How to Make Natural Toothpaste: Easy Recipes at Home

Your toothpaste probably contains fluoride, artificial sweeteners, and chemicals you can’t pronounce. Making your own natural version takes about five minutes and uses ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Here’s what works, what’s uncertain, and how to mix a batch at home.

Common abrasive: Baking soda (1–2 tbsp per recipe) ·
Popular binder: Coconut oil (2 tbsp) ·
Flavor source: Peppermint essential oil (10–20 drops) ·
Optional salt: 1 tsp fine sea salt ·
Recipes analyzed: 5 top sources

The ingredients table below summarizes the key components across the most popular natural toothpaste recipes.

How to make natural toothpaste with baking soda?

Of all the natural toothpaste recipes circulating online, the baking soda base is the most straightforward—and the most studied. Baking soda has a relative dentin abrasivity (RDA) value considered safe by dental standards, making it one of the few home ingredients with documented safety data (Science.gov (oral care research)).

Ingredients from top recipes

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional, for extra abrasion)
• 10–15 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1–2 teaspoons water (to achieve paste consistency)

Step-by-step mixing

Combine baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add water gradually, stirring until you reach a thick but spreadable paste. Add essential oil drops and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a small glass jar with a tight-sealing lid. The mixture should last 1–2 weeks stored at room temperature.

Storage tips

• Use a clean, dry spoon each time to prevent contamination
• Keep the jar sealed when not in use
• Avoid storing in direct sunlight or near heat sources

The implication: baking soda alone won’t provide fluoride’s cavity-fighting benefits, but for people seeking a chemical-free brushing experience, it delivers basic mechanical cleaning.

How to make natural toothpaste for kids?

Children often resist strongly flavored toothpastes, and many parents want to avoid artificial sweeteners and sodium lauryl sulfate found in commercial kids’ formulas. Natural recipes offer customization—but require extra care with ingredient proportions.

Kid-friendly flavors

• Swap peppermint for a milder option like cinnamon or a tiny amount of vanilla extract
• Use half the essential oil quantity you’d use for adults
• Consider unflavored recipes for very young children who rinse poorly

Safe ingredient swaps

• Replace salt with additional baking soda for a gentler abrasive
• Use coconut oil for a sweeter taste without adding sugar
• Skip essential oils entirely for children under age 3

Application advice

Use only a smear (grain-of-rice size) for children under 3, and a pea-sized amount for ages 3–6. Supervise brushing until your child can reliably spit and rinse—typically around age 7–8.

What this means: natural toothpaste for kids is feasible, but parents must weigh the lack of fluoride protection against the desire to avoid artificial additives. Many pediatric dentists recommend a fluoride rinse as a supplement for children using non-fluoride formulas.

What is the best homemade toothpaste recipe?

No single recipe wins universally—your “best” depends on your priorities: taste, texture, cleaning power, or ingredient simplicity. Three main approaches dominate the natural toothpaste space, each with distinct characteristics.

Coconut oil base variations

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (solid at room temperature)
• 1–2 tablespoons baking soda
• 15–20 drops peppermint or spearmint essential oil

This version creates a creamy paste that feels similar to commercial toothpaste. Coconut oil has documented mild antibacterial properties against certain oral bacteria, though research specifically on toothpaste formulations remains limited (Science.gov (oral care research)).

Healthline-inspired formula

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon dried orange peel (finely ground)
• Fresh sage leaves (optional, crushed)

Reportedly used in some traditional and ayurvedic practices, this version adds herbal and citrus elements. Orange peel provides mild abrasiveness, while sage offers natural antiseptic qualities, though clinical data on these specific combinations is sparse.

Guardian liquid-abrasive mix

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon xylitol (natural sweetener)
• Half teaspoon salt
• Water to thin
• 5–10 drops tea tree oil (optional, for antibacterial boost)

This thinner consistency works well for people who prefer a more liquid paste. Tea tree oil has demonstrated antibacterial effects in laboratory studies, but it should be used sparingly and never swallowed.

The catch: natural recipes can clean teeth effectively, but they operate in a different category than fluoride toothpaste for decay prevention. Using both—a natural paste for daily brushing and a fluoride rinse twice weekly—offers a middle ground.

What do the Amish use for toothpaste?

Reports suggest some Amish communities use commercial natural toothpaste products rather than mixing their own. Earthpaste Wintergreen, available at Amish country stores, exemplifies the kind of product that appeals to those seeking simpler ingredients. Earthpaste products typically contain clay, salt, essential oils, and trace minerals—avoiding the synthetic foaming agents and artificial sweeteners common in mass-market brands.

