WHAT is dental SOAP? and Why would ANYONE use it!?

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:00:09 +0000

So, you’ve often heard me talk about chemicals in the skin-care products we love so much, but what about our teeth? Chemicals in toothpaste are definitely a concern for some, and still quit controversial for many. Some, like me, believe fluoride to be a harmful carcinogen, and others think it the best thing since sliced bread. There are, however, a few chemicals in standard toothpaste that few can argue to be good for human consumption, like Sodium Lauryl Sulfates (SLS’s), Parabens (both of which I talk about in more detail on this blog), and Triclosan.

Triclosan is probably the most dangerous of these chemicals, mostly because recent studies have shown that when it reacts with chlorine in our tap water, it can turn into Chloroform! Chloroform is a cancer causing chemical, plain and simple. It is NOT a chemical that was ever intended to be consumed by humans, and yet we are getting it every time we brush our teeth with a toothpaste containing triclosan.

Now, the almighty Fluoride, touted for it’s teeth-saving benefits! In actuality, it’s very dangerous stuff, with the dangers outweighing the benefits. I refuse to use something in my mouth that has been used in rat poisoning! (oh yes, take a look at the ingredients on Rat poisoning – one ingredient, Sodium Fluoride.) Other countries have already figured out the danger, and stopped using it ages ago! Fluoride has been linked, by many studies, to Alzheimer’s; musculoskeletal and nervous system damage; and cancer. Not to mention, that the component in toothpaste, is sometimes not even fluoride, but fluorosilicic acid - a compound similar to fluoride that is TOXIC.

Those are just a FEW reasons why someone would choose to forsake all use of fluoride toothpastes and use an alternative. I currently use 2 alternatives. Tooth powder and Dental Soap (or you can use the bark of a flowering dogwood tree. truthfully! look it up! :-D) I prefer tooth powder to a homemade paste, because it is dry, which means it can sit for a LONG time without fear of becoming rancid or “spoiling.” However, I am perfecting a soap recipe for my recently discovered dental soap – and it is AMAZING! As soon as i perfect it, It will be added to the shop, to share with everyone. Until then, read on for more info. on tooth soap.

I discovered tooth soap through google, and began doing some research. I had no idea people were using handcrafted soap on their teeth. The benefits are:

* whiter teeth.

* a clean like you have never felt before – especially if you are a toothpaste user.

* re-mineralizing of your teeth! Yes! I said re-mineralizing! :) read on!

Dental soap contains just the right amount of glycerin (compared to tooth paste, which contains almost ALL glycerine!). Glycerine in toothpaste coats your teeth and prevents minerals from reaching them. With tooth paste, you must rinse about 20 times to get glycerine residue off of your teeth, compared to 3 or 4 rinses with dental soap for a squeeky clean. Once your teeth are clean, minerals from the food you eat can reach your teeth and help the re-building process. I personally know a few people who have experienced healed cavities, filled in chipped teeth and whiter teeth because of enamel re-growth. I have only been using dental soap for a few months, and have already experienced MUCH whiter teeth and a noticeable difference in my previously VERY think enamel. I will never go back to anything else!

BUT! my kids still use tooth powder – especially my little one, who is not old enough to NOT swallow the soap. AND tooth powder is SO easy to make at home, that if you wanted to, you could kick the toothpaste habit TONIGHT! There are a variety of toothpowder recipes – they all take some {ahem} *getting used to*, but after a while you really won’t even notice the difference in taste anymore. This is the one that seems to work the best for us:

Gabriel Family Tooth Powder

1/4 Cup baking Soda – This is all you *need*, everything else is optional! :-)

3 TBS powdered orange rind (dry organic orange- peel and powder in blender)

1 TBS Salt

1 TBS ground dried peppermint leaves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp clove powder

1 pinch nutmeg

4 drops tea tree oil

3 drops rosemary/mint essential oil (or oil of choice: peppermint, cinnamon, etc.)

I used a few drops of Stevia (an herbal sweetener) liquid (to taste)

Enjoy!

“Nichole Gabriel is Founder, and HWIC, at Fullearths, Etc., where she creates high quality, 100% natural, synthetic-free handcrafted Soap, Bath, Body products. This 7 year-old passion has led her to become an advocate for natural skin-care, as she spreads the word about dangers, that the skin-care industry won’t tell you about, through her blog. Her natural product line is available online, through the Fullearths, etc. shop.

Yummm! Homemade Ice cream & Hot tea – easy peasy!

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:38:49 +0000

So, this afternoon, I felt a little snacky and decided to make a smoothie for the kids and I to enjoy. I grabbed some strawberries, cantaloupe and grapes from the freezer, some raw milk from the refrigerator and a banana (and some blackstrap molasses! it’s a great way to get their iron in without them knowing!). We all piled in around the Vita-Mix and and the kids had fun throwing things into the blender. In the midst of the fun, my oldest says “are we making ice cream!!??” So, I thought.. hmm.. “yeah, ok! we are!” I nixed the milk and just blended the frozen fruit for 15 seconds! Voila! Ice cream! It was fantastic!!! .. and I ate waaaaay too much of it. :-)

I’m really gonna start doing more with this amazing machine.. It really does a lot.. I’ve made my own flour with it a few times and peanut butter, it makes hot soups and can even make bread dough right in the container! Hefty price tag, but it’s worth every penny I think (especially if you use it more then I do! HA! ). For this yummy ice cream, you can be good and eat it as is, or if you’re having a rough week, you can be bad (like I was today) and swirl a tiny bit of sweetened condensed milk over the top! mmm mmm good!

A little while after our snack, I set out to get some more vacuuming done. Well, dear son began coughing again.. We hate when this happens, because it ends up triggering chest congestion and wheezing for him. Luckily a friend of ours told us about an herb called Mullein. I love making tea, so I make a Mullein tea and his coughing practically disappears before turning into something worse! I made some Green Pekoa for myself too, since my tummy was bothering me from eating WAY too much homemade ice cream! :-D

The neatest tea making *thingy* I have ever used has to be a tall see-through, mug brewer thing from AdagioTeas. It’s called IngeniuTea teapot, and it is too COOL! You put your tea inside of the brewer mug, pour the hot water in and allow it to steep. When it’s done, you sit the entire thing on TOP of your mug. Tea starts pouring into your mug from the bottom of the brewer!!! It’s pretty neat and very easy to use. If you love tea, you should probably check out Adagio anyways, that place is honestly a tea lovers dream!! ;-)

Fullearths, Etc. » recipe

WHAT is dental SOAP? and Why would ANYONE use it!?

Yummm! Homemade Ice cream & Hot tea – easy peasy!