Tasty, Homemade Peppermint Toothpaste

I am obsessive compulsive about my teeth. I will brush after coffee while I’m still at Starbucks. I will finish a meal out with a quick trip to the bathroom just to get my brush on. I blame my OCD behavior on good old fashioned self-imposed guilt knowing just how much my parents scrimped and saved so that I could have braces. I also blame my German teacher in high school, whose breath-God bless her heart-smelled constantly of coffee and lifesaver candies.

Therefore, I am determined to never offend someone with my breath or destroy the investment Mom and Dad spent a fortune on.

In the past, I’ve been alright spending $4 on a tube of toothpaste. Not anymore-those frivolous days have ended. I’ve finally found the love (of toothpaste) of a lifetime. It’s freakin’ cheap, it tastes great, and it keeps my pearly whites pearly.

It’s everything I hoped a toothpaste would be.

Here’s all that you’ll need to make your very own Peppermint Toothpaste:
4 TBS+ Baking Soda (depending on how thick you like your toothpaste)
2 TBS Vegetable Glycerin
1 1/2 tsp Stevia Extract
1/2 tsp Hydrogen Peroxide (3.5% or less)
1/4 tsp Peppermint Oil
5 drops Tea Tree Oil
Opaque/Dark Container

In a mixing bowl, measure out 4 TBS of Baking Soda. Baking Soda whitens your teeth and lightly scrubs away the gunk.

Add to this the 2 TBS of Vegetable Glycerin. The Glycerin creates a smooth, non-gritty toothpaste. You can leave this out if you desire, but the toothpaste will be a bit more cakey.

To this, add the 1 1/2 tsp Stevia Extract. The Stevia adds a little sweetness to the toothpaste. You can add more or less dependent upon your sweet tooth needs (ironic…).

Add the 1/2 tsp Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide will whiten teeth, clean gums, and disinfect the mouth.

Next, add the 1/4 tsp Peppermint Oil-which gives the toothpaste a kick and lovely flavor. You can replace this oil with cinnamon or something you prefer more.

Lastly, add 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil. The Tea Tree Oil is an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-all nasty things that can be found in your mouth. (Yick).

Mix everything together using a spatula. Add more Baking Soda if the consistency isn’t thick enough.

Test a little out, adding more peppermint if you like super spicy, more Stevia if you want it sweeter.

Store the toothpaste in a dark or opaque container. I re-used a burn cream container for my paste.

Enjoy your very own homemade toothpaste while knowing you rule. With very little time or money spent, you now have a pearly whites polisher without all the chemicals and pocketbook guilt!

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

I hope you have enjoyed these recipes! It may seem overwhelming at first to rid your home of toxins and store-bought everything. And maybe you don’t want to make these products, but would like the benefits of non-toxic products in your home without going broke. I have found some simple solutions to replace the things that I cannot make/don’t want to make myself by purchasing them from a non-toxic green company online. Without directly endorsing them, if you are interested in knowing more,  Feel free to email me with questions.

Here are links to my other Homemade Household Cleansers and Beauty Products:

Homemade Beauty Products
Simple, Organic Lip Balm
Homemade Peppermint Mouthwash

Easy Laundry Soap
Homemade Laundry Softener
DIY Stain Stick

DIY Brass Cleaner
Organic Vegetable/Produce Cleaner
Homemade Household Cleaners

And here are a few Homemade Food Items to easily replace store-bought items:

Simple, Tasty Granola
Easy Crockpot Yogurt
Simple, Homemade Butter
Cooking and Freezing Beans, avoiding BPA
Homemade Hummus
Garden Fresh Salsa

