested in my previous post, there are tons of great natural options out there (no assembly required). 🙂

DIY Minty Toothpaste- cut the end off of a used toothpaste tube, fill with handmade version and seal with a clip or a toothpaste rolling key.

Minty Toothpaste

2 Tbs baking soda (mild abrasive and whitener)

2 Tbs coconut oil (antibacterial and good for gums — use cold-pressed, virgin, and if possible organic)

1 Tbs vegetable glycerin (clear, odourless liquid produced from plant oils and can be easily purchased at your local health food store)

1/2-1 tsp of stevia (to sweeten, otherwise baking soda is bitter –optional)

20-25 drops of peppermint essential oil (or try other essential oils like clove or lemon)

Mix all together into a creamy paste. Store in a airtight jar, a squeezy bottle, or I like to use a tip that I got from nutritionista Meghan Telpner and use an empty toothpaste tube. Cut the end off of the tube, wash it out, dry, and fill with toothpaste. Seal with a food clip, or a toothpaste tube rolling key (as shown in picture).

ENJOY!

What You Need to Know About Natural Dental Care

Back in high school–at that stage in life when every girl wants to be liked and get compliments from boys in her class–I was told (via the grapevine, of course) that a particular boy said I had nice teeth. Uh, thanks? It’s not really the type of praise my 14 year old self was looking for (unless it was coming from my dentist), but now many years later I can appreciate the compliment. I was lucky never to have braces, only a few fillings, and overall good dental hygiene.

When I first began purging personal care products to make way for natural alternatives, toothpaste (I am guilty to admit) was low on my list. Now, I recommend toothpaste as one of the FIRST products to switch out because of its direct contact with the mouth.

Look at those chompers…

What you need to know:

Toothpaste is not necessary to clean your teeth. . . crazy, right? I know it kind of blew my mind when I first learned about this.  For years I had heard toothpaste companies touting their products as if they were our only saving grace from cavities and tooth decay. In reality it is the brushing motion and activities like flossing that really clean away food particles and plaque buildup. The toothpaste is just a ‘nice-to-have’ for freshening breath.

So are chemicals like triclosan and propylene glycol, synthetic dyes, preservatives, and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) really necessary for the job of a breath mint? I will admit switching to a natural toothpaste, like my favourite Green Beaver, was a bit of an adjustment; mostly because without the SLS it doesn’t foam. But now I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s like if you have ever given up sugar and then down the road eat jelly beans, the sweetness is unbearable.

Oil pulling, a natural toothpaste, floss, and tongue scraper are all part of my daily routine.

DISCLAIMER: There is a good chance that if you go natural, you dental hygiene will ACTUALLY improve! That’s right, I said it. Switching my toothpaste made me take better care of my teeth for three reasons: one, I was paranoid at first that I was sabotaging my dental hygiene for the sake of non-toxic products and so I started flossing religiously; two, without the coating sensation of foam artificially making my mouth feel clean, I brush more; three, I introduced new cleaning habits. I started tongue scraping which sounds kind of gross (and is a bit gross) but is really effective to eliminate bacteria from your tongue which is a cause of most bad breath. I also started oil pulling, which is an age- old Ayurvedic practice that has been used for many reasons (I will get into those at another time). By swishing 1Tbs of coconut oil in my mouth for 10- 20 minutes in the morning (not as cumbersome as it sounds) the naturally anti-microbial oil binds to bacteria and plaque with the help of saliva enzymes–all of which I spit out (in the garbage, never down the drain!). Bonus: it assists in whitening my teeth. . . but teeth whitening is a whole other topic for another day.

You may have noticed that I have not mentioned fluoride. I always respectfully bow out of this discussion because frankly the jury is still out on its affect to our bodies. I like to allow people to make their own decision (but if you want to know more about the fluoride debate, you can read here). If you ultimately decide that you do not want to forego fluoride in your toothpaste there are certain natural brands that include it in their formulas.

All in all I’m happy, my dentist is happy, and (as far as I know) my friends are happy with my dental hygiene.

 

 

My Simplified Skincare Routine

Hi Lovely Readers,

As you know I spend a lot of time talking about products and beauty routines, but I have never really delved into my own daily rituals. I wanted to share with you a very simplified version.

I love so many different brands and I incorporate them into my routine depending on my skin’s needs or my mood. That said, the foundation of my skincare regime is based solely on readily available, raw ingredients. This (I must confess) is because I have a fear.

I am afraid that I will get stuck using a specific product that I cannot live without; I will move somewhere where they don’t carry it, or it will be discontinued. I don’t like to rely sooo heavily on something that my routine is not sustainable. I know. . . perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic, but I actually maintain this philosophy throughout my entire life, especially with food. When you learn to create things for yourself, you never have to go without.

Simplified skincare: sea buckthorn berry oil, raw honey, rose water, coconut & castor oil blend.

So as I said, I have crafted my skincare routine based on single ingredients. Even if I cannot find a certain brand or product, I can always choose another one that I trust based on its primary ingredients.

My skin care routine consists of the following:

• virgin, cold pressed coconut oil
• castor oil
• raw honey
• rose water
• cold pressed rosehip oil/ and or sea buckthorn berry oil.

Evening: 

1. I start by using what is affectionately known as the ‘oil cleansing method’. I will let you read about it here. It uses oil and steam to draw out oil and other impurities (using the simple rule that oil attracts oil). I cleanse using my own oil blend and a microfiber cloth.  The blend can differ depending on individual skin needs; since I have dry skin with the tendency to break out, I use 3:1 coconut oil to castor oil. Also, depending on the season I may follow this up by washing with a gentle cleanser (borrowing One Love Organics’ fantastic ‘double cleansing‘ method).
2. Next, I spritz my face with rose water which helps prepare my skin to absorb more moisture (for the same reason why a wet sponge absorbs more water than a dry one).
3. On damp skin I slather a rosehip or sea buckthorn berry oil. These are my favourites since they act to reduce inflammation and skin pigmentation, heal scars, and are high in fatty acids (if I am really dry, I will use a moisturizer before I put on the oil, currently I am using Holistic Vanity’s Brightening Hyaluronic Lotion).

This polar vortex is wreaking havoc on my skin and it is in need of some serious moisture!

Morning: 

1. I wash only with water (my skin is more balanced without a second wash- I highly recommend trying this!), but if I am feeling oily or a little off-balance, I will wash with raw honey. I first wet my face and then massage a small amount on skin. I will sometimes let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse it off. Raw honey is naturally antibacterial, yet gentle and will not strip your skin (note: pasteurized honey is not as effective).
2. Next up, a spray of rose water.
3. All followed with a moisturizer (I leave the oil for night, unless I am feeling particularly dry).

Et, voilà! There you have it lovelies, my simplified skincare routine. I always add things here and there, and change it up depending on the season, but I really love using raw ingredients and seeing what magic they can do on my skin without any assistance from chemists or labs.

– Seanna

What is your favourite skincare routine?