# Soap for teeth



## artemis (Jul 20, 2016)

First, I read several months ago (blogs, mostly)of people using their handmade soap instead of toothpaste. The one blogger in particular claimed all sorts of wonderful results and reversal of this problem, curing of that problem.

Second, I just scrolled through the whole 78 pages of the shampoo bar and understand the pH of soap being bad for hair, etc.

That had me wondering: what does soap do for the mouth? Bad? Good? I'm looking for anecdotal experience as well as the sciencey bits. I'm really not trying to replace my toothpaste, I am just curious.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 20, 2016)

I used some. The recipe needs to be very different from a normal soap so that it doesn't taste too bad. But it's not bad stuff, I just found it unwieldy


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## Saipan (Jul 20, 2016)

My grandmother insisted it would improve language skills.


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## DeeAnna (Jul 20, 2016)

Here's a thread on this topic: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=39178

More threads: https://www.google.com/search?q=tooth+soap+site:soapmakingforum.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

I'm a little skeptical of the claims about amazing results for things like tooth soap, oil pulling (cleansing the mouth with oil), and all that. I think just paying better attention to one's teeth might have the biggest benefit, regardless of what a person actually does. JMO....


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## Arimara (Jul 20, 2016)

DeeAnna said:


> Here's a thread on this topic: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=39178
> 
> More threads: https://www.google.com/search?q=tooth+soap+site:soapmakingforum.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
> 
> I'm a little skeptical of the claims about amazing results for things like tooth soap, oil pulling (cleansing the mouth with oil), and all that. I think just paying better attention to one's teeth might have the biggest benefit, regardless of what a person actually does. JMO....



In oil pulling's defense, it has helped me with swollen gums (thanks to sharp manual toothbrush bristles) and starting tooth pains. Mind you, I only do it a 2-3 days on as needed and I've used coconut oil. It certainly made me a believer in coconut oil.


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## artemis (Jul 20, 2016)

DeeAnna said:


> Here's a thread on this topic: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=39178
> 
> More threads: https://www.google.com/search?q=tooth+soap+site:soapmakingforum.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
> 
> I'm a little skeptical of the claims about amazing results for things like tooth soap, oil pulling (cleansing the mouth with oil), and all that. I think just paying better attention to one's teeth might have the biggest benefit, regardless of what a person actually does. JMO....



Thanks for the links.  I was skeptical, too. Googling only really got me people with miraculous claims, nothing with any real science behind it. But it's good to know that if I forget my toothpaste on vacation, I can use the soap instead. Mmmm... coconut oil soap.


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## Misschief (Jul 20, 2016)

artemis said:


> Mmmm... coconut oil soap.



Trust me, soap without coconut oil tastes a whole lot better than soap with it. I use my tooth soap daily. In the mornings, I add a little regular toothpaste for flavour. At night, it's only my toothsoap because I refuse to use anything minty in my mouth at night. (It's a wake up herb.)


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## Nevada (Jul 20, 2016)

300 gr Coconut Oil
150 gr Baking Soda
4 packs Zylitol

Why soap?
My teeth was super-sensitive. Every Dentist / Hygienist I spoke with said to use Sensodyne. Didn't help. So I made this recipe and *immediately* the sensitivity was gone. Add a little Peppermint if you want.



artemis said:


> First, I read several months ago (blogs, mostly)of people using their handmade soap instead of toothpaste. The one blogger in particular claimed all sorts of wonderful results and reversal of this problem, curing of that problem.
> 
> Second, I just scrolled through the whole 78 pages of the shampoo bar and understand the pH of soap being bad for hair, etc.
> 
> That had me wondering: what does soap do for the mouth? Bad? Good? I'm looking for anecdotal experience as well as the sciencey bits. I'm really not trying to replace my toothpaste, I am just curious.


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## reflection (Jul 20, 2016)

Nevada said:


> 300 gr Coconut Oil
> 150 gr Baking Soda
> 4 packs Zylitol
> 
> ...



i made one like this with coconut oil, baking soda, cinnamon powder and stevia. the taste was great but it didn't really get my teeth clean enough. probably needed less coconut & more b.s. i may reformulate it & try again but...

...i did also get the mother of all drain clogs from the coconut oil. _beware of using coconut oil if you have slow drains! _


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## artemis (Jul 20, 2016)

Nevada said:


> Why soap?



Well, I guess that's my question: why should you use soap? Why shouldn't you use soap?


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## IrishLass (Jul 21, 2016)

Thanks for bringing this up. For as long as I've been soaping, I've heard about tooth soap (only in the context of having skimmed over the title of several threads, but without ever having been interested enough to open them and read through any of them, lol), but following a crazy hunch yesterday I opened up your thread, and I confess that I found myself intrigued enough last night to read through almost all the threads about it here on the forum, and also on another soaping forum. 

