Where to Draw the Line?
February 16, 2007 by Teri Cosenzi
Filed under Eco-Friendly, Organic Beauty
As I am deeply immersing myself into more things natural and organic, I am wondering where to draw the line.
For example - toothpaste. I have always used Crest - from my early childhood years, and still do to this day. It has been recommended by every dentist I have gone to, and I trust their recommendation. Now I see that there are plenty of natural and even organic toothpastes on the market. Besides wondering about taste, my question is, do these toothpastes work as well as the one my college-educated, experienced dentists recommend? Do I give one, or two, three… a try? Or do I draw the line and continue to use what has worked for me for the last - almost 40 years?
I am intrigued, and am sure I will gave a few of these natural toothpastes a try to at least compare. In looking for some, I have come up with these, and have summarized my thoughts on purchasing.
Tom’s of Maine - probably the most widely known natural toothpaste, and I have even considered using this in the past. This is on my must purchase list, and can picked up at most local drugstores.
Glacial Blue Tooth Oil - this one almost gives me the willies. I don’t know if I could stomach brushing with an oil. This is a blend of natural oils including peppermint, spearmints, and almond oils. Sounds like it may taste good, but not quite on my list due to the fact that it is an oil and the hefty price tag of $25 for 1 oz.
JASON NutriSmile Plus CoQ10 Gel Toothpaste - this is on my list. It sounds more like a “regular” toothpaste with some great tasting ingredients such as orange, cinnamon, and mint.
Fresh Umbrian Clay Toothpaste - from a wonderful beauty product brand comes a newer organic toothpaste made with umbrian clay. Clay in my mouth. I really don’t think that the benefits will outweigh my feelings on this one. Clay in my mouth, I just don’t think I could do it.
So, I guess I do need some recommendations.
Tags: essential oils, natural oils, organic beauty, tooth care
I just want to say that I absolutely love your new Pretty by Nature blog! Natural and organic products really interest me and I love each update I read! Keep up the great work and best wishes to you!
I have been using Tom’s of Maine with fluoride for the last 8 yrs and am very happy with it; also no cavities have been discovered at my check ups. It is really nice using a paste that isn’t full of unnecessary chemicals & doesn’t test on animals, they also pioneered no animal testing in that field. The taste will take bit to get used to at first, as it is not so sweet as regular toothpaste. I have found spearmint or peppermint flavour taste the best but of course that’s up to the individual. After using it for awhile you will find the taste of regular toothpaste absolutely unpalatable and wonder how you ever used it for so long!
Happy Brushing!
Thanks Marci - I am very interested in this too.
I hope to bring you worthwhile and interesting information. Ooh - and fun too! I mean what would it be without a little fun thrown in now and then?
Enjoy!
Tasham-
Thanks for the recommendation!
I plan to pick up one of the Tom’s of Main toothpastes this weekend. I will definitely let you know what I think.
The two things that people look out for in tooth paste, that I know of, are Sodium Fluoride and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Depending whom you ask fluoride can cause anything from tooth discoloring to Alzheimer’s to cancer, (they put it in our water by the way), and is a main ingredient in pesticides. http://www.healthy-communications.com/fluoride-pesticides.htmSodium Lauryl Sulfate is used to make stuff foamy and can cause sores and has a “mutagenic effect” on animals. http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsmostdangerousirritant.html
I’ve been using Glacial Blue Tooth Oil for over a year, and I LOVE IT. Not only did my dentist tell me that my teeth looked better than the last time I went in, but it corrected a sensitivity issue that I had along the gumline and the tooth surface (which my dentist recommended to fix by rinsing with fluoride every day, HAH).
As far as you thinking that brushing with oil might be weird, you don’t feel the consistency of the oil at all. You drop 6 drops from a dropper on your toothbrush, which feels like brushing with a brush alone, but you get the benefits of it cleaning your teeth. And in response to it having a high price tag, 3-6 drops, twice a day for a 1 oz. bottle lasts a few months.
To be honest, it’s not for everyone. You really have to be commited to organic products and really care about your health.
I have been so disscusted by the chemicals in my toothpastes, even tom’s of maine has sold out to colgate and recently changed the recipe over to include dangerous chemicals. I have decided to make my own natural safe toothpaste,package it, and market it, since I already have a small tea & herb shoppe. Can’t wait to get it underway. I encourage all of you to keep looking for safe ways to live in a would of dangerous products. keep looking on your ingredients, they change every time you go shopping. —Say No To Frankenfood!