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Homemade coconut mint toothpaste is easy to make! Learn how to make your own natural toothpaste with this simple DIY recipe.
Why I Switched to Natural Toothpaste
When we first became interested in natural health and simple living (many years ago), we started noticing how many chemicals we were consuming.
Most conventional toothpaste includes a long list of questionable ingredients and chemicals.
That list includes things like sodium lauryl sulfate, fluoride, artificial coloring and flavoring agents, propylene glycol, and triclosan. Yikes!
Toothpaste was one of the first things we scrutinized. And we didn’t like what we found in our store-bought toothpaste.
That’s when I decided to try making my own!
Homemade Toothpaste is More Natural
I prefer to know what’s in my toothpaste, and I love being able to leave any questionable ingredients out entirely.
Instead of being filled with lots of chemicals, this natural toothpaste recipe is just that—all natural!
I’ve been experimenting with different homemade toothpaste recipes lately.
I started with making my own tooth soap, and now I’m making powders and pastes. Today I’m going to share with you the one I’m currently using.
I’m very happy with this homemade coconut mint toothpaste. It’s so simple, and think this is the best coconut oil toothpaste ever!
Some of the ingredients like xylitol are documented to help fight tooth decay.
Homemade Toothpaste Saves Money
The thing about switching to natural toothpaste is that it can get expensive.
Making your own can be a lot cheaper than most of the natural toothpastes that are available.
In fact, these are all ingredients that we keep stocked in our kitchen, so I didn’t have to buy anything to make this.
If you keep these basic ingredients on hand in your real food pantry for cooking, you’ll find that this homemade coconut mint toothpaste is inexpensive to make.
I love that’s it not only natural but also affordable!
How Do You Make All Natural Toothpaste?
Making your own natural toothpaste is so incredibly simple! It’ll only take a few minutes to whip up.
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Supplies Needed:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2-4 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon xylitol (please note that xylitol is toxic to dogs)
- 15-20 drops peppermint essential oil
- optional: you can also add Bentonite Clay and Black Walnut hull powder (these may help remineralize teeth)
Directions:
- Place the coconut oil in a small saucepan over very low heat and let it gently melt.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well to combine.
- Store the homemade toothpaste in a small glass jar with a lid.
- Allow to cool completely.
- To use, you can either dip your toothbrush directly into the jar or use a spoon.
Notes: I just dip my toothbrush in this (each family member has their own jar of toothpaste). If you prefer, you could also keep a popsicle stick or a small measuring spoon near the jar and use that to scoop it out.
Does Homemade Toothpaste Really Work?
This post was originally published in January 2014. I updated it and added some new photos.
We first started making homemade toothpaste over five years ago, and we’ve been very happy with it!
I was thrilled when we took our older children to the dentist (after years of natural toothpaste use—both homemade and pre-made) and they had zero cavities (my oldest is almost twenty years old, and she still had no cavities at that time!).
Don’t want to make your own? We’ve been happy with this natural toothpaste whenever I’m not making my own.
Homemade Coconut Mint Toothpaste
Homemade Coconut Mint Toothpaste
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2-4 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon xylitol
- 15-20 drops peppermint essential oil
Instructions
- Place the coconut oil in a small saucepan over very low heat and let it gently melt.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well to combine.
- Store the homemade toothpaste in a small glass jar with a lid.
- Allow to cool completely.
- To use, you can either dip your toothbrush directly into the jar or use a spoon.
Notes
This post was originally published in January 2014. Post has been updated with new photos in February 2019.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Have you ever made your own natural toothpaste?
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I make my own toothpaste and my dentist is always surprised and how clean and healthy my teeth are. I did stop using coconut oil, though as it was starting to clog the sink. What I do is blend baking soda, activated charcoal (for whitening, and it works!) and peppermint essential oil. It’s really a toothpowder, but it doesn’t clog my sink. I thought the charcoal would taste awful, but it really has no flavor. I found my way here through Morning Cup of Joe
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing, Kay!
Spit into a paper towel. Never spit into your sink with oil.
Wow! I may give this whirl. It’s frightening how much “stuff” is in our everyday items.
It’s so easy to make!
I have to try this. I like the way it sounds know that coconut oil is great for oil pulling as well. Tooth paste is over rated and honestly hate the taste of it. Thanks for the recipe.
Lisa
You’re welcome, Lisa!
Hey Joy! I’ve been thinking about making my own toothpaste for a while, and I’m so glad you make your recipe printable! Thank you for sharing with us!
So glad it was helpful, Kristi!
Coconut oil is so good for your mouth!
I agree!
Love this! Thanks for sharing!
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome recipe. We’ve been using it for years and love it.
So glad it’s worked well for you, Lauren!
I think you should mention that this toothpaste should not be spit down the sink as coconut oil can/will clog drain pipes. I am looking for another ingredient besides coconut oil to cut down on the amount of coconut oil in the recipe as I like to spit out my toothpaste in the sink. Any ideas would be appreciated!
I know that can be a concern. One option would be to spit in a trashcan lined with a trash bag (which is what I do when I’m oil pulling, since it’s a larger amount of oil), but I know that’s not very desirable for many people. I do spit mine in the sink and we’re on a septic system. I just use a tiny bit of this toothpaste for brushing, and the amount that goes down the sink is smaller than the oil that goes down the sink when rinsing out a pan after cooking with coconut oil (which we do all the time).
Probably the best option to avoid oil going down the sink would be to try a tooth powder or a clay-based toothpaste. I’ve been happy with this toothpowder and this brushing blend.
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome!
I just made you toothpaste and it is very grey. I notice yours appears to be very white. I added the Bentonite to mine. It doesn’t have the Xylitol in it (but I didn’t have that, By the way can I use any artificle sweetners?),
I just wondered why mine is soooo grey? Is it normal.
I’m not sure, but it could be the clay, depending on the color of the clay (some is grayish in color). In the photo above, mine doesn’t have the clay in it. You could use a different sweetener if you prefer.
XYLITOL has been proven to help reduce cavities.If you are using a sweetener, I do suggest strongly that you use xylitol for its tooth health abilities. No other sweetener can give this benefit, they can only sweeten.I bought mine on amazon and it was not expensive.
I would also add a good calcium powder. I use calcium citrate malate, the best calcium that the body can actually utilize properly.
I’ll have to try this recipe.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions, Carol!
I made this recipe today following the instructions. Mine turned out very runny and hasn’t set up yet. It’s been room temp on the counter for 6+ hours. I thought it might take time to “harden up” since I melted coconut oil but there hasn’t been any change since I made it. Although it did separate a bit while sitting.
Coconut oil liquifies at 76 degrees F. So, if you melted it and then left it at room temperature and your room temperature is in the 70’s, it will stay liquid. That’s just the nature of coconut oil. In the winter, this toothpaste is solid, and it’s a bit harder to get out of the jar. In the summer, it’s often softer or liquid (depending on the temperature of the room). When it’s in a liquid state, I would just pour a little out on the toothbrush. You could also put it in the fridge to let it harden up a bit, but if the room is very warm it will get soft again when you leave it out. It’s not the neatest toothpaste recipe. 🙂
My coconut oil stays mostly solid in the cabinet that’s why I thought it would harden back up a bit once cooled. But it never did. I will try the fridge. Thanks.
Hope the fridge helped!
I have added MCT oil to liquid it a bit. Although it still solidifies when cold, it remains a paste.
Thanks for sharing!