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| Living Libations dental products - Frankincense Truth toothpaste, Happy Gum Drops, Ozonated Happy Gum Gel |
Today I wanted to talk to you about my dental care products and routine. I was going back and forth about posting this ,as first of all I am not an authority in these areas, my mouth is full of fillings and it has been this way since my childhood. Joys of growing up in former Soviet Union, they were brutal with you and no one bothered to save a tooth either, so many of us had tooth pulled out simply for a reason that was quicker and more convenient for the dentist. Long story short I would love to go to a holistic dentist here in Ireland, but from the little research I did, their prices are around 200+ euros per visit, and as stay at home mommy with no income, I balk at the idea of it. Someday, for sure.
So all the products I use and will talk about here, are self sourced and not recommended by a dental professional or anything, so you can take it or leave it, the choice is yours.
What do I do to make my teeth stay in healthy condition and what do I avoid? Well, for a starters, let me say that switching up toothpaste to a natural one has proven to be one of the most challenging things, even though in theory it should be so simple - you go into a health shop, you get a toothpaste from there, and you are good. Well, not quite fast! Even though I haven't used a conventional toothpaste in nearly ten years, I am yet to say I have a perfect product I love and could recommend to you guys. Sight. One thing for sure - I am so happy that I opened my eyes to what's really in conventional toothpastes and those dreadful Lysterine type of mouthwashes! Your gums is one of the most absorbent places in your body, so make sure you are not using and absorbing toxic chemicals like triclosan. Urgh!
The thing is I avoid carrageenan and glycerine in my toothpaste. Why? Because research shows glycerine coats the teeth preventing them from remineralising themselves, and carrageenan is proven to cause inflammation when ingested. As someone with autoimmune disorder, the word “inflammation” is naturally a red flag for me and I stay away from any food/product in question. How it can be used in so many products and health foods and drinks (check your non dairy milks people!) is beyond me. In toothpastes it is used for texture. I must admit that in a moment of frustration /madness/ desperation I bought Jason toothpaste last month containing both of the offenders (as to be seen in my upcoming Empties post very shortly) but no more! I may lower my bar for glycerine, as at least it is a non toxic ingredient, but carrageenan is in quarantine for life for me. If you happen to know a good toothpaste that wouldn't contain those two offenders, do me a favour and let me know! You will have my gratitude for life! Bonus points if it is a available from within EU so I wouldn't have to deal with those pesky custom charges, thank you very much. Problem is, most of them (or the ones I've tried) tend to taste like swamp and not do a good job at cleaning my teeth, after just one hour I can feel that dreaded coating on my teeth, and surely no one wants that. (Weleda and Vogel, I am looking at you here)
Now, that you know what I avoid in my toothpaste, let's look at what actually I am using after all?
At the moment my dental routine consists of Living Libations products acquired via The Dutch Health Store (that goes by the name of livinglibations.store on Instagram) - I was so happy to find a EU based online store that would carry more than just The Best Skin Ever oils, I immediately placed an order for over 100€. I’d wanted to try Living Libations products in forever and a half, and I was even prepared to swallow that bitter pill of extra custom taxes prior of finding the Dutch Health Store, that how strong the draw was in my case. (little side note to those of you who don't know, we are charged at 35% of whole order plus shipping for any orders above 22€ if we shop outside EU, and you can imagine, you end up paying more than double initial price of the product you originally wanted. More info with examples and calculations here)
Going back to my order from the Dutch Health Store, I got a Frankincense toothpaste as inspired by Clearskinessentials, Happy Tooth Gum Drops and Ozonated Happy Gum Gel, plus Holistic Dentistry book by author and Living Libations brand owner Nadine Artemis - you folks should check out her videos on YouTube on holistic ways to care for your teeth, if you haven't seen that already. I don't want to get into legal trouble, so I won't link those videos here, but you can go on and search “Nadine Artemis holistic dentistry” in YouTube, or you can find the same videos in my playlists on my YouTube page (make my day and subscribe while you are there, I am working on starting my green beauty channel, promise!) or they can also be found in the Dutch Health Shop website too.
So let's finally talk products, shall we!?
Frankincense Fresh Truth toothpaste
It took a little bit getting to get used to - I don't know what did I expect, but it turned out to be a coconut oil based toothpaste. Let's look at the ingredients, shall we?
