After ditching toothpaste tubes over five years ago, I experimented with making my own toothpaste, whose recipe I shared in my Zero Waste Switch Challenge.

But let's backtrack. Why would you want to make your own toothpaste?
Because:

• conventional toothpaste is usually packaged in plastic (#plasticpollutes)
• it's full of chemicals
• it's not cheap

I remember this passage of the book by former advertising copyeditor and now famous French author/TV personality Frédéric Beigbeder where he explains that toothpaste is useless since dental care basically consists in brushing your teeth and the actual paste is only meant to freshen your breath.

I won't go as far as telling you to ditch the toothpaste, but just want to emphasize the fact that all you need is a good brush (you should floss too, but that's not the focus of this challenge).

So don't worry if this recipe does not contain the usual fluoride, whitening agents, etc. These are all sales arguments. You want your mouth to feel clean and fresh. That's about it!

There are a million recipes online. I first tried the baking soda/stevia powder toothpaste, but it rapidly became hard because of the humidity in my bathroom.

I also made some with coconut oil, baking soda or salt, green clay, and peppermint essential oil.

And one day, my toothpaste container leaked in my drop kit while traveling, I hated cleaning up the oil stain, so I ditched the oil and simply used baking soda and peppermint essential oil.

I've used this "recipe" for years, and then I finally caved and decided to give tooth tablets a try.

Packaging

My first order came in a metal box, which I kept for future DIYs (I'm thinking body butter) but I saw a version in a recyclable cardboard container as well.

I usually transfer a couple of them to a small glass container that I keep by the sink. It seems more sanitary than opening the big container all the time and makes packing for short trips easier.

Instructions

Put a tablet in your mouth, chew it, wait until it foams and start brushing your teeth.
(A tablet seemed a lot to us, so Octave and I usually split it in half)

Review

We love the tooth tablets! I like that small change in our routine, it's like trying a new shampoo scent you like. It's fun, practical, sustainable, economical, and effective.

Clean teeth and fresh breath. Mission accomplished!

I don't systematically buy them after we run out. We always have baking soda at home so I never run out of teeth cleaning products, but sometimes, when I feel like it, I make an order and enjoy the "luxury".

Have you tried a new Zero Waste product lately? I'd love to hear about it!

This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase via one of my links, I may make a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!