If these parties are up, I link to them! (Here’s my complete Linky Party Page):
Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, The Better Baker, Skip to My Lou, DIY Showoff, Say Not, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Etcetorize, Sew Chatty, Brassy Apple, Flour Me With Love, Creating my Way, Mad in Crafts, Our Delightful Home, Sew Can Do, It’s So Very Cheri, Craft O Maniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Tuesday: Craft Edition, Inspiration Board , New Nostalgia , Lettered Life , Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie , Ladybug Blessings, Hope Studios , Todays Creative Blog, Wednesday: Someday Crafts , Day2DayJoys, Jillify It , Junk in the Trunk, We are that Family , Frugally Sustainable, Sew Much Ado, Fine Craft Guild , The Thrifty Home, My Girlish Whims , Quick, Easy, Cheap & Healthy, Trendy Treehouse, Thursday: Somewhat Simple, No Minimalist Here , A Glimpse Inside, The Mommy Club, The 36th Avenue, Cheap Chic Home, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans , House of Hepworths , The Shabby Chic Cottage, Friday: My Repurposed Life, It’s a HodgePodge Life, The Shabby Nest, Just Wingin’ It, One Artsy Momma, French Country Cottage, Finding Fabulous, Passionately Artistic, Petals and Picots, Simply Designing, Little Becky Homecky, My Romantic Home, Bacon Time, Simply Living, Saturday: Polkadot Pretties, Tatertots and Jello, Create and Inspire, Be Different, Act Normal, Craft Envy, Funky Junk Interiors, Petites Passion, Sunday: Under the Table, Natural Mothers, Mopping the Floor

Easy, Homemade Peppermint Mouthwash

Did you know that the first ingredient in most mouthwashes is alcohol (ethanol), and coming in a close second is heaping dose of sugar (sucralose, sorbital, saccharine). Awesome. Just what I want first thing in the morning.

Most mouthwashes costs around $6 for 32 oz ($.12/oz), whereas this will cost you around $1.20 for 32 oz ($.03/oz).

With just a few ingredients and in two seconds, I had my own inexpensive and tasty peppermint mouthwash. (A printable recipe card for this mouthwash can be found at the bottom of the tutorial, along with many other Homemade Household recipe links.)

Here’s all that you’ll need to make your own mouthwash:
13 oz Hydrogen Peroxide (3.5% or less)
1/4 tsp Essential Oil (Peppermint, Cinnamon, Etc)
1/8-1/4 Liquid Stevia (only if you are married to a sweet tooth, otherwise you can leave this out)
Dark Glass Bottle or Dark Plastic Container with lid

Pour the 13 oz of Hydrogen Peroxide into the bottle, using a funnel if necessary.

Add to that the 1/4 tsp of Peppermint essential oil (or your choice).

Top the mouthwash off with the 1/8-1/4 tsp of Stevia. You don’t necessarily have to add this-I was fine without sweetening it. However, I am married to Biceps who eats brown sugar out of the bag with a spoon…so, there’s that.

Shake everything together, slap a label on the bottle and call it a day.

Pour a small amount into your mouth before of after brushing. Swish the liquid around for a few minutes in your mouth and then spit out. Rinse if desired. (Keep the liquid out of direct sunlight-like the photo above.)

This mouthwash leaves the mouth feeling refreshed, clean and tingly! I guarantee you will love it.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

I hope you have enjoyed these recipes! It may seem overwhelming at first to rid your home of toxins and store-bought everything. And maybe you don’t want to make these products, but would like the benefits of non-toxic products in your home without going broke. I have found some simple solutions to replace the things that I cannot make/don’t want to make myself by purchasing them from a non-toxic green company online. Without directly endorsing them, if you are interested in knowing more,  Feel free to email me with questions.

