Gluten-Free Life
If you haven’t seen the phrase “gluten-free” on grocery store shelves more lately, then you haven’t been paying attention. But what is gluten, and why would one want to be free of it? Is it just another random food phobia propagating a new fad diet? Or is it, like trans-fats, something to be avoided at all costs? While some might think it’s just the new, cool alterna-food craze, for people like me it’s a necessity of life.
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Homemade Toothpaste!
Inspired by Lindsay Edmonds at Passionate Homemaking, I decided to make my very own toothpaste. What are the benefits of making your own toothpaste, you may ask? Oh, my friends, they are virtually endless: saving money, avoiding yucky/toxic ingredients in name-brand toothpastes, telling corporate America I won’t be duped into buying their marketing nonsense, etc. etc. etc.
Joshua’s former-favorite Crest toothpaste has the following ingredients:
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Sodium Fluoride, Sorbitol, Water, Hydrated Silica, Flavor, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Polyethylene, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1 Aluminum Lake, Yellow 10 Aluminum Lake.
Our new homemade minty toothpaste has the following ingredients:
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2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 3 Tablespoons Baking Soda, 1 Tablespoon Salt, 2 teaspoons Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap.
Just place a mixing bowl over warm water, stir ingredients together, and put in a resealable container. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so the warm water melts it to make mixing easier. Brush daily!