It took a little bit getting to get used to - I don't know what did I expect, but it turned out to be a coconut oil based toothpaste. Let's look at the ingredients, shall we?
Inci: I'll link Dutch Health Store page here for more reading. The Living Libations products ingredients lists are exquisite, like a beautiful poem of natural goodness.
Like I said, it has tons of good quality ingredients, and it feels like a expert made product, way more elaborate than my own coconut oil DIY, but still, it is coconut oil based toothpaste, you know? It cleans the teeth well, it foams up nicely, and you quickly learn that you need like a pea size amount or even less to get the job done. You can taste all those wonderful essential oils in your mouth, as well as a bit of Himalayan salt and baking soda. I have to say that that 25ml jar has lasted me for months, and that's with me going double the speed with it, and I will tell you why in just a second. If you are interested in trying it, I would suggest going for a smaller 15ml version of it, and if I will get it again, that's exactly the size I’d go for. Now that I know it lasts a really long time, I think you would get a good feel of the product and you would definitely know if it's a product for you by the end of the jar. The reason I wouldn't go for 25ml again is because it soon changed the colour on me, and the liquid has started to pool in the middle of the jar, so not knowing if it's essential oils have made their way up in the jar or I somehow got water into it and thus contaminated the product (even though I was really careful not to) I went ahead to use it up at double the normal speed and now the jar is empty. I am definitely keeping the glass jar (obsessed with glass, much?) and I immediately made my own DIY after finishing it (raw coconut oil, Himalayan salt, sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda, and a few drops of essential oils of frankincense, tea tree oil and cinnamon in this case) but I must admit I am not half as happy as I though I would be with my own DIY, and miss the Living Libations one. Mine feels “oily” and amateurish in comparison.
Ozonated Happy Gum Gel
Gel is amazing and will be a repurchase for life!
Happy Gum drops is a product I also really enjoy using. It is a 5ml mix of different essential oils, and I must admit after I made my order and paid for the products, I had a thought “what have I done, I am so sensitive when it comes to essential oils, how on earth I will use these products?” Not a thought you want to have after dropping 128€ for your order, but I am pleased to say my fears turned out to be fruitless and I can use the products without a bother. By the way, Nadine says that you can safely swallow all the products after cleaning your teeth (except Neem ones) as they are safe to do so, but it goes against the grain of what we're taught to, so I spit it all out after using. A few times I did swallow the stuff to test it out - one never learns - and it did give me an upset stomach, so I don't do that again. By the way, one tip if you are using coconut oil based toothpaste, spit it out into a toilet bowl and not the sink as not to clog the drains.
Ingredients of Happy Gum Drops: again, I suggest you go to the website (link) to read it.
I am not really sure if I need to have these two products at the same time or just one would do, but it was winter when I ordered and my gums must have been sensitive at the time? It is also designed for gums, and you are supposed not to brush your teeth with it like with a toothpaste, but brush it down from the gums to the teeth themselves, taking care to get it onto the sockets, where the gum ends and the tooth begins. After initial spiciness goes away you are left with kind of candy taste in the mouth, and I have to say I like that! I use it as a final step after rinsing and brushing, and they advise you to leave your mouth open as long as you can hold it, so the product stays on longer to do it's magic.
Nadine advises to use sole (as a concentrated salt solution) rinse as a first and final rinse, but I must admit I do it only at a start both morning and night, as I am not a fan of that super salty taste in my mouth.
I also use a tooth powder along with all these products, I, like every other person on the planet, were interested in coconut charcoal tooth powder, so I got that and I have to say I am impressed enough to keep using it from now on constantly. As long as you don't expect instant Hollywood smile from it, you shouldn't be disappointed either. As always, shop around, because it is trendy right now, some brands charge 30€ or more for the same amount you get for 13€ elsewhere. I also just got organic bio white tooth powder for 7€ in Down To Earth Dublin, and although it doesn't have coconut charcoal in it, I am fine with it as I can always add some activated charcoal to it if I want to. Take my advice and look at the ingredients before buying it, I remember buying a jar or tooth powder in Lithuania last year, and it turned out it had saccharine in it (probably in aid to sweeten up calcium carbonate, which is quite frankly, chalky) and it went into the bin after first try. I really love that clean feeling brushing with tooth powder gives me, but what I don't love is the mess it leaves behind! I need to clean the sink after every time I use it. I imagine it wouldn't be for everyone then.