My hunch revolves around what my dental hygienist told me a few weeks ago during my regular 6-month dental cleaning/checkup (no cavities, btw- yay!)........ 

She told me that when it comes to cleaning my teeth, she always seems to spend most of her time time scraping off hardened build-up caused by acids in my mouth....... 

Even though I practice very good dental hygiene by brushing with my Sonicare and a 'good' toothpaste and flossing & rinsing at least twice a day (which is great at cutting down on bacteria and keeping my mouth clean), she told me to really focus my attention during those in-between brushing times on reducing the amount of time acids sit around in my mouth. 

She told me that bacteria and acids are two different things that need different approaches. The approach she recommended for me to help reduce acids during those in-between times throughout the day is to use products with xylitol in them (they make all kinds of things with xylitol nowadays- gum, mints, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc..). She told me she's found it to really help at keeping those acids from taking hold and causing chaos. 

Anyway, I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that the alkaline pH of 'tooth soap' might be playing a part in acid reduction.

For what it's worth, I've decided that I'm going to HP a sample batch of judymoody's posted recipe for her tooth soap, and include it as part of my regular/normal regimen for a while- i.e., not 'instead of', but just a 'part of'.....at least for now anyway- we'll see how my next appt. goes in January.



IrishLass


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## artemis (Jul 21, 2016)

I read through them, too. I find your speculation interesting... will you tell her about this experiment? Or just see if there's a difference?


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## Rowan (Jul 21, 2016)

I read through the soap as toothpaste threads and was a little sceptical.  But I had some castille soap and decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised! My teeth felt a cleaner with no residue and there was definitely less staining. Strangely enough my gums felt better too.  I find my tongue gets sore if I use it continuously, so have to alternate it and rinse more thoroughly!  It's not scientific but I found that I could feel where I was cleaning my teeth with soap, whereas the toothpaste is so foamy, it's hard to be precise.


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## Misschief (Jul 21, 2016)

I can tell when I brush with toothpaste only; my teeth just don't feel as smooth and clean. I'm also noticing that a few stubborn spots of tartar are getting smaller and smaller as time goes by. I've also noticed that, with straight toothpaste, my gums will occasionally bleed. Since I've been using my tooth soap, I've had no bleeding gums at all. I've been using my tooth soap for about seven months now. 

I'm convinced.


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## JayJay (Jul 22, 2016)

Thanks OP for raising the topic. Very interesting. 

Thanks for the links Dee. I read through them and I plan to make some dental soap as soon as I return from vacation. I can't wait. I have an unscented bar of castille at home that I will use in the meantime to satisfy my curiosity. 

Irish Lass, I was thinking the same thing about the alkaline soap disrupting the bacteria and sugar process. I read about that process when I was reading up on xylitol. Now I have a huge bag of it left over from my homemade paste experiments. I think I will use xylitol but I will also try a portion of the batch with stevia for comparison. I'm not sure that the xylitol is necessary for soap since it is already alkaline. 

Before reading this thread, I had recently tried one of those homemade paste recipes that I found online. I tried one with clay-- the texture was dry and unpleasant. I found it to be awful actually.  I tried one with baking soda instead. The brushing experience was nice, and my teeth felt clean afterwards, but I noticed that my gums were getting sore. I asked my hygienist about baking soda and she told me that it was too abrasive. So. I gave the homemade paste a rest. Especially because I am kind of obsessive about my teeth. I really can't trust my dental health to something I found on pintrest. 
But I trust this group a lot more. Plus any excuse to make a new soap is an excellent reason try something new. I will try it once per day and use my regular toothpaste for the other brushing. One person mentioned (in one of these threads) that using soap allows teeth to stay healthier because there is no synthetic substance blocking the natural process of tooth healing. Well this is my interpretation of what I read. Forgive me if this is inaccurate. But if it is the case, then would using commercial toothpaste for every other brushing negate the benefits of tooth soap? 

There were several people who tried it for the first time on the previous threads. I'm curious about the ones who have not yet shared their results. How did you like it? Do you continue to use it? Do you notice any difference in comparison to your previous dental hygiene routine? 

You all are great!
Hey, one more question. Are there any opinions about the optimal size of the bars? Are small bars bette? Or large bars?


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## artemis (Jul 22, 2016)

The bar I am experimenting with is small, just a little end piece.  I am liking the small size- it fits nicely into a little container of it's own, so I can keep it separate from the hand soap.


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## IrishLass (Jul 22, 2016)

JayJay said:


> I think I will use xylitol but I will also try a portion of the batch with stevia for comparison. I'm not sure that the xylitol is necessary for soap since it is already alkaline.


