Make Own - Toothpaste & Natural Deodorant

 My Make Your Own Section

I have had a go at making mandarin infused vinegar cleaning spray, fizzing bath bombs, almond milk & liquid soap. 

Below I show you how to make your own natural deodorant & toothpaste plus some tips on using natural products around the house.

How to Make Home Made Natural Toothpaste (Tooth Powder)

I call this toothpaste but in reality it's a powder which you can make yourself really easily & very cheaply too! Key ingredients are arrowroot, baking soda, essential oil & chopped sage.

I used an old jar from a previously used plastic free product. Plastic free toothpaste can be very expensive so using the same jar to house my own version recycles the container & saves money at the same time. 

For extra brownie points, why not ditch the plastic & use a bamboo toothbrush instead!😇

The quantities will depend on how much you're planning to make, I suggest starting small to begin with to see how you get on. Mix equals quantities of arrowroot, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) & water (sprinkle water in gently to keep the powdery consistency). 

Add in peppermint oil & chopped sage. 

The peppermint oil can be adjusted but do take care of essential oils as they are very strong and can burn if swallowed neat - diluted down in the powder should be fine. Feel free to experiment with quantities, base ingredients and flavours to see what works for you.

The site below has the recipe & suggested quantities at: 
https://uncomplicatedrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/03/arrowroot-toothpaste.html

You can search for other recipes that use clay for instance to make a paste & some use salt but I like this one as seems less abrasive than salt and I didn't have anything clay based in the cupboard. 

Here's what mine looked like. I find that my teeth do feel very smooth & clean afterwards. Use the toothbrush head to scoop up some of the powder. 

How to Make Your Own Home Made Natural Deodorant

So super easy, you'll wonder why you never did this before! Uses just 3 ingredients (baking soda, coconut oil & essential oil).

Mix equal quantities of coconut oil & baking soda. I started off very small as utilised an old jar of natural deodorant that I reviewed in the past - I found just 1/8th cup of coconut oil + 1/8th cup of bicarb was enough to make up my jar which would make it super cheap & was so quick an easy.

Coconut oil is available in supermarkets or places like Holland & Barrett.

You can add whatever scent you like, I chose sweet orange, lemon grass & lavender. 

Mix the 3 ingredients together (you may need to melt the coconut oil gently first, or if you have a warm kitchen just stirring makes it soften enough to mix with the other ingredients). Mix until you've smoothed out any lumps then add essential oils until you're happy with the scent. 

(Please note that some people are sensitive to bicarb so I would suggest making a small batch first to trial it out. If you are sensitive arrowroot can work as a good substitute).

Also don't drown it in essential oils as too much can irritate. Essential oils need a carrier so the coconut oil should help to protect the skin but never apply essential oils directly onto the skin undiluted.

I was inspired by Dr Axe for this recipe - google searches will help guide you but here's a link to the one I used: https://draxe.com/beauty/homemade-deodorant/

The end product comes up like a paste that you apply to the underarm. You only need a pea sized amount, it should firm up once cold but warms up with the heat of your fingers for application. I found my last product in a similar sized jar lasted about 4 months so a little goes a long way & making your own is a huge saving on your pocket!

Uses for Coconut Oil

Once you've bought your coconut oil you'll find many uses for it. It can be used to soften skin, soothe irritated scalp, use as a hair mask by leaving in before washing and I even found that it makes a good furniture polish! 

We rescued a coffee table from the skip and it had 8 coffee or tea stain rings on it (was rescued from an office clear out). The coconut rubbed in obliterated the stains & the oil helped to condition the table at the same time - win win!

Why not try using coconut oil as a makeup remover? We sell home made makeup wipes in our store - apply a small amount of coconut oil on face then wipe off. Rinse wipe under tap with some handwash to clean. The wipes can be hand or machine washed and then composted after they've become worn out.

