Have you read the ingredients of the typical mouthwash on the market these days? If not, you might be surprised to find a list of hard to pronounce chemicals, preservatives, foaming agents, and other synthetic bad-for-you ingredients.
Take domiphen bromide for example. It’s a chemical antiseptic found in mouthwash, toothpaste, fabric softener, and hair coloring. It is a possible cancer-causing agent.
Or hexetidine, an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal drug that can cause allergic reactions, unstable heartbeats and clotting in the brain, and, coincidentally, is also a possible cancer-causing agent.
Then there’s chlorhexidine gluconate, a skin cleanser that’s used to prep patient’s skin before surgery, and as a hand cleanser. This lovely chemical also irritates the skin, causes allergic reactions can damage the eyes, drop blood pressure, increase heart rate, cause hives and swelling of the airway.
How about benzalkonium chloride? It’s a chemical disinfectant used in detergent, mouthwash, hand sanitizer and the like. It is an immune, skin and respiratory toxin with possible cancer-causing effects. It can damage skin and eyes, and is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic life.
There is methylparaben, a food and cosmetic preservative that has connection to breast cancer, tissue and eye damage.
And that’s just a partial list.
Curing your stinky breath shouldn’t kill you. And it doesn’t have to. Homemade mouthwash is simple to make, tastes better than the commercial brands, and is non-toxic. All you need is some pure ttherapeutic grade essential oils (a flavor or flavors of your choice), some distilled (or filtered) water, and a bottle to put it all in.
Homemade Mouthwash Recipe:
5 drops of essential oils of your choice (one of my favorites is to blend 3 drops Wild Orange oil, 2 drops of Peppermint oil, and less than 1 drop of Cinnamon Bark oil, but the options are nearly endless)
1 cup distilled (or filtered) water
Pour the cup of water in a 8 oz glass bottle and drop the oils in. To use less than a full drop of Cinnamon, simply dip a toothpick in the Cinnamon Bark oil bottle and swirl the toothpick in the mouthwash solution.
Shake before using.
To use, simply place a small amount of homemade mouthwash in your mouth and swish for 30 seconds before spitting it out.
Consider using such oils as Melaleuca or a protective blend of oils for their purifying properties, or lemon or cilantro oils for their cleansing properties. Then, instead of having a mouthwash make you sick, you’ll have a mouthwash that helps keep you well.
Side note: Wintergreen essential oil naturally contains phytochemical constituents that can make you sick if taken in large doses, but adding a small amount to your mouthwash is completely fine.