 

Other than sweetening, I don't think the stevia will have the same effect as xylitol....at least not from what I've been reading anyway. 

I've been reading that xylitol has a very unique chemical make-up that doesn't play nice with the kind of bacteria that live in our mouths, which seem to be unable to metabolize it (the xylitol). 

If I am understanding properly all that I've been reading so far, the xylitol actually disrupts the digestion of the bacteria to the point that it starves it of its food, thereby preventing it (the bacteria) from multiplying and producing the acids that stick to the teeth that cause decay. 

Hopefully someone who knows more about it will chime in and will steer my mind in the right direction, because right now, I'm leaning towards the xylitol as not so much having a 'direct' effect on acidic pH as it does on the bacteria that produce acids as they feed on sugars in our mouths. 

Here's one of the places I've been reading: 
http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-31/issue-4/features/wonders-of-xylitol.html

and another: http://xylitol.org/faqs-questions-about-xylitol


Makes me wonder if I misunderstood my hygienist, or if she explained it wrong?



IrishLass


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## mommycarlson (Jul 22, 2016)

Interesting thread.  I have been using my homemade toothpaste for the better part of a year now.  My hygienist told me at my last appointment (2 months ago) "whatever you are using on your teeth, they look great!  No stains!"  I told her I was using my homemade toothpaste. Then the dentist came in and without hearing our previous conversation said my teeth look beautiful.  I am 53 so there aren't any new teeth in there   Here is my recipe:

3 T coconut oil
3 T baking soda
25 drops peppermint EO
15 drops Thieves EO
15 drops orange EO
2 t glycerin
1 pkt stevia
Mix all ingredients and pour into a 4 oz glass wide mouth jar (I wouldn't use plastic because of the EO's)

This does not hold up well in the heat, I do have to stir it as the weather warms up, it tends to separate.  In my last batch I left out the glycerin hoping to make it less liquid but that did not seem to make a difference.  As we have been running the central air, it is now firmed back up and not separated.  I love how my teeth feel after brushing with this!


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## JayJay (Jul 22, 2016)

IrishLass said:


> Other than sweetening, I don't think the stevia will have the same effect as xylitol....at least not from what I've been reading anyway.
> 
> I've been reading that xylitol has a very unique chemical make-up that doesn't play nice with the kind of bacteria that live in our mouths, which seem to be unable to metabolize it (the xylitol).
> 
> ...



Very interesting! I am off to read these links. Thanks


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## reflection (Jul 22, 2016)

JayJay said:


> Before reading this thread, I had recently tried one of those homemade paste recipes that I found online. I tried one with clay-- the texture was dry and unpleasant. I found it to be awful actually.  I tried one with baking soda instead. The brushing experience was nice, and my teeth felt clean afterwards, but I noticed that my gums were getting sore. *I asked my hygienist about baking soda and she told me that it was too abrasive.* So. I gave the homemade paste a rest. Especially because I am kind of obsessive about my teeth. I really can't trust my dental health to something I found on pinterest.



regarding baking soda being abrasive i had always heard that too. but, i then came across info that compared the abrasiveness of baking soda and leading toothpastes and the baking soda was much less abrasive than the leading toothpastes. here's a link. 

i know b.s. has worked for me in the past just not with the coconut oil paste i made. that is likely due to health issues i have that make me really dehydrated & exacerbates plaque buildup as my current Tom's with fluoride isn't working very well either now.


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## JayJay (Jul 23, 2016)

reflection said:


> regarding baking soda being abrasive i had always heard that too. but, i then came across info that compared the abrasiveness of baking soda and leading toothpastes and the baking soda was much less abrasive than the leading toothpastes. here's a link.
> 
> .



Interesting. Baking soda feels more abrasive than regular toothpaste to me. Maybe the concentration makes a difference. Thanks for the link.


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## Nikolye (Jul 23, 2016)

Nevada said:


> 300 gr Coconut Oil
> 150 gr Baking Soda
> 4 packs Zylitol
> 
> ...


This is basically what i do.  I don't use the xylitol, but i've been doing it for 4 years and i'll never go back.  i must say i'm interested to maybe grate bit of soap into it as well. see if makes a difference. 


reflection said:


> regarding baking soda being abrasive i had always heard that too. but, i then came across info that compared the abrasiveness of baking soda and leading toothpastes and the baking soda was much less abrasive than the leading toothpastes. here's a link.
> 
> I read some different pages on this also.  I was happy to find the same results. which seemed to be there are top toothpastes that are harsher.  I did however go from using a tooth "powder" that was a bit harsh on my gums to diluting the baking soda into coconut oil and its so much more gentle!!!


