Tag: toothpaste

herbal tooth powder

we’ve talked about tooth powders and pastes before, but i wanted to get back into DIYing my oral care routine. why? because i really want to try more herbal-based tooth powders, and i couldn’t find one that fit everything i wanted and didn’t want.

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please note i am not a dentist or in any way trained professionally in oral care.

what i don’t want in my toothpaste (please do your own research):

  • fluoride
  • SLS / foaming agents
  • glycerin
  • eucalyptus essential oil
  • wintergreen essential oil
  • baking soda
  • artificial colors
  • artificial flavors

what’s in my tooth powder:

  • bentonite clay
    • high mineral content
    • absorbs impurities
  • calcium carbonate
    • helps with remineralization
  • white oak bark
    • supports healthy gum tissue
  • neem bark powder
    • reduces gingivitis
  • peppermint, clove, and oregano essential oils
    • cleansing; targets decay; safe orally in tiny amounts (NOT to ingest)

recipe:

  • 3 tablespoons bentonite clay
  • 1 tablespoon calcium carbonate
  • 1 teaspoon white oak bark powder
  • 1 teaspoon neem bark powder
  • 2 drops peppermint eo
  • 1 drops clove eo
  • 1 drops oregano eo

put dry ingredients into a small airtight glass jar. shake until mixed. add EOs 1 drop at a time, shaking between.

do you use herbal tooth powders or pastes? please share your preferred ingredients below!

XO, ALEXRAYE

my current beauty routine

wow… it’s been 3 years since i shared my beauty routine with you.

i don’t know about you, but i love seeing what other people use to take care of themselves. do you?

let’s dive in –

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as always, nothing linked is an affiliate or benefits me in any way.

please share your current routines below! i really love to hear from you guys.

HAIR

i use both shampoo and conditioner now, due to living in a very dry and very polluted environment. it is what it is.

SKIN

TEETH

this hasn’t changed much, if at all, over the last few years.

DEODORANT

  • schmidt’s – geranium
    • i was using the lavender but my stank would come through before i left the office

PERFUME

we all know tsi-la is my ride or die, but here in mexico, sandovalis has stolen my heart!

NAIL POLISH

i’ve switched to exclusively using Zoya. they’re 10-free and vegan – rejoice! but, i buy off amazon. sometimes it’s $1 cheaper per bottle, but i’m just amazon-loyal to be honest.

MAKEUP

i don’t really wear much. i’m contemplating getting my eyebrows microbladed, and if i do, i will probably stop wearing makeup completely. if you’ve had your eyebrows microbladed, please DM me your experience! @alexraye_ae 

HEALTH

i’m still taking the same supplements that a nutritionist advised to me.

with breakfast:

with lunch:

before bed:

 

don’t forget to share what’s a part of your current routine!

XO, ALEXRAYE

natural toothpastes you can buy

2021 edit: i no longer subscribe to or support the “all-natural” label. more here.

i’ve posted on the dangers of fluoride and why i won’t let it near my teeth ever again. i’ve also gone over my tooth powder that i make and currently use, and another homemade toothpaste.

but what if you don’t want to make your own or don’t have time? what brands can you trust?

hopefully this post will help you with that!

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when looking for a toothpaste, i look for ingredients that are supportive to teeth and gums, as well as non-coating and non-abrasive (and of course sans fluoride).  there are a lot of natural brands out there, but quite a lot of them had 1 or 2 ingredients i just could’ve jive with. so what did i disqualify some brands for?

  • fluoride. duh.
  • any form of a foaming agent (SLS variations, etc)
  • artificial colors
  • silica/hydrated silica (coats teeth and prevents remineralization)
  • glycerin (coats teeth and prevents remineralization)
  • sodium bicarbonate (can wear enamel over time)

based on those criteria, here’s my extremely picky list of toothpastes i would trust –

  • earthpaste (i’m in love this brand AND with their lemon one! it tastes exactly like a lemondrop candy! you can buy it in stores for half the price of what they advertise online. it does contain xylitol, so do NOT ingest it!)
  • …aaaand that’s it. i can’t find any brands i’m 100% comfortable using or recommending to you crunchies. can you guys suggest some brands?

but you can look on sites like etsy for homemade options. here are a few –

natural toothpastes can get pricey. i would truly encourage you to make your own!! it’ll be much cheaper and you can make your own flavors and control the ingredients.

anyone have a toothpaste they trust? let’s hear it!

*lead warning label on earthpaste – the redmond clay company (that makes earthpaste) is based in california, where they have Proposition 65. prop 65 requires labels on all sorts of things… have you ever seen been to cali and saw labels on clothing stores that said something like “this store contains chemicals known to the state of california to cause cancer and harm unborn children”? that’s why it has the label. but back to the actual lead content – bentonite clay naturally contains trace amounts of lead (as does anything from the ground… veggies, fruits, etc.). it contains less lead than organic foods, and your body can’t absorb it anyway. it’s completely safe! thumbs up from AE!

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*some natural toothpastes contain xylitol. please keep in mind xylitol is deadly poisonous to our furry 4-legged children!! and please DO NOT INGEST xylitol. we can have a post on xylitol if it’s something you guys would be interested in reading 🙂