Does a brown, natural toothpaste sound unbelievable to you? Let’s talk about the top on my list of natural toothpaste reviews, but first, more shocking things.
If you’re a parent, you’ve surely experienced the disbelief that happens when a child totally loses it over something that happens every. single. day.
Right? (Please tell me I’m not alone on this!)
For the 5-and-under crowd, simple tasks like getting dressed, getting one’s hair done, washing hands before a meal, and brushing one’s teeth can suddenly be the biggest disaster that’s happened all day.
My husband and I sometimes just look at each other incredulously, thinking, “Really? Seriously, kid, you are going to throw a fit right now over brushing your teeth???”
I’ve taken to saying to my 3-year-old, “If you don’t want to brush your teeth, that’s fine. But you’ll have to stop eating. If you like food and want to eat, you need to brush your teeth every day.”
It’s probably beyond his comprehension, but it makes me feel better.
Safe Toothpaste Review: Redmond Earthpaste
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 toothpaste says:
Safe to eat. Rinse or swallow at your discretion.
Our toothpaste in the Kimball house is brown, slimy, and doesn’t need to be spit out into the sink. It probably throws babysitters for a loop, come to think of it!
It even cracks my kids up. 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?
I even used it as part of my cavity healing regimen!
It contains no SLS, no glycerin, no artificial sweeteners, no foaming agents, no artificial colors, and no fluoride (on the list of chemicals that hurt kids’ brains – and yes, it’s still added to city water. Way to go, government.)
What is it? Mud Mouth = Safe Toothpaste
It’s called Earthpaste, and my kids prefer the lemon flavor (but the others still aren’t too “hot” for them). It makes their mouths smell a little like Pledge when you’re brushing, but it’s a good, clean smell. Lemon still has nice anti-bac properties like the original three flavors, but with less bite.
I like Spearmint (because there’s no sweetener) and Cinnamon (because I just like it) and my husband is a minty fresh guy.
When we first tried Earthpaste, my husband wasn’t so sure about it. Because it doesn’t foam, he felt like it wasn’t doing the job of his old toothpaste. Two things changed his mind:
- 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!
- 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.
Read more about Earthpaste and check out happy reviews HERE.
From the company:
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), 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.
Earthpaste delivers all the benefits you expect from a toothpaste without any chemicals or unnatural additives. It’s toothpaste unlike any other you’ve experienced — you’ll see the difference on your brush and feel the difference in your mouth.
Earthpowder: Dry Toothpaste!
You can check out my full review of Earthpowder and find out if I think it’s kid-friendly or not, but I definitely think it is fantastic for a couple reasons:
- Dry, so it doesn’t count as a “liquid” for traveling. Now that I have a shampoo bar for my hair, I’ve traveled with NO little baggie! #easybutton
- You can use every last drop – it will never get stuck in the tube. 😉
Also, let’s talk about charcoal. There’s an Earthpowder made with activated charcoal, which is a teeth whitener. Skip the “strips” that were so popular when I was younger for teeth whitening (are they still? I don’t even know what’s out there anymore!). Go natural and get extra benefits from the 2 minutes you spend brushing your teeth. 😉
Wellness Mama has a great post explaining why charcoal whitens teeth naturally, including a bonus that it changes the pH of the mouth and can help prevent cavities, tooth decay and gingivitis. Just what all the expensive unnatural brands of toothpaste claim! Along with the clay in Earthpowder, charcoal plays a role in remineralizing teeth, and it tastes great (which wouldn’t happen if you just brushed with charcoal).
HOWEVER, big note, if you use the charcoal kind of either Earthpowder or Earthpaste (new flavor!!!) you shouldn’t swallow. Charcoal isn’t really a good fit for everyday ingestion, although it helps people kick food poisoning faster and has other fascinating uses, for those who are curious, including applications for bug bites and armpits! Since clay also helps bug bites, I’d totally use this Earthpowder or paste when traveling as a one-stop shop!