Earthpaste ingredients

• Purified water
• Kaolin clay (gentle abrasive)
• Vegetable glycerin
• Pure essential oils
• Sea salt

Why it’s natural

Products like Earthpaste position themselves against ingredients that natural-product advocates find concerning: sodium lauryl sulfate (foaming agent), triclosan (antibacterial additive), and artificial dyes. The formulation relies on kaolin clay rather than baking soda for abrasion, which some users find less gritty.

Recipe parallels

For a homemade version inspired by these commercial natural products, substitute kaolin clay for baking soda in equal proportions. The texture changes significantly—clay-based pastes feel silkier but require more mixing effort to achieve consistent hardness.

What is the oldest toothpaste recipe?

Tooth-cleaning preparations predate commercial toothpaste by millennia. Ancient Egyptians used a mixture of rock salt, dried iris petals, and mint—creating a powder that, when moistened, cleaned and freshened breath. Romans favored urine-based mouthwashes (strange by modern standards, but ammonia does have cleaning properties). Medieval Europeans used rough cloths with salt or crushed herbs.

Historical abrasives

• Crushed eggshells (mild calcium-based abrasive)
• Charcoal (absorbent, still used in some natural products)
• Crushed bones or shells (predecessors to modern silica abrasives)
• Salt (dried and ground)

Modern adaptations

Contemporary natural toothpaste recipes essentially refine these ancient approaches. Baking soda replaces crushed salt or charcoal. Essential oils substitute for crushed mint or herbs. Coconut oil echoes the binding fats used in earlier preparations. The core formula—abrasive plus flavor plus binder—has remained remarkably consistent.

DIY Toothpaste: Do or Don’t?

Dental professionals disagree on whether homemade toothpaste belongs in daily oral care routines. According to guidance from Delta Dental of Washington, the question isn’t whether natural ingredients clean teeth—they do—but whether they provide sufficient protection against cavities. Fluoride’s cavity-fighting benefits are well-established through decades of clinical research, with investigations beginning in the mid-1940s and demonstrating effectiveness by the 1960s. By 1979, almost all commercial toothpastes contained fluoride, reflecting the scientific consensus (Science.gov (fluoride toothpaste history)).

Steps: How to make your first batch

Follow this straightforward process to create a basic natural toothpaste. Once comfortable, adjust ratios to match your texture and flavor preferences.

1. Gather ingredients: 2 tablespoons baking soda, 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted if solid), 15 drops peppermint essential oil, half teaspoon fine sea salt (optional).
2. Mix dry ingredients: Combine baking soda and salt in a small glass bowl. Break up any clumps with the back of a spoon.
3. Add wet ingredients: Pour melted coconut oil and essential oil into the dry mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Adjust consistency: If too thick, add a few drops of water. If too thin, add more baking soda one-quarter teaspoon at a time.
5. Transfer to container: Spoon the paste into a 4-ounce glass jar with a tight-sealing lid. A small mason jar works well.
6. Test and evaluate: Use a pea-sized amount on your toothbrush. Note the taste, texture, and how your mouth feels afterward.
7. Refine your recipe: After a week of use, adjust flavors, add more salt for abrasion, or increase baking soda for cleaning power.

What experts say

“Fluoride is the most important therapeutic substance used in toothpastes, adding to the effect of mechanical toothbrushing on dental caries control.”

— Scientific review of fluoride toothpaste effectiveness (Science.gov (therapeutic toothpaste review))

“The fluoride uptake after use of the AmF toothpaste was shown to be statistically significantly higher than that after application of the NaF toothpastes.”

— Altenburger, Markus J et al., Fluoride uptake study (Science.gov (fluoride comparison research))

“Brushing with highly abrasive toothpastes did not negatively influence fluoride uptake in demineralised enamel.”

— Enamel fluoride study findings (Science.gov (abrasive toothpaste research))

Key facts at a glance

Three patterns emerge from decades of oral care research: fluoride toothpastes remain unmatched for decay prevention, abrasiveness must be balanced against enamel safety, and natural ingredients occupy a growing niche without clinical validation.

The implication: commercial toothpaste has 70+ years of development behind it. Natural recipes offer ingredient simplicity, but they represent a fundamentally different approach to oral care—one that trades proven cavity protection for chemical transparency.

Dentist-vetted natural blends shine for daily use, while dentists top toothpaste picks for gum disease offer targeted relief for those battling gum issues.

Frequently asked questions