What's in My Toothpaste and Can I Make It Natur...

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What's in My Toothpaste and Can I Make It Naturally?

Those wishing to be self-sufficient, environmentally friendly and holistic in their personal care regimens agree that all-natural toothpaste is a good place to start. After all, when you think of it, it is one of only two personal care products that the whole family rely on to assist in maintaining our health, fitness and wellbeing on a daily basis as we and what's more, the bit we spit out goes straight into our water supply. So what is the other essential product? The humble bar of soap!


If that sounds like you then I suggest what we do is choose a generic benchmark product to pull apart and see what's inside that needs keeping, what can be swapped and what, if anything can we ditch straight away. Once we have done that we will be free to let our natural inspiration run wild. So let's get going!

A typical toothpaste formulation (recipe) will look like this:

Ingredient Function Origin
Aqua (Water) Solvent - this ingredient is what forms the bulk of the product. Other ingredients are dissolved, suspended or wetted in this. Purified (maybe deionised) water from the plant.
Surfactant (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) Foaming and wetting agent that helps to disperse (move) the toothpaste across the teeth for a better clean while helping to dislodge dirt in the foam. Usually petrochemical derived but can be derived from vegetable sources.
Thickener and binding agent (Xanthan Gum, Carageenan Gum, Silica, Cellulose Gum) A toothpaste may contain more than one of these in order to get the flow and thickness required for the packaging. Thickening up the water can also help to bind other ingredients including actives into the body of the product. Xanthan = Sugar and bio fermentation. Carageenan = Seaweed derived Silica = Mined mineral Cellulose Gum = Cellulose from vegetable matter but usually synthetically modified to give specific surface binding properties.
Humectants (Glycerin, Sorbitol, Propanediol) These stop the toothpaste from drying out. This is very important as being water based this product contains a lot of free water. Also it needs to be moist to spread These can all be derived naturally from vegetable feedstock.
Flavourings (Sorbitol, Sodium Saccharine, Xylitol) These are to give the toothpaste a pleasant sweet taste. All are very sweet so only a tiny amount is required. A pleasant taste is very important for toothpaste as while it shouldn't be ingested if it tastes bad compliance (regular usage) will be hard to achieve and as such tooth protection will not be guaranteed. These are all artificial sweeteners.
Abrasives (Sodium Bicarbonate, Silica) Mild abrasive agents also help with dirt removal and can 'polish' the teeth to a brighter shine. The key is to ensure the particulates are small and even in size to prevent scratching the enamel. Natural mineral origin.
Actives (Sodium monoflurophosphate, triclosan, chlorohexidine, titanium dioxide, hydrogen peroxide) Sodium monoflurophosphate has been added to toothpaste since 1956 after children living in areas with high natural fluoride content in their water had better teeth. The safety of this type of fluoride has been widely studied and amounts that can be added to toothpaste are well defined in cosmetic legislation. Fluoride mixes with saliva to protect teeth enamel making it stronger and less likely to be damaged by sugars or other foods. Another large contributor to tooth decay is plaque caused by bacteria build up so anti-bacterial actives is often added to try and break down the bio-film before it causes damage to the enamel. Again the use of this anti-bacterial is heavily regulated to ensure consumer safety. The titanium dioxide and/or hydrogen peroxide are there to help brighten the teeth (or the appearance of the teeth). They do give a minor improvement to tooth colour but not to the extent that you can achieve with a cosmetic dentist as the levels of active have to be very low in an over the counter toothpaste. The titanium dioxide and hydrogen peroxide could be classified as 'natural' in part but the others are synthetic.

 

What's in My Toothpaste and Can I Make It Naturally?


So now we know what goes into our benchmark toothpaste we can start to think about customising it to be all-natural and fabulous.

The key ingredients that many people want to replace with more natural cousins are usually the actives (including the fluoride), the flavour and the surfactant. Luckily for us there are plenty of other options out there, many of which are finding their way back into the mainstream alongside the more traditional actives. A quick internet search uncovers many potential options based on traditional herbal remedies, aromatherapy, ancient and more recent social customs and even health-food trends.

Flavour Alternatives:
Avoiding synthetic sweeteners is possible as long as you can manage a different toothpaste taste! Many of us have become so used to sweetness in our toothpaste that the un-adulterated toothpaste base is just too 'chemical' tasting. However, over time our sweet-fix can be un-learned and natural essential oils can give us the fresh-breath and pleasant in-use experience that we desire. Popular natural choices include Cinnamon, Mint (spearmint/ peppermint or menthol), Aniseed, Ginger, Chamomile and Lemon all of which have the added benefit of being anti-bacterial to boot!

Surfactant Alternatives:
The main reason that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate still persists in the mass toothpaste market is that it is very cost and performance effective. That said some people are sensitive to it while others prefer a more natural alternative. Cocamidopropyl Betaine has been used as an alternative in some natural brands and it seems logical that other natural surfactants such as sodium lauryl sarcosinate, decyl glucoside and sodium lauryl glucamate could also be trialled. The fact that toothpaste isn't really an emulsion means that many surfactants could be used without affecting the stability of the formula.

Alternative Actives:
This is where you can let your imagination and researching skills run wild!

Chlorophyll Extract:
Don't just think of this as a natural colourant, this little ingredient has the power to neutralise the odours that cause bad breath by blasting those little bacteria-based critters! Yes it is very green so only a tiny amount is required and your finished toothpaste will have a natural tinge to it but hey, who cares as long as it works!

Essential Oils:
Essential oils are much more than just natural flavour agents for toothpaste (yes we know you can't ingest essential oils in Australia but toothpaste isn't intentionally digested so here it is OK), they are also anti-bacterial, anti-viral and in some cases have a light cleansing power! As we have mentioned the flavour ingredients before I'll focus here on the anti-bacterial additives which include Clove, Tea Tree, Chamomile, Sage, Myrrh, Coriander and Neem. Just be aware that oils with anti-microbial properties can irritate and be toxic to our oral cavity so essential oil use in toothpaste should be heavily researched and then measured out very carefully. Common to Australian natural toothpastes Eucalyptus oil is a great de-odoriser, flavourant and anti-bacterial agent but its use should be limited to less than 0.3g per day (which should be easy to achieve in your toothpaste) as it can be highly toxic to the liver in larger doses taken over an extended period of time. The good thing is that most oils do have searchable toxicology information so as long as due diligence is done your products should remain safe and effective.

Charcoal
If chlorophyll isn't for you then why not try sucking on a piece of coal, well charcoal! The original tooth-paste for many was a soot based mixture that was rubbed into the teeth with the finger or a stick. Some natural toothpastes are re-discovering this natural actives ability to de-odorise and gently exfoliate our pearly whites the old fashioned way.

Herbs
Golden Seal root is a traditional herb used to cure toothache, Echinacea is used for oral health, Orris Root is traditionally used to strengthen gums and freshen breath, Sandalwood is used as a natural anti-bacterial active and Spirulina is a natural super food jam packed with vitamins, iron and beta carotene for general oral health and hygiene. Spirulina would work well with the chlorophyll active for a plant-power type of claim.

As you can see from the above there are many, many different actives to play with when it comes to creating your natural toothpaste and as long as you think about what you want to achieve, research your actives (the amount you should use, what it will do and who it can be used by) the results may surprise and even delight you! However, as teeth are so important not only to our self-esteem and outer beauty but also to our general health it may be a good idea to discuss any change in dental hygiene routine with your dentist or health care professional to ensure the future of your teeth is all white and shiny.

Take care, have fun and stay beautiful.

Amanda Foxon-Hill

1 May 2013


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