DIY All Natural Mouthwash Made With Essential Oils
One of my favorite ways to use essential oils is to make things at home that I would normally buy at the store. This saves me SO much money! Plus it's fun to mix things up and choose which oils I want to add.
A couple years ago, I made my own mouthwash for the first time. I didn't like the harsh aftertaste from commercial mouthwashes containing alcohol, so I had been buying more "natural" mouthwashes. But I still wasn't a fan of the added ingredients and artificial flavorings that could be toxic to my body. And I got tired of paying quite a bit more for the natural options. So I decided to make my own mouthwash using essential oils and now that is all we use in our home!
The recipe that I chose to use only has two ingredients....water and essential oils!!
There are many options when it comes to which essential oils you can use, but I like to use Peppermint and Melaleuca. Peppermint helps to freshen breath and is cooling to the mouth. And Melaleuca (aka Ted Tree) is known for its cleansing properties making it the perfect addition to a homemade mouthwash.
Spring water is recommend, but I have on occasion just used tap water. You can find spring water in the bottle water section at the grocery store.
And I would recommend a glass bottle since essential oils can break down plastic.
Check out a video I made a while back showing how I make my own mouthwash. It's so simple!
Ingredients:
16 oz Glass Spray Bottle
2 Cups Spring Water
10 Drops Essential Oil (6 drops Peppermint, 4 drops Melaleuca)
Directions:
1) Pour water into glass bottle and add essential oils.
2) Shake to mix.
3) Take a small sip, swish around mouth, and spit out.
With the glass bottle, spring water, and essential oils I only spent around $2 to make my first bottle of mouthwash! And I continue to re-use the bottle and just make more when it is empty. I purchased the glass spray bottle from AromaTools, but they can also be found on Amazon.
I have also used On Guard (doTERRA's Protective Blend) which is a blend of Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. It's great for immune support and I love that it has Clove in it. Clove not only helps clean teeth and gums, but it also has powerful antioxidant properties. Or sometimes I will mix things up and use Spearmint instead of Peppermint. It's not as intense as Peppermint but is still great to freshen the breath. And one more essential oil that I love to add is Patchouli which is also a member of the mint family. Patchouli works hand-in hand with the minty flavor of Peppermint and helps to deodorize and freshen the mouth.
For extra cleaning, you can add 2 teaspoons of Baking Soda. Baking Soda acts as an abrasive that can help to remove stains. Just be sure to shake the bottle before each use to mix it up. And if you'd like to sweeten the mouthwash, you can add 1 teaspoon of a natural sweetener like Xylitol which is also known to support oral health.
I would love for you to give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Let me know which oils you choose to use! Ten drops of essential oil is a great place to start, but you can always add more if you want the taste to be stronger.
To learn more about essential oils, check out my section on how to use them. Or to get certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils in your home, click here.
XOXO,
Jamie