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## reflection (Jul 23, 2016)

JayJay said:


> Interesting. Baking soda feels more abrasive than regular toothpaste to me. Maybe the concentration makes a difference. Thanks for the link.


the brand of baking soda might make a difference. i use bob's red mill baking soda which has a finer grind than arm & hammer. 

let us know how you like the tooth soap if you make it.


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## Misschief (Jul 23, 2016)

JayJay said:


> Hey, one more question. Are there any opinions about the optimal size of the bars? Are small bars bette? Or large bars?



I make these; I think they're about 1 oz each (it's been a while). The bar I'm using right now, I've been using for about 4 months and I'm only half way through it. I have enough to last me for a few years!


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## JayJay (Jul 24, 2016)

Misschief said:


> I make these; I think they're about 1 oz each (it's been a while). The bar I'm using right now, I've been using for about 4 months and I'm only half way through it. I have enough to last me for a few years!



Gorgeous soaps!


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## Misschief (Jul 24, 2016)

Thanks, JayJay


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## Spice (Jul 24, 2016)

I been using my soap for months now. My tongue is porous and was white. I did not like that. No matter how much toothpaste I used and how many time per day I would brush I still had a white tongue. I had some soap samples that had no essential oil and it was just a basic recipe, co, oo, castor,soy...just basic. I decided to brush my teeth and tongue. My tongue is pink and my teeth look whiter. I think plain soap is good. The other thing is that i believe toothpaste cause tonsil stones. I was reading that tonsils have some thing to do with filtering and cleaning. If toothpaste wasnt cleaning my teeth, then my tonsil werent either.:mrgreen:


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## Spice (Jul 24, 2016)

Misschief said:


> I make these; I think they're about 1 oz each (it's been a while). The bar I'm using right now, I've been using for about 4 months and I'm only half way through it. I have enough to last me for a few years!


pretty, what is the blue?


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## Misschief (Jul 25, 2016)

Spice said:


> pretty, what is the blue?



There is no blue... it's charcoal.


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## earlene (Jul 25, 2016)

Misschief said:


> There is no blue... it's charcoal.



They sure look blue in the picture.  What is your recipe?  Just wondering how it comes out blue with AC.  Also curious about this whole thing.  

I've been following the Zellie system for a few years and am pretty happy with it, however it tends to be a lot of stuff to keep on hand and to carry with me when I travel.  Closys is pretty expensive, too.  I do have to admit I've actually stopped using the xylitol part of the system because I am just not a fan of 'sweet' but I still have an entire bag or even 2 bags of it in my cupboard.

So I am thinking of trying this out at some point. It would be less cumbersome to travel with 1 small bit of tooth soap than 3 bottles of mouthwash liquids plus a tube of toothpaste.


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## Misschief (Jul 25, 2016)

earlene said:


> They sure look blue in the picture.  What is your recipe?  Just wondering how it comes out blue with AC.  Also curious about this whole thing.



It's just the picture. On my screen, it looks black. In reality, they're a dark grey because of the charcoal I used.

My recipe:

10% Cocoa Butter
30% Olive Oil
30% Palm Kernel Oil
30% Peanut Oil

3% superfat
40% lye concentration

To this, I added some honey, a crushed Tums tablet, and activated charcoal.


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## edstewbob (Jul 26, 2016)

*Removal of Glycerin*

I was hell bent on removing glycerin from my soap before making the tooth soap and there isn't a lot of information on how to do that. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of making soap and I wanted to remove it because I read some information about how glycerin may not be good for tooth enamel. I'm not sure this is the case but I did remove it as best I could and if you want to see how I did that you can take a look  here.


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## shunt2011 (Jul 26, 2016)

edstewbob said:


> I was hell bent on removing glycerin from my soap before making the tooth soap and there isn't a lot of information on how to do that. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of making soap and I wanted to remove it because I read some information about how glycerin may not be good for tooth enamel. I'm not sure this is the case but I did remove it as best I could and if you want to see how I did that you can take a look here.


 
Salting out soap has been discussed on this forum several times.  However, I don't think the members here that have used tooth soap have had concerns of the glycerine.


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## IrishLass (Jul 26, 2016)

Welcome Edstewbob! :wave: I invite you to pop on over to our Introduction section and tell us more about yourself and your soapy endeavors. 

Thank you for sharing with us your pictorial on how you remove glycerin from your handmade soap, and how you go about making your tooth soap from it. Like Shari said above, we've several salting-out discussions/tutorials on the forum, but it's always nice to have pictures. 

Speaking only for myself, I'm pretty skeptical about the whole glycerin/tooth theory roaming about the net that says that it prevents re-mineralization, or that it supposedly takes 27 washes to remove glycerin (which is water soluble) from teeth. The reason for my skepticism stems not only from glycerin's solubility, but from the folks I know who have been making and using their own lye-based tooth soap for years (with the glycerin still intact) and who have reported improved dental health, including instances of re-mineralization. Although I know such testimonials are purely anecdotal at best since other things such as diet, etc... play a part, too, that just goes to show that the glycerin/tooth theory is most likely not all it's cracked up to be.


