Most of us have daily encounters with toothpaste and there has been a lot of debate recently about whether fluoride and other chemicals in toothpaste are damaging to our health. At EarthFirst we’ve spent the last 3 months testing and trying out several toothpastes.
But before we jump into the reviews here is a little background info that you might find useful…

Traditional toothpastes contain toxic chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin, not to mention the fact that sometimes we accidentally swallow instead of spit. The chemicals to worry about are:

• Triclosan—an anti-bacterial, has been shown to alter hormone regulation and possibly makes bacteria stronger and immune to antibiotics.
• Fluoride—too much fluoride causes fluorosis, which invites cavities rather than preventing them.
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate—is a surfactant, it helps the toothpaste foam. This ingredient mimics hormones and may increase the growth of breast cancer; it is also a skin irritant.
• Propylene Glycol—is a solvent. It can cause skin irritations and is a known cell mutagen, although has not been proven to cause cancer.
• Diethanolamine (DEA)—used as a foaming agent. This chemical has been shown to cause cancer in animals.

So, knowing all this, I am certainly more wary of putting toothpaste in my mouth, let alone allowing my children to use it. If these ingredients worry you, check out some of the alternatives.

Most of the toothpastes that we tried out are free of sulfates, preservateives and artificial colours and flavours, instead they use plant extracts.

Riddells Creek Certified Organic Toothpaste

I purchased this toothpaste from my local health food store, I wouldn’t normally spend this much on toothpaste but I did want to trial an organic toothpaste to see how it stood against the other safe varieties.

It’s free from synthetic chemicals and fluoride. This toothpaste was quite nice to use, left my mouth feeling clean and fresh. The consistency is a little odd when you put it on the brush, because it does tend to come out of the tube a lot faster than normal toothpaste. Once its in your mouth it does a great job, its not frothy like your average supermarket purchased toothpaste, but I’m guessing that’s because it doesn’t contain the evil Sodium Lauryl Sulphate.

My seven and ten year old also approved of the taste.

BENEFITS:
• Fluoride free • Sulphate free • Vegan Friendly • Mineral oil free
• BFA Certified Organic • No synthetic chemicals added • Not Genetically Modified
• Non Toxic • No Additives • No fragrances • No artificial emulsifiers
• No artificial preservatives • No animal ingredients • No colours • Not tested on animals

INGREDIENTS:
Certified Organic blend of Aloe Vera, Peppermint, Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary and Sage extracts, Purified Water, Sodium Bicarbonate, Organic Sugar Cane Ethanol, Calcium Carbonate, Xanthan Gum, Organic Coconut Extract, Organic Stevia (natural sweetener from the stevia herb), Spearmint Essential Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil, Organic Celtic Sea Salt, Organic Tea Tree Oil, Olive Leaf Extract and Grapefruit Seed Extract.


COST: 
$8.18 approx.

Miessence Lemon Toothpaste

Miessence toothpaste contains only natural ingredients. It’s free of artificial colours, flavourings and doesn’t contain fluoride, aluminum or detergents.
The lemon flavor comes from certified organic lemon myrtle oil and lemon oil.
contains antiseptic and astringent properties.
Whilst I found the lemon flavour a little odd, I soon got used to it and it’s a nice alternative the mint.
Once again if you’re not use to using alternative toothpaste, you will find the texture and consistency quite different from supermarket purchased toothpaste.

INGREDIENTS
Certified organic aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), certified organic citrus limonum (lemon) essential oil, non-GMO xanthan gum sea salt, stevia rebaudiana extract, certified organic backhousia citriadora (lemon myrtle) essential oil

COST: 
$9.60 approx.

Macro Herbal Toothpaste
I picked this toothpaste up from Woolworths. I’ve found it impossible to find any info about this toothpaste on any website. I’m not convinced that it is as natural and safe as the other toothpastes that we’ve listed in this road test, if anyone has any info, please let us know.
I found this toothpaste very similar to your average supermarket purchased toothpaste, both in consistency and taste.

BENEFITS:

Does not contain fluoride and is free of sodium lauryl sulphates. Does contain Glycerin.

INGREDIENTS
Not found online.

COST:
$2.80

Dirty Toothy Tabs- Gorilla Perfume by Lush

I was curious to try this product from Lush because instead of coming in tube they are actually little tabs of solid toothpaste that you chew and then brush. Curiosity got the best of me and I’m afraid it was a waste of money because there is no way in the world that I’ll use the remainder 39 tabs. The taste was simply awful and my taste buds felt as though they were burnt for several hours later. I shared my experience with a few others who had tried Toothy Tabs with similar feedback. 

BENEFITS:
Toothy tabs are vegan and preservative free. Minimal cardboard packaging.

PLEASE NOTE: 
Please take care to read the ingredients well, like most of Lush products some of their ingredients aren’t always as safe and natural as they claim. For example Lauroyl Sarcosine is a synthetic surfactant which under certain conditions can break down and form carcinogenic nitrosamines (source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11358107) has the same risks as Sodium lauryl sulfate.

INGREDIENTS
Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate , Sodium Bicarbonate , Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid) , Glycerine , Lauroyl Sarcosine , Spearmint Oil (Mentha viridis) , Kaolin , Neroli Oil (Citrus amara) , Citric Acid , Sodium Saccharin , *Limonene , *Linalool , Flavor
 

If you’d like to have a go at making your own toothpaste, there are also homemade versions you can make using some simple ingredients such as: 2/3 cup of Baking soda, 4tsp salt, 1-2 tsp of peppermint extract.

We hope you have fun trying one of the new toothpastes. If you know of any other good quality, organic toothpastes, or a great home made recipe please email us and let us know so we can share it with everyone.