All Natural Zero Waste Toothpaste
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These two all natural, zero waste toothpaste recipes trade a longtime habit of buying pricey, fluoride-free Weleda toothpaste for something homemade, cheaper, and genuinely waste-free.
Brush your teeth with an all natural zero waste toothpaste made with essential oils and a minimum of ingredients. It’s so easy to make, whipped up in about 10 minutes.
For the past few decades, buying organic and chemical-free toothpastes had become a real expense — and beyond the cost, all those throwaway commercial toothpaste tubes added up to a lot of waste. That’s what led to switching over to making personal care products at home instead.
Table of Contents
Why Make Your Own Toothpaste?
Reduce waste: Weleda toothpaste was the go-to for years — a good option since it’s organic, natural, and fluoride-free, though on the pricey end at around 6 CHF for a 150ml tube. Despite being recyclable, all those empty tubes still added up over time.
Cut costs: cutting costs has become a real priority in recent years, and making toothpaste at home is a straightforward way to do it.
Fluoride-free: given the negative effects fluoride can have on health and wellbeing, keeping it out of toothpaste is a deliberate choice.
Chemical and preservative free: beyond fluoride, commercial toothpastes often include ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, sodium benzoate, and other active ingredients — not exactly what belongs in the body.
All Natural Zero Waste Toothpaste Ingredients
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- Arrowroot Powder
- Baking Soda
- Himalaya Salt
- Coconut Oil
- Bentonite Clay
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Clove Essential Oil
- Cinnamon Essential Oil
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Two oil-based toothpaste recipes are shared here.
The Ingredients, One by One
Ingredients List
- Coconut oil
- Arrowroot powder
- Baking soda
- Himalaya pink salt
- Bentonite clay
- Essential oils
Cooking Instructions
Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil shows up in most skin care recipes here, and it’s the most commonly chosen oil for oil-based toothpaste too, thanks to its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. During winter, coconut oil stays solid, giving a thicker toothpaste; in summer, the texture runs thinner, which is where other ingredients come in to keep things easy to use.
Baking Soda:
Baking soda, which contains sodium bicarbonate, shows up in a lot of toothpastes. Some studies suggest it has a better whitening and plaque-removal effect than toothpaste without it. With a pH of 9, baking soda also helps preserve the toothpaste, and its alkalinity can help neutralize acids in the mouth, supporting the fight against cavities.
Arrowroot Powder:
Arrowroot is a starch obtained from the rhizomes of several tropical plants, traditionally Maranta arundinacea among other varieties. Since it’s gluten free, it’s a popular wheat flour replacement, though it’s relatively high in carbohydrates and low in protein (around 7.7%), so it can’t substitute for wheat flour in breads. It thickens at a lower temperature than flour or cornstarch, and its neutral taste makes it perfect here, helping thicken the toothpaste alongside the coconut oil.
Himalaya Salt:
Himalaya salt has gained real popularity thanks to its rich mineral content and health benefits.
Bentonite Clay:
Bentonite clay is a great addition to homemade toothpaste, since it helps give it the right consistency.
Essential Oils
Essential oils bring a nice smell in addition to their aromatherapy benefits. A few worth using: peppermint, which freshens breath and leaves the mouth feeling clean; clove, known for powerful cleansing and purifying properties, and widely used for toothache too; eucalyptus, which has natural anti-microbial and antiseptic properties, safe at a low dosage; and cinnamon, which can freshen breath and naturally whiten teeth.
Tips to Make Zero Waste Toothpaste
Use fractionated coconut oil in winter: this keeps the consistency more stable when regular coconut oil would otherwise solidify.
Store in glass jars: plastic can leach into essential oils and coconut oil over time, so glass is the safer choice.
Choose oils meant for internal use: use essential oils that are pure and specifically safe for this kind of application.
Where to Source These Ingredients
A reader based in Switzerland once asked where to find these ingredients locally, especially without speaking German. Coconut oil and some essential oils are usually easy to track down, but the rest — arrowroot powder, bentonite clay, Himalaya salt — can be harder to source locally, which is exactly why the links above are worth using directly.
Watch the Video
Recipe Card
All Natural Zero Waste Toothpaste
- Total Time: 10
- Yield: 50 servings 1x
Description
Two easy all-natural, zero-waste toothpaste recipes made with essential oils and minimal ingredients — fluoride-free, chemical-free, and ready in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
-
Recipe 1:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 3–4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1–2 teaspoons Himalaya pink salt
- 20 drops peppermint essential oil
- 10 drops clove essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil (optional)
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Recipe 2:
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon bentonite clay
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops clove essential oil
Instructions
Both recipes follow the same steps.
-
Mix the Dry Ingredients:
Mix all the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.
-
Melt the Coconut Oil:
Melt the coconut oil on low heat.
-
Combine:
Add the coconut oil into the dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing well until there are no lumps.
-
Add Essential Oils:
Add the essential oils and mix.
-
Store:
Store in sterilized glass jars.
Notes
Use fractionated coconut oil during winter for a more stable consistency. Store in glass, since plastic can leach into essential oils and coconut oil. Use essential oils that are pure and safe for internal use.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Natural Skin Care
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 50
- Calories: 0.1
- Fat: 3
Your feedback is valuable
Did you like this All Natural Zero Waste Toothpaste recipe? Have you tried making your own toothpaste? Leave me a comment, I’d really love to know! Thank you so much for visiting Vital Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post and give this recipe a 5 star rating.
Hi mam,
I am currently living in Switzerland. Thanks for providing great content… Could you pls let me know grow where can I source the ingredients? I am recently moved into switzerland and I donno German as well..so I find difficult to source these ingredients
Hi,
Take a look at my blog post again. I have given all the links in the post under ingredients. I forgot to link. You should be easily able to get it. Other than coconut oil and some essential oils you cannot get the other ingredients so easily. I hope the links are useful to you. Let me know.