Uses for Bicarbonate of Soda

I make my own loo cleaner by adding one cup of bicarb to a cup of distilled vinegar - add bicarb around toilet bowl then add vinegar to make it froth up. Close lid for 10 mins then scrub with loo brush to clean. 

Beth Terry, author of the book 'How I Kicked the Plastic Habit' has some great tips on her site at: https://myplasticfreelife.com/2009/11/baking-soda-so-many-uses-so-little-money-and-plastic/

Uses for White Vinegar

Make your own orange vinegar cleaning spray (which I've also used as a fabric conditioner, you can add essential oils to this too for an extra burst of scent). Or you can use vinegar to make a loo cleaner (see bicarb section above). 

I also keep a glass spray bottle with a mix of vinegar & washing up liquid diluted in water as a useful all purpose spray - even makes a good weed killer too!

Lots more you can do with bicarb & vinegar to clean your home from top to bottom. These are just a few simple tricks to make and use natural things. 

How to Colour Your Hair Naturally

If you have dark brown hair a useful tip for keeping your hair colour is to add cocoa powder to your normal shampoo. Or add to a coconut oil home made hair mask for colour & conditioning.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful. There's some great eco books out there available & of course don't forget to check out some of my reviews and other home made items.

Lovelier Planet also sells some home made products. Come on by & take a look.

Now grab a tea & celebrate your greatness!

Companies Making the Change

Manufacturers Looking for Greener Alternatives

Colgate-Palmolive

It was announced 5 years ago that Colgate-Palmolive had committed to making 100% of its packaging for three of four product categories completely recyclable by 2020 including a commitment to developing a recyclable toothpaste tube. In the past, toothpaste tubes were made from an aluminium and plastic mix making them harder to recycle. 

In January 2020 Cosmetics Design Europe reported that a new recyclable toothpaste tube is now on the market under the product name 'Smile for Good'. The contents are 99.7% natural ingredients with the toothpaste tubes made from HDPE plastic (similar to plastic milk bottles). The outer packaging is made from recyclable card.

The new product was launched in America last year and is now being released in UK supermarkets at a cost of £5 each (ouch!) For other (& more importantly plastic free) alternatives, check out my reviews section which includes tooth tabs in metal tins and toothpaste and tooth powder in glass jars with metal lids.

Still I find it reassuring that a large manufacturing company is at least looking at ways to become greener as teeth cleaning really is a massive waste. I have spotted Colgate bamboo toothbrushes as well in supermarkets priced at £4. (Again check out my reviews section for a bamboo toothbrush set I reviewed recently).

Unilever

The Guardian newspaper reported that household brand Unilever, plans to halve its use of virgin plastic, by creating greener versions of its household products. Cardboard deodorant sticks, shampoo bars and toothpaste tablets may become the norm in supermarkets. They are also testing shampoo and laundry detergent refill stations in South East Asia.

HP and Dell

It's great to see other companies making the change for greener too. For example Dell are aiming to use 100% waste free packaging by 2030 using bamboo as a base for their packaging. The company also incorporate ocean waste in molded trays. 

From their website they claim 'The trays are 25% ocean-bound plastic and 75% recycled PET, using no virgin materials. It’s also fully recyclable itself.'

HP uses wheat packaging for shipping their inkjet printers. They hope by recycling left over straw it will reduce deforestation. They have also partnered with WWF to help protect and restore 200,000 acres of forest.

Check out how supermarkets are reducing plastics in our previous blog post too.

Review - Organic Tooth Powder

This is my 13th review on plastic alternatives. I hope these help give some ideas on plastic reduction, or alternatives you can use in your daily lives.

Scoring system: 

❤ = Will keep, I love it / 👀 = Not sure, will try some more / 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me

Review Thirteen - Georganics Tooth Powder

In previous reviews I looked at bamboo toothbrushes & some plastic free toothpaste (save some green tooth tabs plus truthpaste products). 

Here I review a third toothpaste that I have used, called georganics tooth powder.

Georganics is a UK company set up in 2014 & aims to use organic natural products. They say around 300 million empty plastic toothpaste tubes are sent to landfill every year. 

