This homemade toothpaste recipe is natural, frugal, and easy to make! Why buy clay toothpaste when you can make some at home in 5 minutes?! For a different flavor, try my Cinnamon Flavored Remineralizing Toothpaste Recipe.
Confession: I make homemade toothpaste because I’m a toothpaste snob.
I fell in love with Earthpaste after using it only once, and the whole family has been happily brushing their teeth with dirt ever since. In fact, we credit my husband’s beating gum disease to the clay.
I was so in love with all-natural Earthpaste and so against conventional toothpaste (because of the glycerin and fluoride), that I never wanted to go back and use the old stuff again. That was the moment when I decided to make homemade toothpaste that’s just like Earthpaste.
And if I’m going to make something myself, you know I’m going to find a way to do it quickly and frugally.
WHY MAKE HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE?
Oral health improves your overall wellness, yet many mainstream oral care products have synthetic additives and harmful ingredients, like sodium lauryl sulfate, which we try to avoid. Artificial sweeteners and flavors, artificial colorings, and synthetic vitamins? No, thank you!
It saves money! The ingredients you purchase will last through several batches of toothpaste, and overall, you’ll be paying less per ounce than store-bought toothpaste, especially if you prefer natural toothpaste.
Reduce waste by using less packaging – see below for my tips on how to store your homemade toothpaste.
If you have kids, having them help mix up a batch might encourage them to brush their teeth more. I don’t know about your kids, but mine are more likely to use something they’ve helped make.
You get to choose the flavor. If you’re not a fan of peppermint, choose a different essential oil to flavor your toothpaste.
HOMEMADE CLAY TOOTHPASTE INGREDIENTS
So, what do you need to make homemade clay toothpaste? Luckily, this ingredient list is pretty short.
- Bentonite clay. You might be asking, why bentonite clay for teeth? Bentonite clay has so many amazing health benefits (you can read more about that HERE and ways to use it!). One of the benefits is the remineralizing effect clay has on your body (and teeth!).
- Distilled or boiled water that has cooled.
- Liquid stevia OR xylitol. Optional, to taste.
- Essential oils. Peppermint oil, lemon oil, or orange oil are good toothpaste flavors. Tea Tree Oil is okay, but I distinctly use Plant Therapy, which you can find on Amazon.
- Tiny pinch of salt.
Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a bag for just 1¢!! (Get your penny bag of salt on this page.)
HOW TO MAKE TOOTHPASTE INSTRUCTIONS
This homemade toothpaste comes together super fast! Here’s how to make toothpaste in 5 minutes.
Step 1: Combine 3 Tbsp of water with clay in a non-metal bowl and mix well using a non-metal spoon (the clay should never come in contact with any metals).
Step 2: Add stevia and 10 drops of desired essential vitality oil (peppermint, lemon, or orange). Mix well.
Step 3: Add a pinch of salt, mix well, and taste.
Step 4: Add additional stevia and/or essential oils and/or water to taste and texture, adding oils one drop at a time and water ½ Tbsp at a time.
Note: Wait 48 hours before making significant adjustments to the flavor. The flavors will meld together over time.
DIY TOOTHPASTE
The total cost of all-natural, homemade toothpaste (that’s just like Earthpaste) is $0.95 per ounce!
So far, the only downside I can see from making your own DIY toothpaste is the up-front cost of ingredients.
However, one 10 oz tub of bentonite clay can make over 34 batches of the recipe above and each 5 ml bottle of essential oil will make over 8 batches.
You will have enough ingredients on hand to make toothpaste for a while!
For a whitening formula, try this Activated Charcoal Tooth Powder Recipe!
Not a DIY Toothpaste kinda person?
That’s ok! Here are some natural toothpaste options that give you healthy, clean teeth and gums.
Earthpaste – this natural toothpaste is based on bentonite clay and contains no fluoride, glycerin, artificial colors, or foaming agents.
Primal Life Organics Toothpowder – formulated with cleansing, mineral-rich bentonite, kaolin, french green clays, and hydroxyapatite to clean, whiten, and remineralize your teeth!
STORING HOMEMADE BENTONITE CLAY TOOTHPASTE
We use this bentonite clay based toothpaste by simply dipping our brushes in one jar. However, if you’d prefer everyone to have their own containers, here are a few options:
- Mini Plastic Pots: These are about the size of a single eyeshadow container and take the issue out of sharing one bigger jar. One batch will fill 2-3 pots, depending on how well you pack it in.