Speaking of toothbrushes, I must shamefully admit I still use regular plastic toothbrush. I know, I should go and hide under a rock or put myself on the naughty step because of it. Surely everyone in green beauty uses bamboo toothbrushes?! Well, not me, and I will tell you why. Even the bamboo handle is natural and eco friendly, the bristles are still plastic, so you are still brushing your teeth with plastic. More eco conscious companies are using nylon 4, which is biodegradable plastic, but still plastic if you get my point? I am yet to come across a bamboo brush that would also have bamboo or other natural materials bristles. If you happen to know one, please let us all know! From enviromental point of view it makes perfect sense, but from practical point, there's also a price difference, I can get a pack of seven soft bristles brushes for 1.5€, whereas one bamboo brush would set me back a fiver to a tenner, depending where I would get it. And I need to get four of them at once. Hate if you want to, but this is what I use, and if that makes me not “natural” anymore, fine. I make a point to let you guys know the real and unfiltered me, I could easily pretend I use one of those trendy bamboo brushes, but I chose not to.
One thing that is missing in my photos and routine is a tongue scraper, I need to buy another one of these asap, as my copper one grew mold on it! It goes to show the levels of humidity in Ireland. Yes, cold and humid country exists!
*Update two years later - I still use and enjoy all of the Living Libations products mentioned here. I also have stainless steel DrThungs tongue scraper and alternate between bamboo brush and ionic DrThungs toothbrush, which is said to repel plague off the teeth and stop it from forming.
*Update two years later - I still use and enjoy all of the Living Libations products mentioned here. I also have stainless steel DrThungs tongue scraper and alternate between bamboo brush and ionic DrThungs toothbrush, which is said to repel plague off the teeth and stop it from forming.
Oil pulling? After initially dismissing it as too weird, I finally got into it a few years back, but I must admit I also do it inconsistently, mostly in winters or whenever my teeth seemed sensitive. It seems to take care of it and if I feel a toothache or mouth ulcer coming on, I add a drop of tea tree oil or Oreganol P73 (another one of my natural Holy Grail products, more info here) and it takes care of it. I also must admit I am teased mercilessly while I do it, so I stopped doing it in the mornings (too much rush and too many family members around) and I do it at nights on occasion were I get to sit down at my computer after putting kids to bed.
There is also ancient ayurvedic remedy of black sesame seeds chewing in order to remineralise and clean teeth from the outside (I learned it from Kimberly Snyder) but after initial few tries I discovered I love eating those sesame seeds more than chewing them, but in the case any of you are interested, just Google it.
So that's my dental care routine and products, hope some of you found it interesting and/or helpful?
I would really want to know if you have been to a holistic dentist and what is your holistic routine looks like? Please share, I would love to know :)
Related Living Libations posts:
Related Living Libations posts:
DEW DAB REVIEW
ZEST THE BEST REVIEW
LIVING LIBATIONS HAIR CARE REVIEW
WINTERGREEN & CLEAN TOOTHPASTE REVIEW
MY HOLISTIC DENTAL CARE ROUTINE & PRODUCTS
EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE WITH ZINC BEACH BALM REVIEW
Lots of Love,
Renata.
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Disclaimer 1: after some recent event I decided to add that you can't use any of my photos without my permission. I want people to know that any of my blog photos are my property and not public domain. I am happy to let brands or web shops use them as long as they give photo credit tracing back to me. Not asking before and not giving photo credit = not cool.
Dislaimer 2. All products shown were bough with my own moolah. The link isn't an affiliate link, nor I am on their pay roll in any way. It is for your convenience. I got you boo.
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Disclaimer 1: after some recent event I decided to add that you can't use any of my photos without my permission. I want people to know that any of my blog photos are my property and not public domain. I am happy to let brands or web shops use them as long as they give photo credit tracing back to me. Not asking before and not giving photo credit = not cool.
Dislaimer 2. All products shown were bough with my own moolah. The link isn't an affiliate link, nor I am on their pay roll in any way. It is for your convenience. I got you boo.
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