Here are links to my other Homemade Household Cleansers and Beauty Products:

Easy Laundry Soap
Homemade Laundry Softener
DIY Stain Stick
Homemade Beauty Products
DIY Brass Cleaner
Organic Vegetable/Produce Cleaner
Homemade Household Cleaners

And here are a few Homemade Food Items to easily replace store-bought items:
Simple, Tasty Granola
Easy Crockpot Yogurt
Simple, Homemade Butter
Cooking and Freezing Beans, avoiding BPA
Homemade Hummus
Garden Fresh Salsa

If these parties are up, I link to them! (Here’s my complete Linky Party Page):
Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, The Better Baker, Skip to My Lou, DIY Showoff, Say Not, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Etcetorize, Sew Chatty, Brassy Apple, Flour Me With Love, Creating my Way, Mad in Crafts, Our Delightful Home, Sew Can Do, It’s So Very Cheri, Craft O Maniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Tuesday: Craft Edition, Inspiration Board , New Nostalgia , Lettered Life , Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie , Ladybug Blessings, Hope Studios , Todays Creative Blog, Wednesday: Someday Crafts , Day2DayJoys, Jillify It , Junk in the Trunk, We are that Family , Frugally Sustainable, Sew Much Ado, Fine Craft Guild , The Thrifty Home, My Girlish Whims , Quick, Easy, Cheap & Healthy, Trendy Treehouse, Thursday: Somewhat Simple, No Minimalist Here , A Glimpse Inside, The Mommy Club, The 36th Avenue, Cheap Chic Home, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans , House of Hepworths , The Shabby Chic Cottage, Friday: My Repurposed Life, It’s a HodgePodge Life, The Shabby Nest, Just Wingin’ It, One Artsy Momma, French Country Cottage, Finding Fabulous, Passionately Artistic, Petals and Picots, Simply Designing, Little Becky Homecky, My Romantic Home, Bacon Time, Simply Living, Saturday: Polkadot Pretties, Tatertots and Jello, Create and Inspire, Be Different, Act Normal, Craft Envy, Funky Junk Interiors, Petites Passion, Sunday: Under the Table, Natural Mothers, Mopping the Floor

I think I got the cob out-Behind the Scenes at Great Day, Green Country

Last week, I was once again asked to be a guest on Great Day, Green Country. This time, I shared my Homemade Laundry Soap. You can see the live video of my dorkiness here, if you want to.

After three times of being a guest on the show, I think I got the cob out. If you know what I mean.

I did need to primp a little beforehand, making sure there weren’t any boogers or any lipstick on the chompers.

After laboring over the setup, while wearing really cute shoes, I was ready. And this is what was going through my head.

“Am I ready? Does this look right?”

“I don’t know. But my shoes are really cute.”

“Nope, it doesn’t look right. I’d better fix it. I am the master fixer. Hi-yah! I am ninja quick!”

“Cute, cute, cute. This looks cute. I like to make things cute. La da da da. La da da da.”

“Yep. This looks good. I should have gone with the anti-perspirant rather than the plain ‘ol deodorant. Keep the arms out and let the air flow.”

After everything was settled, all heck broke loose. And I decided my recycled Vodka bottle now containing my Laundry Softener was a photo op waiting to happen.

Yep, I’m a dork.

And then the camera’s began to roll and my heart skipped several beats and I began to sweat and sweat and sweat….But, I think the cob was finally removed-if you know what I mean.

They’ve asked me back again-I hope I can be even more relaxed and cob-less. Lord willin’ and the Creeks don’t rise.

Simple, Homemade Laundry Softener

As you may know for the past year, I have been concocting my own household items with little more than what I have on hand or what I can find at the organic market. I am determined to rid my house of harmful toxins and chemicals by making my own homemade products.

(More of my DIY household recipes are at the bottom of this post.)

photo source unknown
But the products must meet or exceed three important expectations for this frugal gal:
1. It must be easy to replace-no beakers or science lab experiments. Thank you.
2. It must be just as good or better than the current product I’m using and,
3. It must cost the same or less than the current product I’m using.

I thought I hit a brick wall when it came to Laundry Softener and I would have to settle for store bought. My fluffy towels are very important to me.

I began to experiment when I remembered that vinegar is not only a wonderful cleansing agent, but a water softener as well. And baking soda is not only a whitener, but it regulates the pH level in the water, cutting through the mineral deposits (which makes your clothes feel stiff). So, why not combine the two?