The company tries hard to combat plastic waste with their wide range of products including tooth tabs, mouth wash, tooth powders, plastic free paste, as well as beech wood toothbrushes and various types of floss.

I bought my tooth powder from Ethical Superstore although you can buy direct from the company also.

My verdict?

Out of the three teeth cleaning products I have reviewed so far this is my favourite. I love the little glass jar and metal lid and card box it comes in. The product I tried is described as 'English Peppermint', however I get mostly orange in taste, not very strongly minty for me. But that is why I like it!

It fizzes in the mouth very briefly to start with. I usually dab the brush into the powder first then apply on various parts of teeth before brushing.

The end result makes my teeth feel clean and smooth and it doesn't leave a strong after taste. I can see myself using this again so have scored it a love ❤ from me!

Review - Truthpaste Tooth Tabs

This is my 12th review on plastic alternatives. I hope these help give some ideas on plastic reduction, or alternatives you can use in your daily lives.

Scoring system: 

❤ = Will keep, I love it / 👀 = Not sure, will try some more / 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me

Review Twelve - Plastic Free Toothpaste

In a previous reviews I have looked at bamboo toothbrushes & plastic free razors. The bathroom is awash with plastics so it was a natural choice to make big changes in those areas. Lately I have been using 3 different types of teeth cleaning products. I will review 2 of them below and follow up with the 3rd one soon. Hope you enjoy!

Save Some Green Tooth Tabs

These are baking soda based tooth tablets that you chew to let them dissolve & then brush the product into teeth before rinsing. The product comes in a small tin, so it's useful for travelling as doesn't take a lot of room. I bought mine from a lovely company called Floral Fox to try them out. You can buy refill pouches (fluoride or fluoride free) that come in little greaseproof paper pouches from the Save Some Green site. 

They also do a dental subscription pack with bamboo toothbrush, tooth tabs & dental floss. This is delivered every 3 months. You can choose different options so you don't have to select all 3 items. There's even a selection of kid's brushes so you can order a pack for the family too. A great idea!

My verdict

No real problems to report - the product is minty and makes my teeth feeling clean & fresh. Adding water to the brush before brushing does make it very slippery. Normally with toothpaste the water holds in your mouth as you brush, with these baking soda tabs the water runs down the handle (so I tend to skip the water & use with a dry brush instead).

Some folks may find it strange not having a foam in the mouth using this product. As long as my mouth feels fresh and clean afterwards then I don't mind.

So for me my verdict is ❤ = Will keep, I love it!

Truthpaste

Handmade in Brighton, this product is clay based with calcium carbonate and essential oils. It is a thick teeth cleaning product available in a clear glass jar with metal lid. Similar to the tooth tabs product above, I got mine from the online store Floral Fox. I purchased the smaller size as a trial.

It's great to have a choice of products not in plastic tubes, the supermarkets are awash with those so having online stores that sell alternatives is great. 

My verdict

For me the particular flavour I tried (peppermint and wintergreen) was very, very strong. At first I was worried I wouldn't be able to complete the trial but I did adjust to it slightly. I did find that you get a gritty feeling in your teeth, possibly from the clay. I tried very hard to like it but have to declare, this was a hard one for me to enjoy. 

I absolutely love the idea and the company does produce other flavours. Of course, with products you are going to put in your mouth it's a personal choice and some may find the strong flavour just right for their needs.

 Also they do a sweet orange and mild mint for children in their site which could be an option to try also. I recommend going for smaller sizes first to give them a try. It does last a long time as you only need a small amount for each brushing.

For me I would give top marks for the company but for the product I found it too strong and didn't like the gritty texture (just my own personal thoughts though). 

Unfortunately I rate this as 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me!

In my next review I will be looking at tooth powder, another possible alternative in reducing plastic waste. Stay tuned for more - & of course there's more bathroom and kitchen reviews to follow as I have been working my way through the 50 items challenge.