IrishLass


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## galaxyMLP (Jul 26, 2016)

My only fear with tooth soap is that it is lacking fluoride. Fluoride really does help prevent cavities. 

If you live in a city that has water treatment you don't have too much to worry about because the water is likely fluorinated there. However, if you drink well water or only drink bottled water, you're going to need to do some fluoride rinses to keep tooth enamel strong. Some people have naturally stronger teeth that won't need the fluoride. You also might not see a difference for years since it can take a long time for enamel to wear down and cavities to form. 

A fluoride rinse at some point in the day along with tooth soap might work very well together. Maybe you can even make it into a thick paste from liquid soap. 


I wonder if potassium based soap might help with sensitivity since the salt they add to sensitive toothpastes is potassium nitrate. I don't know if it's the the compound itself that helps or if it's just the potassium component. Off to look it up!


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## Spice (Jul 27, 2016)

Misschief said:


> It's just the picture. On my screen, it looks black. In reality, they're a dark grey because of the charcoal I used.
> 
> My recipe:
> 
> ...


The AC is a detoxifier, it cleans pores deep down; I have heard too that it whitens teeth. I like the idea of detoxifying my mouth better then alcohol. I show sodium hydroxide as an ingredient  in toothpaste. Why do you use Tums tablets?


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## Spice (Jul 27, 2016)

just wanted to mention that I use the soap on my dogs teeth too. At first I was sure, the dog breath is certainly gone.:mrgreen:


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## Misschief (Jul 27, 2016)

Spice said:


> The AC is a detoxifier, it cleans pores deep down; I have heard too that it whitens teeth. I like the idea of detoxifying my mouth better then alcohol. I show sodium hydroxide as an ingredient  in toothpaste. Why do you use Tums tablets?



Tums contain calcium carbonate, something I'd come across in researching tooth soap recipes.


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## nframe (Jul 29, 2016)

Misschief said:


> Tums contain calcium carbonate, something I'd come across in researching tooth soap recipes.



Could you just add some calcium carbonate?


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## Misschief (Jul 29, 2016)

nframe said:


> Could you just add some calcium carbonate?



If you have it, absolutely! I didn't. Tums contains calcium carbonate and we always have the minty ones in the house, so I used those instead of making another trip out.


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## nframe (Jul 29, 2016)

Misschief said:


> If you have it, absolutely! I didn't. Tums contains calcium carbonate and we always have the minty ones in the house, so I used those instead of making another trip out.



Thank you.  That's good to know.  How much calcium carbonate would you add?  1 teasp. ppo? More?


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## Misschief (Jul 29, 2016)

nframe said:


> Thank you.  That's good to know.  How much calcium carbonate would you add?  1 teasp. ppo? More?



Well, in my 4 oz batch of soap, I added 1 crushed Tums... whatever that works out to be. Not very scientific, is it?


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## edstewbob (Jul 29, 2016)

IrishLass said:


> Speaking only for myself, I'm pretty skeptical about the whole glycerin/tooth theory roaming about the net that says that it prevents re-mineralization, or that it supposedly takes 27 washes to remove glycerin (which is water soluble) from teeth.
> IrishLass


Yes I am just as skeptical and can't tell any difference in the "glycerin-free" soap that I made. It was primarily an education exercise to determine how to do it and try it. In the end I did not know of any way to validate that the glycerin was in fact removed.


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## earlene (Sep 9, 2016)

Misschief said:


> It's just the picture. On my screen, it looks black. In reality, they're a dark grey because of the charcoal I used.
> 
> My recipe:
> 
> ...



Thank you for sharing this with me!

Sorry for the late response.  I was on an extended roadtrip and missed your post until now. 

Today I went out searching for peanut oil, and only one store in town sells it at $40.00 for the only size they carry.  So I came home and looked up the fatty acid profiles of possible substitutions and found olive oil seems to be pretty close.  Then it would be 60% OO, not a bad thing, but I thought I'd ask the purpose of the peanut oil specifically if you remember.  Perhaps less slimy a soap?  Or was it for a slight nuttiness?  I wonder if I should use Almond Oil or Avocado Oil instead.  I am now leaning toward Avocado as I have plenty and its easier to find where I live than Almond Oil.

I forgot to go to Walgreen's to get some AC, but I'll put that on my To Do List for tomorrow.  According to the pharmacist at Walmart, last he knew Walgreen's is the only store in town that stocks AC.  (I live in a small town.)  If they don't have any, I'll order from Amazon.  Other than that I should have everything I need.

