I love natural health and beauty products. I love them even more when they actually work. And I really love them when they're cheap. So homemade mouthwash is right up my alley. This natural mouthwash is easy to make, costs next to nothing and includes ingredients you can actually eat. My motto is: don't swish it if you can't swallow it.
I had my personal reasons for wanting to find an easy homemade mouthwash recipe. During RRARF, I made a commitment to avoid sweet things for a period of time. The thought of mouthwash being sweet didn't occur to me till a couple days into RRARF. I guess being off sweets for a few days heightened my sense of taste because suddenly mouthwash tasted sweet! And it occurred to me that if I'm trying to avoid sweets in order to test the PCAT theory, then why would I swish with something with such an overwhelmingly sweet flavor right after eating?
So I experimented with a few ideas and came up with this natural mouthwash recipe:
My Homemade Mouthwash Recipe
16 oz pure water (preferably filtered)
3-5 drops of peppermint essential oil
2 tsp baking soda
Mix all ingredients together in a glass bottle. The baking soda will dissolve after a little while. I still suggest shaking it up a bit before using it to make sure the essential oil is mixed in well. Swish for 30-60 seconds and then spit (although this mouthwash is obviously non-toxic, I don't suggest you swallow it!).
The real beauty of homemade mouthwash is that you can really cater to your own preferences. There are a lot of variations you can use with this natural mouthwash:
- You can mix and match essential oils to find the right flavor for you. Spearmint, citrus or cinnamon are some other ideas.
- You can also add a teaspoon or two of vodka if you prefer mouthwash with a little bite.
- If you'd prefer your mouthwash sweet, you can add a little stevia
or xylitol.
- You can experiment with the amount of essential oil and baking soda to see what works for you.
Please feel free to share your own dental hygiene recipes below. I'd love to hear what you've come up with!
You may also want to read: 12 Natural Toothpaste Alternatives
Need a great source of real food ingredients? Check out my Resources page!
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