Wellness Wednesday- Homemade Toothpaste
Hey fellow Ventura yogi's, My name is Melissa and I'm really excited and honored to be a guest blogger this week for Ventura Pop up Yoga! I've been apart of this awesome community for a year now and I feel so blessed to have found it. I originally started yoga because I had some major issues with my sciatic nerve and was told it would get worse as I got older. I had kept hearing that a gentle yoga practice could possibly help, so I decided to give it a try. Fast forward 5 years and my body is stronger, more flexible than ever and I can't remember the last time my sciatic nerve went out! That is just one of the many ways yoga has improved my well-being. It's why I make it a priority to get on my mat every day, even if all I do is practice my breathing. I'm a mother to 3 and this time and space have become very sacred to me. Around the same time I started my yoga practice, I also started a journey of learning to eat real food. My daughter and my husband both suffer from auto-immune diseases so this journey has been very close to my heart. Along with learning about the importance of a real food lifestyle, I learned that the products we use around us (like cleaning supplies) and on us (make-up, lotion, soap etc.) are just as important to our health. Our skin is our largest organ and everything we put on it is absorbed directly into our blood stream, which can actually be more dangerous because it's not going through any filtration system.
Toothpaste was one of the first things I decided I wanted to change and it just so happened I had a friend give me the following toothpaste recipe to try out and I have been making it ever since! It's super easy, affordable and everything in it is safe to ingest. We have been using this for about 4 years now and I'm happy to say that my kid's dentist is always impressed with how healthy all my kids teeth are- no cavities and healthy gums! You can double, triple or even quadruple this recipe however you like. I started making a big batch and then putting it in smaller jars so everyone has their own jar and they can flavor it to how they prefer. I don't even measure anymore, truth be told, but this is a good idea of the ratio you want your coconut oil to baking soda to be.
You will need the following:
A glass jar
Spoon to mix
3 Tablespoons Baking soda (find one that doesn't have aluminum in it)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut oil
Essential oil of choice - (10-20 drops) Peppermint, Spearmint, (5-10 drops) Cinnamon or Orange (good choice for kids) are all great to use.
1 small packet of Stevia (completely optional and I personally don`t use it)
Mix baking soda and coconut oil together. If you choose to add Stevia, add it now.
Next your going to add your essential oil. Start with a few drops, mix it and see if it is strong enough. I tend to go on the lower side and my husband prefers it strong. Completely up to you.
Once you are happy with your minty (or spicy) level, mix once more and your good to go!
I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, please let me know how you like it .
~Missa Kelly
Thank You for this amazing recipe Melissa! And much appreciation for being our FIRST guest blogger!
We would love to hear from you as well. Do you have a homemade recipe? A healthy ritual? A holistic approach to an everyday problem? We would love to feature you and share your practices off the mat with our community. If you have any interest in being a guest blog for Ventura Pop Up Yoga please email us your topic to hello@venturapopupyoga.com.
