Why put something in your mouth that would be dangerous to swallow?

It’s funny, really, that so many accept without question the warnings on conventional fluoridated toothpaste: do not swallow.

I love what our new toothpaste says:

Safe to eat. Rinse or swallow at your discretion.

It cracks my kids up, too. Instead of, “Spit, please,” I try to remember to say, “Spit or swallow,” and if I don’t, they usually swallow and smile up at me. What kid doesn’t love to kind of “break the rules” and not get in trouble?

It’s actually a much bigger adjustment for adults. The first time I used Earthpaste, the new toothpaste from Redmond Clay and Real Salt, I told myself, “You’re going to swallow this, because it’s actually good for you.”

I couldn’t do it.

The mental hurdle of swallowing what I’ve been accustomed to spitting out for 30ish years was too much. I spit.

It took me until about the 3rd tooth brushing session before I could swallow, and I still usually forget and follow habit. Swallowing is incredibly handy when I’m holding a sleeping baby and it’s tough to lean over the sink or when a big kid needs “finishing touches” and I’m nursing the baby at the breakfast table – they don’t have to run back and forth to spit! (What do other people call the part where parents help kids brush their teeth properly?)

My husband will tell your husbands that Earthpaste takes some getting used to: because it doesn’t foam up, he felt like it wasn’t doing the job of his old toothpaste. Two things changed his mind:

1. I asked him if his teeth felt clean afterward. He realized that, by golly, they did. The peppermint and wintergreen flavors are especially refreshing – you can smell them through the cardboard shipping box!

2. He changed a habit. Using a bit more toothpaste and brushing all over right away spread it out and seemed to make it last longer. He’s now a fan.

Earthpaste does use xylitol, which is the only place I’d love to see a change. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol which I wrote about HERE, and although it’s a lot safer than many options and even might protect teeth, I’d prefer to see pure stevia in something I plan to swallow.

Real Salt and Redmond Clay

While Earthpaste is a pretty awesome marriage of two great products, don’t underestimate each on their own.

If you’re not familiar with Real Salt yet, allow me to introduce you to my favorite salty American company. Read about the benefits of real salt HERE.

We’ve also been using the clay as on-the-spot zit cream, on rashes, bug bites and owies, and I recently branched out to using it internally for digestive ailments. Honestly, who knew eating dirt could be okay? You can read more about the clay HERE, and if you end up following either company on Facebook, you might recognize the goofy, real foodie voice there…

That’s me trying the facial mask. I don’t have time to do it, but my mom has been using the clay regularly and says she could tell her face misses it when she ran out…

From the Company

Redmond is great company with great products . . . Earthpaste is the newest and one of our favorites. Here’s a short video that explains why we do what we do.

Earthpaste began be­cause we couldn’t find a natural toothpaste we loved for our families. We wanted a tooth­paste that was as natu­ral as possible, so we started with hydrated Redmond Clay and added Xylitol, essential oils, and Real Salt. And that’s it. Earthpaste is amazingly natural toothpaste.

Earthpaste’s list of ingredients is unique, but the things we left out are just as important. Most brands of tooth­paste contain foaming agents like SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), glycerin and chemicals like titanium dioxide to make the paste bright white. Not Earthpaste. It isn’t just safe to swallow – each ingredient in Earthpaste has been used to support healthy systems.

The Prize

FIVE winners today will each receive a package worth over $25:

• 1 – Tube of Earthpaste (Winner to specify flavor when they provide address – Cinnamon, Wintergreen, Peppermint)
• 1 – Redmond Clay Facial Mud
• 1 – Real Salt 9 oz Shaker
• 2 – Real Salt Pocket Shakers

And a Coupon

Save 15% off your entire shopping cart (when Earthpaste is one of the items) at the online store with the ode: “TryEarthpaste” (for a limited time). Also keep up with the Facebook pages for Real Salt and Redmond Clay, as they offer a monthly contest with free stuff at both.

ENTER HERE

Giveaways at Kitchen Stewardship are run via a survey, which means comments on this post do not count (and will be deleted). In the long run, this is quicker for you if you go for extra entries.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY CONTEST. GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED, THANKS FOR ENTERING!

There are 9 possible entries! Here’s what you can do to win:

1. *Mandatory entry: What are your criteria for choosing a toothpaste? Does Earthpaste sound like a good fit for your family?
2. Subscribe in a reader or via email to Kitchen Stewardship (or tell me if you already do).
3. “Like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook. (or tell me if you already do).
4. “Like” Real Salt on Facebook. (or tell me if you already do).
5. “Like” Redmond Clay on Facebook. (or tell me if you already do).
6. “Like” Earthpaste on Facebook. (or tell me if you already do).
7. Email 5 friends about this giveaway along with the link to it. (Email subscribers can forward their message.)
8. Follow @kitchenstew on Twitter AND tweet this:
   Salt + clay = toothpaste you can swallow if you want! I’m hoping to win one of 5 packages @kitchenstew’s this week. [ENTER URL HERE]
9. Enter another giveaway on Kitchen Stewardship this week.

Remember, comments here DO NOT COUNT. You must use the survey form.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY CONTEST. GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED, THANKS FOR ENTERING!

I will use random.org’s integer generator to choose the winner, who will be announced on the blog and will receive an email.  The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 7 and I’ll post the winners later that week.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Disclosure:  I received products for my review at no charge, which of course did not affect my opinion in the least. Giveaways are paid advertising and a great thing for my readers, and I usually include them separately from the review, but this week has so many posts…I hope everyone understands that my opinion can’t be paid for, not even with 3 cases of toothpaste…See my full advertising disclosure here.

Official rules and small print stuff: 1) No purchase necessary to win 2) must be 13 or older to enter and have a mailing address within the sponsor’s boundaries (see above) 3) only one survey entry per person 4) odds of winning depend on number of entries 5) employees of Kitchen Stewardship, LLC or sponsoring company not eligible for participation 6) contest sponsored by Redmond Trading in UT 7) prizes must be accepted as is and are not redeemable for cash 8 ) Kitchen Stewardship, LLC and sponsoring company are not liable for any injury or damage to persons and/or things as a result of the acceptance of the prize offered. 9) This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.