Next thought:  How small a batch to make.  I'm thinking very small.


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## Misschief (Sep 10, 2016)

Wow! $40 for a bottle of peanut oil?? I added it for the lightness; any nuttiness is gone after the saponification process. I assume you could sub olive oil... or anything but coconut oil. I think peanut oil was one mentioned in a thread I'd read.

For the AC, I just bought a bottle of the caps and took them apart. 

The batch I made was a small one.. about 8 oz, if I remember correctly. If I end up not liking it (no issue so far), I can give it to my granddaughter and her friends as a complexion bar. After all, the AC is great for acne-prone skin.


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## Susie (Sep 10, 2016)

Peanut Oil is sold in the deep south in LARGE containers for frying turkeys. 

Earlene-many restaurants use peanut oil to fry with.  You may want to call around to see if someone will sell you a small amount if you bring your own bottle.


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## earlene (Sep 10, 2016)

Susie said:


> Peanut Oil is sold in the deep south in LARGE containers for frying turkeys.



I am assuming that's what this was for as well, since it was a huge container.  I also see them at the other stores during the winter holiday season along with those capsule-looking outdoor b-b-q thingies some people use for that purpose.  I've never eaten peanut-oil-fried turkey and likely never will.

Thanks for the suggestion about buying peanut oil from a restaurant.  But I'm actually liking the idea of using avocado oil instead.  Given I can get the AC at Walgreen's today, I'll be doing a small batch today.


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## Misschief (Sep 10, 2016)

Responding just before one goes to bed isn't the best thing to do (no wine was involved, just plain old sleepiness). I remember why I used the peanut oil. In the thread I'd been reading (sorry, I don't remember which thread), it was suggested that peanut oil could provide a slight sweetness. I'm not finding that to be the case. There was also a suggestion of adding xylitol for flavouring, if desired. I didn't because I didn't have any.


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## Obsidian (Sep 10, 2016)

You should be able to get refined peanut oil at walmart for under $4. Its what I use and really like it, especially for toothsoap as it makes a flavorless soap.


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## Teapot (Sep 11, 2016)

Peanut oil is sometimes labelled as groundnut oil, at least in the UK. It's good for frying because it burns at a higher temperature than other oils. No idea about its soapy properties though


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## earlene (Sep 11, 2016)

Obsidian said:


> You should be able to get refined peanut oil at walmart for under $4. Its what I use and really like it, especially for toothsoap as it makes a flavorless soap.



Maybe elsewhere, but not in my small town Walmart.  Next time I am in a larger Walmart, I'll take a look for it.

ETA: I was not willing to pay $20 for a bottle of AC caplets at Walgreens, so I am ordering it from Amazon.  I can get 2 pounds of food grade AC for $13.71.  Don't even know if I'll ever use 2 pounds of it, but it's a way better price and I might like it in soap.  This gives me a few extra days to take a little time and go to the cities to look for a small bottle of peanut oil.  I do need more OO anyway, and have to to Sams Club for that anyway.


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## earlene (Sep 20, 2016)

Misschief said:


> It's just the picture. On my screen, it looks black. In reality, they're a dark grey because of the charcoal I used.
> 
> My recipe:
> 
> ...





Misschief said:


> Well, in my 4 oz batch of soap, I added 1 crushed Tums... whatever that works out to be. Not very scientific, is it?





Misschief said:


> There was also a suggestion of adding xylitol for flavouring, if desired. I didn't because I didn't have any.





Obsidian said:


> You should be able to get refined peanut oil at walmart for under $4. Its what I use and really like it, especially for toothsoap as it makes a flavorless soap.



I will be making this today or tonight.  The AC came yesterday and I got  the peanut oil when I was in the cities a few days ago (larger sized Walmart had the small bottle for $3.68, so that alone was worth the trip.)  So now I have  everything.  

I'll  start with a 4 ounce batch because I have an accurate enough scale  to  do that safely and I don't want a pound of this soap when I haven't  used  it before. 

I do have xylitol granules so I will use that instead of  honey or I could use both.  I bought a new bottle of local honey from a  bee keeper recently and should give it a go in this tooth soap. 

My plan is to dissolve xylitol granules in water  and add that to the  lye solution just like with sugar.  I'm not sure if  that is they right  way to go or not.  I am not sure how much xylitol to  use, either.  Other recipes I have seen call for quite a lot of it when making DIY toothpaste.

How much AC is another query in my mind.  It looks like that could be variable as I did a bit of internet perusing.  

Maybe I should just wing it?  But keep good notes on how much I used and next time maybe adjust up or down as desired for the AC and xylitol.