Here’s all the you’ll need to make your own Laundry Softener:
Container
1 Cup of Baking Soda
6 Cups of White Vinegar
(8 drops of Essential Oil if you are worried about the vinegar smell in your house. There will not be a vinegar smell on your clothing.)

Pour the 1 Cup of Baking Soda into your container.

Slowly, I REPEAT-SLOWLY-add the vinegar a little at a time. It will fizz and bubble up. Allow it to recede and then add a little more.
Do not pour all at once, as I did, and watch your kitchen enjoy a nice vinegar shower. I am an idiot-was I not paying attention in science class?

Add the essential oils if desired. I’m cheap so I skip this step.

Allow the detergent to breathe for a little while (5 minutes or so) before capping it.

Add about 1/2 Cup of this mixture to your laundry’s rinse cycle (I set a timer as I start my load for about 20 minutes in to the washing cycle). Or, if you are impatient, it doesn’t hurt to add it at the same time you add your laundry soap. However, adding it to the rinse cycle will give you a little more fluff for you buck. I think that’s the saying….

This Laundry Softener leaves your clothes feeling soft and fluffy. It replaces the store bought laundry softeners that contain chemicals and perfumes, which only mask the odor. And, the best part is-it’s only about .01 per load.

Win-win-win, once again!

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

I hope you have enjoyed these recipes! It may seem overwhelming at first to rid your home of toxins and store-bought everything. And maybe you don’t want to make these products, but would like the benefits of non-toxic products in your home without going broke. I have found some simple solutions to replace the things that I cannot make/don’t want to make myself by purchasing them from a non-toxic green company online. Without directly endorsing them, if you are interested in knowing more,  Feel free to email me with questions.

Here are links to my other Homemade Household Cleansers and Beauty Products:

Easy Laundry Soap
Homemade Beauty Products
DIY Brass Cleaner
Organic Vegetable/Produce Cleaner
Homemade Household Cleaners

And here are a few Homemade Food Items to easily replace store-bought items:
Simple, Tasty Granola
Easy Crockpot Yogurt
Simple, Homemade Butter
Cooking and Freezing Beans, avoiding BPA
Homemade Hummus
Garden Fresh Salsa

If these parties are up, I link to them! (Here’s my complete Linky Party Page):
Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, The Better Baker, Skip to My Lou, DIY Showoff, Say Not, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Etcetorize, Sew Chatty, Brassy Apple, Flour Me With Love, Creating my Way, Mad in Crafts, Our Delightful Home, Sew Can Do, It’s So Very Cheri, Craft O Maniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Tuesday: Craft Edition, Inspiration Board , New Nostalgia , Lettered Life , Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie , Ladybug Blessings, Hope Studios , Todays Creative Blog, Wednesday: Someday Crafts , Day2DayJoys, Jillify It , Junk in the Trunk, We are that Family , Frugally Sustainable, Sew Much Ado, Fine Craft Guild , The Thrifty Home, My Girlish Whims , Quick, Easy, Cheap & Healthy, Trendy Treehouse, Thursday: Somewhat Simple, No Minimalist Here , A Glimpse Inside, The Mommy Club, The 36th Avenue, Cheap Chic Home, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans , House of Hepworths , The Shabby Chic Cottage, Friday: My Repurposed Life, It’s a HodgePodge Life, The Shabby Nest, Just Wingin’ It, One Artsy Momma, French Country Cottage, Finding Fabulous, Passionately Artistic, Petals and Picots, Simply Designing, Little Becky Homecky, My Romantic Home, Bacon Time, Simply Living, Saturday: Polkadot Pretties, Tatertots and Jello, Create and Inspire, Be Different, Act Normal, Craft Envy, Funky Junk Interiors, Petites Passion, Sunday: Under the Table, Natural Mothers, Mopping the Floor