- Reusable Plastic Tubes: These allow you to squeeze the toothpaste out, instead of dipping it into a jar. Each holds 3 oz, so roughly one batch of toothpaste per tube.
- Small Glass Jars: Each jar is 4 oz, so one batch of toothpaste fills each about halfway. This is what I use personally since each jar can serve many functions beyond the bathroom.
- Mini Glass Jars: Similar to what we use, except that each jar is only 2 oz and comes with a plastic lid. Perfect for those concerned about the clay touching metal, and traveling!
HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE RECIPE FAQS
What is the best homemade toothpaste?
Give my homemade toothpaste recipe a try! You won’t regret it. This recipe is natural and simple and will clean your teeth without all those unnecessary ingredients.
What can I use if I don’t have toothpaste?
If you run into a situation where you don’t have any toothpaste, don’t worry! You can use just baking soda: just dip your toothbrush into the baking soda and brush as usual with a simple baking soda toothpaste.
Can I use salt to brush my teeth?
Table salt shouldn’t be used for brushing teeth since it would be too harsh and can damage your enamel. However, sea salt works well! You can dip your toothbrush into the salt, or you can dilute the sea salt with water (If you are concerned with the abrasiveness.)
Can I use coconut oil in my own homemade toothpaste?
I thought it would be super cool to make homemade toothpaste with coconut oil, so my first batch included it plus clay, peppermint essential oil, and salt. The flavor wasn’t bad, but it made for a really weird brushing experience, because coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you can’t just dip your toothbrush into the jar and go. It also made for a weird texture in my mouth during brushing. Instead of worrying about the temperature of our toothpaste, we stuck with our own toothpaste in this post.
MORE HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE RECIPES
- Homemade Cinnamon Flavored Remineralizing Toothpaste
- Whitening Charcoal Toothpaste
- How We Healed Gum Disease
Have seen this recipe a few times. Finally got some bentonite clay so I could make this recipe. Always looking for cheaper DIY recipes to save money. I finally made this today. It was very thick & hard to mix at first so figured to add more water to make a little easier to mix up. I actually made a double batch so I won’t have to make it to frequently. I also use filtered/alkaline water since it’s what I have available. I think I’m gonna like having this handy recipe. Will share it with friends that want an healthier toothpaste & like to do DIY projects. I also use Plant Therapy Eo’s since I can’t afford Young Living or doTerra.
Vonda, we have tons of DIY recipes and tips for saving money! We hope you find more you can make use of.
I really want to make some of this. When I click on the link to get the clay it brings up a 6 pound container. That is way more than I can use. Does it need to be that brand or can I use a different brand of clay?
Mine came out more grey than yours and a little less smooth. I wouldn’t call it clumpy, but it’s definitely not smooth like your picture. Is that normal? Also I used the Xylitol in the link that popped up, so it wasn’t a liquid. I just guessed at the amount. Do you think that’ll be ok?
I read an earlier comment and fixed the consistency issue by adding more water, using a spatula, and stirring, stirring, stirring. 🙂
I don’t know if I am doing something wrong, but I always have to add a LOT more water to get this to a smooth consistency. Any thoughts?
Make sure you are using liquid stevia, and small grained salt.
What’s the self life??
Thank you for the recipe! How long does it last?
Would this toothpaste be horrible if I made it without any essential oils? I’ve recently developed hypersensitivities to various things including coconut oil and it’s many derivatives and that led me to Earthpaste. The hypersensitivity coming from various foods and products has given me Burning Mouth Syndrome. I know that things with peppermint oil have given me issues so I got the lemon Earthpaste. Used it just once and it wrecked my mouth. I’m thinking it must be the oils that are irritating at the moment. I’ve been using baking soda dissolved in water (very watery to reduce the abrasiveness) without issue. I’m hoping an allergy specialist can help me figure this out but in the meantime I’m looking for an alternative to the baking soda.
No, not horrible, but it won’t have much of a taste, LOL.
