My Dental Hygiene Routine and Products

Hi Lovelies,

Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome💕💕💕

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?

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.

The Happy Gums drops 

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.

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:

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

See Living Libations online store here

See Dutch Health Store here.

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.

Natural Empties & Stuff I Am Throwing Away - Autumn 2015

Hi My Loves :)

Today I am coming at you with my trash, aka empties. I must admit I do enjoy watching these videos on YouTube, as it sorts the good products from the bad in my mind! I mean, the product has to be good if you finish the whole bottle and go on to repurchase it, right?

So let's start from the top left:

Aromatherapy Herbal Soap by Plantlife - this is vegan gluten free GMO free paraben free natural soap that I got in TK Maxx for six bucks in orange and vanilla scent and I really liked it, although my family didn't enjoy it, so I was left to finish it on my own, which was fine with me. The thing is I am trying to wean my family off the shower gels - they are made to run out quickly (meaning you come back to purchase it frequently = you bring more money to manufacturer) and make tons of plastic waste, something I am against, but I kinda have a hard time getting my point across, as  my hubs and elder princess are too used to shower gels, aka easy life :) Now let's get back to the soap, shall we? The label (which is printed in recyclable soy ink, no less!) says that they hand craft the soaps the old fashioned way - no heating, meaning the ingredients retain their beneficial properties. The soap is non drying and not irritating, something I can testify. The ingredients include organic herbs, aromatherapy grade essential oils, and plant oils such as olive oil and coconut oil. Truly natural stuff.

Repurchase? Without a doubt, yes.

Pur Minerals Bling Mascara - this is my natural Holy Grail mascara without a doubt! I am so glad to have found it, you guys have no idea! It lengthens, gives loads of volume, everything that a regular mascara does! Before it i was trying loads of other natural brands including Lavera, Benecos and DrHauschka, and they were so poor in performing, they made me sad as I was imagining to myself all natural mascaras would be this way - i.e. not doing anything - and I basically spent many months with crappy lashes (and not-so-great overall look too) because I don't do fake lashes. I got my first PurMinerals mascara in TK Maxx for 4 or 6 euros, and since then went on to repurchase it at full price in M&S a couple of times too. 

Repurchase? Absolutely! (Although I want to try many different mascaras, including Lash Dominator by Bare Minerals, Lily Lolo, and multiple others, I still want to have this on me at all times).

Declare Skinatura Restructure and Lift Elixir Serum - this is Swiss product that truly works and I was in awe when it helped to heal my dry patch on the face that wouldn't budge for weeks! (result of trying out a tanning product once, yes, my skin is THAT sensitive) and in some time I noticed my complexion getting smoother and firmer, brighter too, in fact my skin looked really good when I was using this and vitamin C serum at night. The ingredients feature organic oils and natural hyaliuronic acid. The problem was, it went rancid on me very soon, even though I kept it in the fridge, so I am not sure if I got an old product or it has extremely short shelf life? i got mine in TK Maxx (where else?) for about 13€ but it retails for 48€ and I didn't see it in the actual shops in Dublin anywhere, nor I was able to find it in TK Maxx ever since.
Repurchase? maybe! I know this is a good product and I do keep it at the back of my mind, but I am having too much fun with other products :)

Bee Lovely Shower Gel by NYR (or Neal's Yard Remedies in other words) - this was a pleasant surprise, and something I really enjoyed using. It came in a Bee Lovely set that I got a little while back, and so far so good! Smells lovely (although all the line of Bee Lovely products smell of orange essential oil, you do not get a scent of honey, but it is definitely on the list of ingredients). You only need a little of it to get a great lather, the very first time I tried it, I used the regular amount i would use with other shower gels, and let's just say I was practically having a bubble bath, lol! This is not drying and not irritating too.

Repurchase? Yes, if on sale. What? I am a thrifty person :)

Lavera Kids Toothgel - this I am throwing away because it got rancid on me. My little princess definitely enjoyed it's strawberry-raspberry flavor, and I enjoyed the fact that it has minimal good ingredients, the only thing I didn't like was the glycerine in it, it is said to coat the teeth and prevent them from re-mineralising themselves, so i will try to look for glycerine free version of toothpaste next. If you will decide to go for it, look for it in health food stores.

Repurchase? No.

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara - this came in a gift set that the brand was giving away with a purchase a while back, and it was my first order from 100% Pure! I mean who can resist a make up freebie, esp this natural, right? At first I really hated this mascara, as it reminded me of DrHauschka one, i.e. I thought it does nothing for my lashes, as it gives zero volume, something I desperately need! But as the weeks went by and it dried up a bit, I warmed up to it as I was able to layer it more, and coupled with Pur Minerals mascara on top of this, it definitely was a good combo. And I appreciate the fabulous ingredients in this! 

Repurchase? Not sure - I ordered their Maracuja mascara, so yes, it is a repurchase in a way, but I have to see which one I like better. Plus I am not sure if |I want to pay custom duties every time I order from this brand. So we will see.