Just be ready for your teeth to look FREAKY for the two minutes you’re brushing. Scare your kids like it’s Halloween. 😉
Katie Kimball is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network. Over the last 10 years, Katie has spoken prolifically at conferences, online summits and podcasts and become a trusted authority and advocate for children’s health. Busy moms look to this certified educator for honest, in-depth natural product reviews and thorough research. She often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to deliver the most current information to the Kitchen Stewardship community. In 2016 she created the #1 bestselling online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook. A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
Annamarie V says
I would pick paste in peppermint, cinnamon and wintergreen.
Emily says
I would like to try the wintergreen earthpaste, but the lemon also sounds refershing.
Rana Durham says
I to the the lemon and wintergreen toothpaste because thwy are so unique.
Joy says
Thank you for the discount code! I finally bought a few things I had been wanting. 🙂
Jen says
Katie, I had to laugh at your comment about your two year old. I’m sure he does understand & you are not alone! I used to tell mine (who is now 3 but and still needs a reminder occasionally) that if he is going to be difficult about brushing teeth then he would not be allowed anything with sugar. He has always complied without delay. 🙂
Janice says
Is there an expiration on the discount code? Just looking at the budget and timing… 😉 Thanks.
Tammy Ritchie says
I’ve tried to create an account on Instagram but it won’t let me. At least I was able to get all of the rest. I’d love to try the Lemon Twist. I’m getting tired of nothing but mint and the chemicals that are in our toothpastes.
Emily Adams says
I would love to try the lemon twist.
Cheryl P. says
I use cinnamon and peppermint Earthpaste. Would like to try the Lemon Twist next. So happy there is a product without all the yucky stuff in it.
MamaV says
I make our own toothpaste (out of bentonite clay and other Ingredients similar to earthpaste) and the other day I overheard my husband say to my 5 year old “do you want toothpaste?” And my 5 year old answered “no, it’s like having a mouthful of gross mud.”
Maybe we need to try earthpaste 😉 😉
JeaLli says
I have never heard of or tried this product! I would love to try it as I am always looking for natural healthy ways to improve my family’s lifestyle.
Kelly A. says
Katie, thanks for this giveaway. It’s just in time as I am looking for natural kids toothpaste this week. My four year old daughter is going through a lot with her teeth and I’ve made a lot of changes, but I still need to find a natural toothpaste that she likes. Thank you!
Marsha says
Thanks for the discount, Katie! I love all the Redmond products, and being able to buy them at a discount is a huge bonus.
Kathryn says
Thanks for the giveaway! In the future it would be great for you to add an entry for following you on google+. I don’t tweet or do facebook.
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
Kathryn,
Thank you! You know, I am really active on Google Plus, but I just forgot to add it to our list. Great idea! 🙂 Katie
Rust says
The lemon twist sounds wonderful.
Helen says
I wish I could win this! Calvin loves the lemon. We laugh that it smells like pledge. I have spearmint coming in my next Azure shipment so we can try it.
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
I will be curious to hear if you like it! I honestly didn’t even notice the sweetener missing… 🙂 Katie
Sara Shay says
We just got the Lemon and my boy is DYING cause I am making him wait to use it till our other toothpaste has run out.
Kim says
What are your thoughts on the Redmond Clay statement: contains trace amounts of lead? Thanks.
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
Kim,
It has something to do with a California law or some such thing. Like you have to say that if there’s even a chance, or something?
Here’s a bit from the explanation at their website:
“The most important ingredient in Earthpaste is Redmond Clay, a healing clay that has been used medicinally since ancient times. Like many natural foods (including peaches and pears) Redmond Clay contains the tiniest amount of naturally-occurring lead. There is a natural products exemption to prop 65 (otherwise organic green beans and carrots would be 20 times over the limit!) but because of the way proposition 65 is enforced, it would be impossible for a small company like ours to withstand the cost of any “false positives” from aggressive prop 65 law firms.
Thus the warning stickers on Earthpaste. We hate doing it — we know our products are safe, we’ve seen them help thousands of people, and we use them ourselves every day — but a proposition 65 lawsuit, even one we would eventually win, would be really hard for a company our size to survive.”
I love how genuine Redmond is – they’re seriously just good people. Does that make sense?
Great question!!
🙂 Katie
Rachel says
We love earthpaste! And real salt. I ned to buy some basic clay to add to our medicine chest.