4 Reasons to Switch to Natural Toothpaste

“If accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control center right away,” but feel free to brush your teeth with it twice a day for your entire life. Since switching to natural toothpaste I’ve been thinking a lot about what could be so bad about the stuff that I’d been using daily since I was a kid. Turns out, the ingredients and the manufacturing and testing processes are terrible for the planet and literally poisonous to humans when swallowed (says right there on the tube.) Yet we spit it down the drain, out of sight out of mind, and continue to buy what our drug store brand tells us to because it's what we are used to.

Here are a few reasons why switching to a natural toothpaste is better for you an the environment:

1. Sodium lauryl sulfate

This is a foaming agent used in many products, like shampoo and toothpaste, because we associate clean with bubbles and foaming. It’s not a necessary part of cleaning your teeth (or your hair) and is linked to many health and environmental problems. 

2. Preservatives
Do you avoid preservatives in your food? Well turns out they are in most of the products you buy as well, because  companies want their products to have the longest shelf life possible.

3. Animal testing
Unless your toothpaste says that it doesn’t test on animals, it probably does. We have so many things on our mind that we often forget the small details that make a huge difference, this is a reminder that choosing products that don’t test on animals makes a huge difference to many many lives.

4. Microplastics
These tiny pieces of plastic are used as exfoliants or scrubbers in your toothpaste (and other cosmetics) and are made of polyethylene - the same material as plastic grocery bags. These can easily be ingested, and are hazardous to the oceans when they are washed down the drain.