Thursday, February 5, 2009

Toothpaste


There are some things that are sacrosanct in our society. We treat a select group of products as if they were holy water handed down from on high, material that is intended to be integral and not altered by human hands. For myself, toothpaste was one of these items. The folkloric wisdom of my forefathers warned that to alter the traditional mystic components of this magic paste would rend the earth (or my teeth) apart, invariably bringing down the riders of the apocalypse and gingivitis (which, if anyone has watched Crest commercials, apparently belongs in the hellish pantheon alongside plague and pestilence. You know, God brushes like a dentist.)

Fortunately, there are alternatives. For several months now I have been making my own toothpaste using baking soda, mint extract, and glycerin. Baking soda acts as a deodorizer and cleansing agent, while mint extract adds flavor and glycerin provides a pasty consistency. In all honesty the home-brew toothpaste still tastes a bit like baking soda, but it provides the same clean feel as store-bought paste and avoids the personal health quandaries of fluoride. Plus, it can save you a couple of bucks. Try the recipe below, or just eye it; this isn't an exact science.

1 TBS Baking Soda
1-2 tsp Glycerin (This can be found at many grocery stores and pharmacy-type outlets)
1/2 tsp Mint Extract (Commonly found in spice/cooking isles of grocery stores)

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