I just started using Sensodyne Rapid Relief toothpaste, just 4 days ago. My mouth is killing me. Inflamed, swollen lips, dry mouth, tongue is swollen and loss of taste (not covid people). It is this toothpaste. I realized that when I was using Paradontax last year while I was out of town for a family emergency, I felt similar but not as painful. I did have dry mouth and I felt like I was drooling a bit out of the corner of my mouth…gross out. Still wasn’t relating it to toothpaste. Now I am going to make my own as you suggested as I have gum issues in general and buy the earthpaste too just in case as I feel that desperate. While I am writing this I realize my tongue is tingling and the roof of my mouth is burning. I read other people having similar problems. Nope, not gonna use that stuff anymore. And if toothpaste says not to swallow, why am I putting it in my mouth? Not that I am intentionally swallowing but some has to be going down there. I mean how dumb have I been!? I am hopeful for a big change…thank you.
Hi -,reading this with interest in looking for a natural style toothpaste, Apart from some concerns from dentists about the use of bentonite clay being too abrasive for teeth I am concerned about the lack of a preservative as clay is notoriously hard to preserve safely. And dipping a toothbrush in it that has been in your moth seems to be asking for bacteria to grow. Have you thought about using a preservative? i understand the concern about the uses of unecessary chemicals but I think in this case the high risk of unseen bacteria growing would outweigh it. Any thoughts? Maybe the frac coconut oil option would be safer.
I’ve actually read the opposite about clay, Laurie! And a popular online brand is offering a clay-based tooth powder without a preservative as well…
Hi, could you sub peroxide for the water?
Thanks for the recipe!
I haven’t done that before April, so I can’t recommend it!
This is a great recipe BUT, you CANNOT use water in any recipe whatsoever, unless you have a preservative! There are a few that are 100% natural. Water and clay DO NOT MIX, and you cannot use essential oils to preserve! Please be careful folks!! clay – any one of them – will breed mould almost immediately when combined with water. And water, whether distilled or not, reacts with clay to form mould and bacteria. I’ve studied this stuff for years. Please be careful!!
That’s not necessarily true, Suzita. Our magnesium lotion has water and it’s passed government testing and doesn’t need a preservative. 🙂
I love this recipe, and it’s the one I always come back to after trying others. Thanks so much! I like making my own as it not only saves lots of $$$, but can be flavored how ever I need/want.
I can’t use most commercial toothpastes as most have SLS and/or some form of mint,both of which irritates my mouth big time! So glad that there is an alternative to chemical laden toothpaste. 🙂 <3
Thanks so much!
You’re so very welcome MariCarol!
How long does this recipe last for (in and outside of fridge)?
And can you freeze it?
I’ve never frozen this Lindsay, but this lasts easily 2-3 months!
How long does this last before going bad?
In another article you posted, you mentioned that you make a batch of toothpaste every other month with a tub of bentonite clay; it’s obviously a much larger batch
…. which lead me to this article.
Can it last for two months, with all of that moisture?
Thanks.
We’ve had this last for a couple months without issue, except maybe drying out! If in that case, we add more water.
When using the paste what type of toothbrush do you use? Also do you continue to add more paste as you brush since you mentioned that the earth paste felt like it was disappearing in your mouth even though you hadn’t swallowed.
Hi Kiran! We use a powered toothbrush, and nope, we don’t add more – we just keep brushing!
Hi, I’ve looking in Amazon for the earth paste and they are so many to choose from . From Canada it’s different, could you be more specific as to what I am looking for.
I really want to make this but when I click the link to buy the clay it is $55. Can’t seem to find a smaller one.
Here’s the smaller one Suzy! https://amzn.to/2HhGNqI
Thoughts on alternative clays, like this one? https://www.amazon.com/Aztec-Secret-Cleansing-Original-Bentonite/dp/B0014P8L9W/ref=sr_1_8_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1545575461&sr=8-8&keywords=redmond+clay
I’ve never tried another brand Sadie so I can’t recommend it personally, but you can definitely give it a shot!
Your story sounds just like mine. I started making toothpaste cause there was none around I was willing to buy. I would cut open the paste I did have. Also brush with nonglycerin soap (which is hard to find too) but no way was the rest of the family going to do that. I am about 1hr. 45 min away from a store that sells toothpaste I would buy. I came across yours because of the coconut oil factor. Trying to copy earthpaste and make some without it cause the rest of the family hates it. I enjoyed reading this. Thanks
You’re very welcome Kristin!
Hi. This is great. I’ve already made numerous batches and it’s simply awesome. However I was wandering if it is ok to use on teeth with braces…I’ve read that clays absorb substances from the metals. Is this the case? Can I still use it? Thanks
Yes, you can still use it with braces!