Pur Minerals pressed foundation in Porcelain - this I also got in TK Maxx for €6 about a year ago and I could not find it there at that price ever since. Porcelain is their lightest shade and it is too light on me, so eventually I will purchase the product, but I need to match my shade correctly, but every time I visit M&S store who carry this line, the tester I am looking for is never there, I can't remember the name of the next shade up - that is the one I am looking for. The thing is, on pictures it looks almost identical to Porcelain and the next next shade is way too dark for me, so I need to eventually find a tester and colour match myself to the right shade. So you can see, it is a repurchase. The reason I am buying this again is that it coverage is very good - full coverage if we speak in beauty terms. It also didn't irritate my dermatitis at it's worst, so that's when you know it is a good product.

Repurchase? Yes Yes Yes.

Meswak toohpaste - a staple in my house that I get in Asian shops for 1.5€, so you can see it is much cheaper than any brand from health store (the last time I paid 10€ for one with manuka honey in it, and that is ridiculous price point for a toothpaste if you ask me). The ingredients are really good (and the marking is green!) in it apart SLS which irritates the crap out of me, but there's nothing I can do about it. In order not to have too much SLS I alternate it with neem paste.

Repurchase? Yes, it is a staple.

Korres Hand Cream with organic almond oil and shea butter - this is one fabulous hand cream, that I would repurchase for the smell alone! The marking is black and it has loads of ingredients and some of them I can't pronounce or understand, meaning it is not all natural product. Korres in fact isn't all natural brand, but they are trying.

Repurchase? Not right away as currently I have NYR hand cream, but yes, I would go back to this product.

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil I got a sample of it from Naturisimo to see if my skin will tolerate it (it is super finicky lately due to dermatitis and seems to react to EVERYTHING, even to the products it loved before, like rosehip oil from another brand. Yes I have it that bad at the moment!) This brand it is a cult product in the green beauty community and it has been recommended to me numerous times, hence me finally trying it out! It is different from other oils in a way that is has rosehip seed and fruits oil blended together.
Repurchase? Yes, very soon I will go for this product.

Bottom row from the left:

Sukin Facial Moisturiser - I found this on Holland and Barrett website and I immediately went on to purchase it as I knew Sukin as this clean Aussie brand, and the ingredients in this sound fabulous - aloe vera, nettle, horsetail, burdock, rosehip, jojoba oil, avocado oil and a bunch of other ingredients, it all sounded fabulous and I was keeping fingers crossed it would work for me, as I needed a good facial moisturiser - who doesn't? I perused the ingredients and I knew it has a couple of alcohols in it, which don't suit my skin in general, but as they were way down on the ingredient list, I thought I might get away with it? Plus, it is 125ml instead of your regular 50ml for your average face cream for 13€, so the price point is fabulous. And I really like the fact that it has a pump, much more sanitary than dipping your germy fingers in a pot, right? Did it agree with me? No, I got breakouts from it even though I tried it multiple times. I did finish it as a body cream but it did not blow me away either.
Repurchase? No, purely because it made me breakout.

Earth Friendly Baby Organic Mandarin Bubble Bath - this you can get in Boots or numerous other shops, and I would highly recommend it as this brand does fabulous products with very clean ingredients, it does not get cleaner than that! this particular product has over 70% of organic ingredients, and what's more, it truly works! I have tried Burt's Bees bubble bath before this, and that was a real flop producing practically no bubbles. Plus Earth Friendly Baby one is 2 or 3 times cheaper, depending on where you buy it. I also really enjoy their Baby Hair and Body wash, I use it as a body wash and the ingredients in that product are also fabulous, you can understand every single ingredients without needing the chemist's degree! This company truly gets Green Life In Dublin seal of approval, and their products cost about a fiver each, which is like music to my ears! Let's hope Boots doesn't discontinue this product like they did with Child's Farm (more on it later)
Repurchase? not for this product, as it turned out my little princess does not like bubble baths and everybody else in the familia are shower users.

Child's Farm Shampoo (over 98% natural ingredients, suitable for eczema prone skin from newborn upwards) - I got this in Boots, or should I say I used to get this in Boots, as they discontinued this fabulous clean brand and replaced it with chemical laden one which also costs twice as much! Boo Boots, and the pun is intended, you really put BOO in Boots this time! Yes I do understand you need to make money, but as you have only a little handful of natural brands/products, so why pull the plug on one of them and introduce yet more chemicals, especially for newborns and young children?! And what is more infuriating to me, Child's Farm is only discontinued in Boots Ireland, it is still available in Boots UK! Why for God's sake? Boo you, and did I mention boo?!
Now, little rant aside, all is not lost as this brand is available in selected Supervalu stores, so look out for that :) it costs a bit more, but I will continue to buy it nonetheless. All my family uses it, as a shampoo and a body wash, it is almost as good as Burt's Bees one, although it won't give you as much shine.
Repurchase? Yes!

Dr Bronners, Burt's Bees Child Shampoo and Bodywash, and Rosewater from Asian shop (edible kind) Please excuse me if I roll these all into one, these are all repurchases and staples in my house and I constantly sing praises to them in my blog and Instagram posts. So I won't repeat myself for the millionth time here, and you can always browse my blog if you want to know more, right? :)
Repurchase? YES YES YES!

So that is all for now :) What are you loving and finishing off lately?


Lots of Love,
Renata.