Homemade Toothpaste and klean kanteen

Ok, to begin...

The Regina Spektor concert was great. I mean really, really great. I would marry her in a millisecond. There's just something about her. If you don't know her, check her out:

http://www.reginaspektor.com

First order of business: Homemade Toothpaste

Kathryn and I discovered that the toothpastes in stores (even the ones marked Organic) are full of strange ingredients that we can't pronounce. Not to mention, the tubes are impossible to recycle (although the aluminum TOM'S of Maine do--you can even send them in and they will recycle them for you) and may also contain the harmful compound Bisphenol A (BPA).

[This BPA stuff is NO good and it is found in many of our plastics. I will post soon on why converting to glass only is so beneficial.]

Here's a link about the TOMS recycling:

http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2009/01/bpa-in-your-toothpaste-recycling-tubes.html

Here's the Wiki link to Bisphenol A:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A


Kathryn and Fen's Homemade Toothpaste Ingredients:

-(Organic) Baking Soda (we keep this is a ball jar)

-(Organic) Sea Salt

-(Organic) Vegetable Glycerin

-(Organic) Peppermint Essential Oil

-Water


[We bought all of these ingredients (except the water!) at Rhubarb's Market (1521 Lititz Pike Lancaster, PA 17601--(717) 390-3001) but you can get them other places and they don't have to be organic.]


The recipe is not exact.


-The baking soda will be the main ingredient. It will be what you want the most of.

-I only put in a pinch or two of sea salt in maybe a couple ounces of baking soda.

-The glycerin is for giving it some sweetness-you can just play around with how much you like. (Just don't put more of that then the baking soda)

-Couple drops of oil (Kathryn likes more then a couple drops)

-Add water to get it to be a paste-like consistency

-We keep our batches in a baby (glass) jar.

You just dab your toothpaste in and brush! Makes your teeth super white too. It may be a little weird to transition, but there is something pretty great about making your own healthy toothpaste.

Let me know if you have questions.


Second order of Business: klean kanteen

Got my first one yesterday. So cool. (BPA free) If you get one at EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) at the mall, you can use a student ID to get 3$-4$ off.

Here is their website:

http://www.kleankanteen.com

Their water bottles are eco-friendly and 100% recyclable!

Oh happy day,

FEN