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## artemis (Sep 20, 2016)

earlene said:


> I will be making this today or tonight.
> Maybe I should just wing it?  But keep good notes on how much I used and next time maybe adjust up or down as desired for the AC and xylitol.



Will you share your observations? And a picture, too, I hope?


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## Misschief (Sep 20, 2016)

earlene said:


> I will be making this today or tonight.  The AC came yesterday and I got  the peanut oil when I was in the cities a few days ago (larger sized Walmart had the small bottle for $3.68, so that alone was worth the trip.)  So now I have  everything.
> 
> I'll  start with a 4 ounce batch because I have an accurate enough scale  to  do that safely and I don't want a pound of this soap when I haven't  used  it before.
> 
> ...



The first time I made tooth soap, I didn't put enough AC in it (and I used CO... blech... it's now used by my granddaughter as an acne soap). I winged it the second time, went by colour. I think for a 4 ounce batch, I used 2 or 3 caps. It's nice and dark this time.


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## earlene (Sep 21, 2016)

artemis said:


> Will you share your observations? And a picture, too, I hope?



Yes, I will be happy to do so.



Misschief said:


> The first time I made tooth soap, I didn't put enough AC in it (and I used CO... blech... it's now used by my granddaughter as an acne soap). I winged it the second time, went by colour. I think for a 4 ounce batch, I used 2 or 3 caps. It's nice and dark this time.



Thank you, *Misschief*, that helps!  I made it last night after reading this.  I used your recipe with the oils being exactly the same. I hand stirred only because it was such a small batch (4 ounces of oils total).  I used 40% Lye Concentration and 3% SF as you did.

1.2 oz Olive Oil
1.2 oz Peanut Oil
1.2 oz PKO
0.4 oz Cocoa Butter

These were my additives:
0.8 grams of local honey, 
1 tsp xylitol granules (I weighed it, but forgot to right down the gram weight)
1.6 grams AC (one teaspoon), 
1 Tums tablet crushed, and 
0.2 grams Turmeric.

I dissolved the xylitol in hot water, then added the crushed Tums tablet to that.  
I mixed the honey directly into the melted oils.
I mixed the lye water into the oils at about 95°F & stirred with a whisk
I added the xylitol/Tums slurry to the batter continuing to stir with a whisk


I have made homemade toothpaste with Turmeric in the past, but it is so messy to clean up, I stopped using it.  So I added a some to this soap.  

Here is a collage of the making of this soap.  I included the Activated Charcoal mess, because it is quite messy!  The counter top cleaned up easily with spritzing with rubbing alcohol.  I haven't cleaned the dishcloths yet, so not sure how they are going to look, but otherwise it cleans up pretty well.   The AC I ordered came in that folded-over stand-up pouch, but I transferred as much as I could into the plastic spice jar in the photo.  I believe it will be less messy next time I do this.







The upper left is the color of the batter before the Turmeric, the next down is after the Turmeric (only 0.2 grams, a couple of shakes from my spice bottle).  My index finger is in the photo for size reference, otherwise the molds could look big, but they are quite small.  The unmolded soaps are shiny because I put them into the freezer for a few minutes to make them come out of the plastic containers more easily & they are sweating. 

I don't think these gelled because they are so small.  I did put them into a warm oven sitting in a warm water bath & covered with a towel.  But the oven was already cooled down by the time I checked it before I went to bed, so I doubt they ever got warm enough to gel.  They weren't as hard as I would have expected this morning if they had fully gelled.  But maybe the additives contributed to the softness (not supersoft, just not hard.)

I am planning to let them cure at least 2 or 3 months before I start using one of them.  Maybe I will test one sooner, though if it doesn't zap.  I'll decide when the times comes.

ETA: 3 days later and they are hardening up quite nicely.  That's a relief.  As they dry, the color is becoming more grey-black and less pitch-black.


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## Teapot (Sep 26, 2016)

I'm on a mission to find groundnut oil (peanut oil) today because I REALLY want to make some tooth soap! My local supermarkets are not very good so I'm venturing further afield today. I tried brushing with some of my other soap, which did contain coconut oil. I can confirm, the reports are true, it does taste revolting! But, my teeth felt amazingly clean afterwards, I was really surprised.


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## earlene (Sep 26, 2016)

Good luck, *Teapot*.  I hope you find it.  I haven't used mine yet because it's still very young.  I am anxiously awaiting the cure, though.  At least it doesn't zap, that much I know.


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## earlene (Dec 5, 2016)

So my tooth soap is about 10 weeks old and I decided to give it a try.  Actually the first time I tried it, it was about 8 weeks old and I did not like the taste at all.  I left it on the bathroom sink for a couple more weeks a tried it again.  It's more palatable now.  Why?  Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I wasn't going to start using it until I ran out of toothpaste, but decided to start using it at night before bed.  I have my morning routine and will use up my toothpaste during my established morning routine before I go full time tooth soap.  We'll see how that goes.  It feels kind of weird to be even thinking about switching away from toothpaste.

