Herbal Teeth Whiteners

December 27, 2008 · Filed under diy, Health Care, Natural Remedies, Personal Care · Tagged cosmetics, dental care, diy, health, herbs, homemade, how to, natural, non toxic, recipes, remedies, teeth, whitening

It is crazy how popular teeth whitening toothpaste has become in the past few years. All of a sudden, every toothpaste has a “whitener” and the sales of “high powered whitening kits” has passed the ceiling. The honest truth is that most of these whiteners don’t work in the short term and many take years to actually make a difference. With the chemicals in the products if you continue to smoke and drink tea or coffee, you cross out any positive effects the paste may have had. So, in the long run, they are not worth the cost.

So what will whiten teeth? We all know that you can have a professional bleaching done for a big fat paycheck and then your teeth will be thin and sensitive and require special care for your lifetime. Oh, boy, but your teeth will be whiter than they were. Still, if you go back out and smoke and drink tea or coffee, then you will begin to stain the thin and sensitive teeth you have left and then a second bleaching will be out of the question.

So what might whiten teeth without all the trouble and can be done again and again, as needed, without ruining your teeth or costing a fortune? You are going to laugh at the answer. You are going to laugh because you not going to believe that nobody told you or if they did somebody else told you that they were lieing. Johnson & Johnson and Proctor and Gamble are not about to tell you can do with a few items you already have in your kitchen. Heck, you might not buy their tooth whitening toothpaste. Have you really seen any great benefit in that toothpaste? Only those of you with fairly white teeth to begin with have actually seen any “improvement”. Everybody else, you’re just imagining it.

This has all been born out in study after study. I’ve seen it in the newspaper, on the net, the news, even my friends have told me. These products don’t work. And yet everybody goes out and buys them. I still have yet to understand that. However, for those of you who would like to know the truth and to really get whiter teeth for less money and trouble, then I’m gonna let you in on a secret.

You’ve heard it said over and over again that baking soda makes a great toothpaste. You have even bought toothpaste touting baking soda as an ingredient. But you bought the toothpaste instead of using the baking soda because you liked the packaging, you liked the taste, you liked the idea of using a store bought product rather than dipping your brush in a box. You like the gel idea more. And perhaps the taste of baking soda leaves you flat. OK. So now, consider this. Toothpaste is all made with peppermint. How about adding some peppermint leaves/oil/candies to your baking soda box and letting it “fixate”? In a few days you have peppermint tasting baking soda. Just like your toothpaste.

But, I want whitening, you say! Ok. You must realize that citrus oils are the very best stain removers on teeth, like on porcelain. A simple thing like rubbing your teeth with a lime or lemon peel will begin to melt away the tea or coffee stain. A raw Strawberry is another good stain remover. I’m serious. Rub them over your teeth, night after night, and soon enough you will find your teeth are getting whiter. The stains are disappearing.

So taking all this folk medicine and putting it together, I have come up with some recipes for homemade toothpaste that will not only melt the stains but make your teeth healthier in the process. The really hard thing to erase is nicotine and, in reality, you should quit smoking but if you aren’t and you want to reduce the browning damage to your teeth, I am telling you to try these recipes. Brush your teeth with these for a month and then feel free to come back here and call me an idiot if your teeth are not whiter. But at least it won’t cost you anymore than crappy whitening toothpaste you’ve been using for the past year… and your teeth are still brown and yellow and ugly. So what have you got to lose? Nothing but the stains!

Recipe #1:

1 Tbsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Sea Salt
2 Tsp Lemon Juice

Mix these all together until it is a paste. If needed, add more Lemon Juice or Baking Soda in order to make it thicker or thinner. Whatever works for you. Just don’t add more salt.
Brush your teeth with this, as you would any toothpaste, for a few weeks.

Recipe #2

1 Tsp Sea Salt
Fresh Lemon or Lime Peel

Use as many peels as you feel you might need. Use the same amount of salt on each. Rub the peel all over the soft side with the salt until it’s coated. Allow it to sit for a few minutes but not long enough to dry out the peel. Rub your teeth with these all over, pressing hard and scrubbing. Do this twice or three times a week for a month. For really brown teeth, then do it two times each time. Should begin to make a difference in a few weeks.

Recipe #3

1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tsp Lemon Juice

Use this recipe if you are out of Baking Soda or don’t have any Sea Salt. It will make your lip feel swollen for a few minutes afterward, but it will work in a pinch. Rub the salt mixture into the teeth of the brush and then brush your teeth all over with it. Like I said, you can use this in a pinch but you shouldn’t use it a lot because it dries out the mouth and, in the long run, dry mouth causes teeth problems like cavities.

Recipe #4

1 Crushed Strawberry, deseeded
1 Tsp Baking Soda
Mint Sprigs or Peppermint Oil

This is a tasty paste that will remind you of commercial toothpaste. It looks really funky though, red Strawberry mashed up with Baking Soda. So you scrape the seeds off and mash the Strawberry. Then you mix it up with the Baking Soda until it’s like a paste. Leave in a container with the Mint Sprigs or a dash of Peppermint Oil overnight. After 24 hours, this paste is ready to use. If you used fresh Mint, don’t forget to remove the sprigs before use. Brush with this mix every single night for as long as you like. You will love the way it melts the stains and tastes pretty good in the process.

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