So the foam (bubbles/lather) is slightly grey, but not black like I feared.  I cannot taste the honey, the turmeric, nor the xylitol; it tastes like soap I guess, but not objectionably soapy. 

At this point I am guessing one small (37 grams) bar will last quite a long time. I'm glad I made such a small batch.


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## Misschief (Dec 6, 2016)

earlene said:


> I'm glad I made such a small batch.



Yup, it lasts forever! I'm only on the second bar of an 8 bar batch that I made earlier this year. 

In the morning, I use my tooth soap with a touch of toothpaste (for the mintiness, which burns my mouth on its own) but at night, I use only the tooth soap and rinse twice. I don't mind the taste; it's not as soapy as I expected it would be at the beginning. Or maybe I'm just used to it now.


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## GeezLouise (Dec 6, 2016)

I use water for my retainers and when they taste weird use soap, per orthdontist's instructions. Cannot use toothpaste because it's too abrasive. The handmade liquid soap in a foaming dispenser is easy to use on the retainers, scrubbing gently with the retainer-reserved brush. I have used the soap on my teeth as well; it doesn't taste bad and my mouth seems fresher. Have not run this practice by the dentist. Might continue forward with the soap and buy a flouride-containing rinse. I think for travel, toothpaste will be more convenient than liquid or bar soap.


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## earlene (Dec 8, 2016)

GeezLouise said:


> I think for travel, toothpaste will be more convenient than liquid or bar soap.



Funny, that.  I was actually partly interested in making tooth soap because I thought it would be more convenient while traveling.  I tend to run out of toothpaste while traveling quite a lot, and I just won't buy those little travel size tubes because, 1. too expensive, 2. not enough toothpaste to last a whole trip.  But the large tubes I buy for at home are way too big to fit in my ditty bag.  

So I made my tooth soap bars in very small sizes.  I have even thought of cutting one down to fit into a more compact sized container, to test out my theory on my upcoming trip.


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## artemis (Feb 28, 2017)

Now that the tooth soaps have cured, I have a couple follow-up questions for those who made some:
1.  What is your method for using the soap?
2.  Have you noticed any difference from your "regular" routine?
3.  Do the kids look at you funny?


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## earlene (Feb 28, 2017)

artemis said:


> Now that the tooth soaps have cured, I have a couple follow-up questions for those who made some:
> 1.  What is your method for using the soap?
> 2.  Have you noticed any difference from your "regular" routine?
> 3.  Do the kids look at you funny?



1. I rub my wet toothbrush over the top surface of the soap to get a grey lather, then brush.  
2. No difference in my regular routine
3. No kids to look at me.

But, one day my husband came home from the local library and told me while reading historical documents on our town and its past (this is the town where his family settled generations ago), he discovered the following:

In a history book written about our county a 'toothpaste' made with Castile soap and activated charcoal was mentioned.  He told me about it because I make soap and he had never heard of brushing teeth with soap.  I guess I didn't tell him I made tooth soap, which surprised me a little bit.  But then, we rarely brush our teeth together and he may not have noticed me using it last time we traveled together.  At home we use different bathrooms for the most part, so he has his own toothpaste, which he replaces when needed (we did not use the same type and brand of toothpaste anyway.)

So I told him about the tooth soap I made and now use.  I only started using it on a daily basis a few weeks ago after using up all of my tube of Crest.  He asked a bit about it, so I showed him how I use it and that the foam is grey and looks a little different.  He asked how it tastes, to which I replied, not the same as toothpaste.  A bit like soap, but not a bad taste.  I told him about the ingredients in the soap, and that was about the end of the conversation.  He hasn't asked for any in his bathroom, so we shall see if he ever shows interest in using tooth soap.

But for me, I have added it to my travel kit.  I use a contact lens cases with a enough soap to fit inside each side and close the lid.  I expect this will last long enough for several trips, but have only used it a couple of times so far while traveling, so I don't really know how long it will last.


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## BattleGnome (Feb 28, 2017)

Follow up question: How do your teeth feel? 

I'd like to switch to homemade tooth care and have been looking up paste/powder/whatever recipes and I just can't make the jump yet. I keep worrying about residues or sanitation (I used to use baking soda for a while but the sanitation issue of wetting my toothbrush and dipping it everyday concerned me and I stopped)


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## earlene (Feb 28, 2017)

My teeth feel fine.  Not really any different as yet.

Sanitation.  My regular routine includes cleaning my toothbrush every day with Listerine after rinsing with water.  So sanitation does not concern me.  Baking soda was far too harsh on my gums; I just could not tolerate it.


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