DIY Toothpaste Tablets Recipe
A convenient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional toothpaste, these homemade toothpaste tablets are easy to make and can be adjusted to suit your personal taste.
Over the years, several people have asked me to formulate something quite interesting: toothpaste tablets. They wanted a zero waste toothpaste recipe from someone who had studied dentistry (and having some knowledge in cosmetic formulation was a plus). Despite my history in dentistry, I hadn’t even heard of toothpaste tablets at the time of the first request. I hadn’t ever seen them in a store here in Spain, not even in the natural supermarkets.
Fascinated by the idea, I ordered a couple of types of toothpaste tablets online to give them a try. One had surfactants to give a bit of foaming. Another used bentonite clay and activated charcoal. Other common ingredients were baking soda and calcium carbonate. In the end, though, the ingredients were similar. After trying them both, I had a good idea of what I wanted in my DIY toothpaste tablets.
Why make toothpaste tablets?
There are several great reasons to give making toothpaste tablets a try.
Like toothpaste powder, toothpaste tablets don’t need a preservative because there is no water in them. While the tablets are made with water, it is evaporated away, leaving none in the final product. Developing a toothpaste recipe that contains water can pose a challenge in estimating its shelf life. Also, it’s unclear if there are any preservatives for home formulators that are safe for an oral care product.
Another great benefit of toothpaste tablets is that they are environmentally friendly. You can make them with reusable molds and store them in a glass jar or metal tin. This means that can keep the plastic waste from traditional toothpaste tubes out of the landfill.
Super convenient, they are light and easy to travel with. Just take as many tablets as you’ll need for your short trip!
If you’re already in love with toothpaste tablets, you’ll know that they can be a pricier alternative. By making your own, you can also save a lot of money!
Ingredients
I decided to make the main base of my recipe from calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is great for toothpaste because it has a gentle abrasive effect that helps get rid of plaque and stains on teeth. Additionally, it has a pleasant texture and mild taste. The minerals in calcium carbonate may also help with remineralization of the teeth.
Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, is another natural polisher that I decided to add to my diy toothpaste tablet recipe. It has an alkaline pH that helps to neutralize acids in the mouth and has antibacterial properties that can help to prevent bad breath.
Optional ingredients
To make a more professional quality toothpaste tablet, I incorporated a couple of grams of a natural surfactant that I’ve seen used in many commercially sold toothpastes, sodium cocoyl glutamate. It helps mildly cleanse while adding a foaming quality to the paste. One of the tablets I bought used way too much and foamed excessively when used. I love being able to control the amount of foaminess achieved in my homemade tablets. (If you don’t want to use it, there is absolutely no need, and you can eliminate the surfactant completely!)
To add a bit of sweetness and cavity-fighting power, I also included xylitol, a natural sweetener that has been shown to prevent cavities. To give my toothpaste tablets a refreshing flavor, I add a few drops of essential oil. While I generally use peppermint oil, clove oil is another popular choice.
While xylitol is safe for humans to consume, it can be toxic to animals, especially dogs. So, don’t make toothpaste products for your animals with xylitol, and make sure you keep it out of their reach.
What I didn’t use
Although numerous toothpaste tablets available for purchase contain bentonite or kaolin clay, I opted to steer clear of these ingredients for my latest creation. For one, I’ve decided that I don’t like the mouthfeel of clay-based toothpaste. It didn’t use to bother me, which is why my first homemade toothpaste was clay-based. My other concern, though, is not knowing if the clays I buy are contaminated with heavy metals or other toxins like arsenic. As I won’t be spending the money to lab test my toothpaste, I decided to err on the side of caution and avoid using clay this time!
Instructions
Mix dry ingredients. 
Add essential oil and surfactant. 
Add water to form a thick paste. 
Spread into silicone mold. 
When dry, pop out of mold.
To make your own toothpaste tablets, simply weigh out all of your dry ingredients and stir them together. Little by little, add in filtered or distilled water until you achieve a thick paste.
Press the mixture into small silicone molds and let them dry. I brought mine out in the sun, covered with a net to protect it from insects. (I’m not sure if it’s really necessary as they didn’t seem to want to go near my peppermint mixture anyway!)
If you live in a cool, humid environment, you can speed up the drying process by placing the filled mold in an oven set to the lowest setting.
Once you notice they have dried enough to unmold them, pop the tablets out of the molds and store them in an airtight container.
How to use toothpaste tablets
Now that you have your tablets ready, you might be wondering how to use them! Simply put one tablet in your mouth, chew it up until it becomes paste-like, and brush your teeth as usual. You can use a regular or electric toothbrush. Brush in a circular motion, including the line between the teeth and gums. Don’t forget to brush your tongue too! When finished, spit out the excess.
Video
DIY Toothpaste Tablets
Equipment
Materials
- 50 g calcium carbonate
- 20 g baking soda
- 10 g xylitol
- 3 g surfactant I used sodium cocoyl glutamate.
- 5 drops essential oil options: peppermint, anise, clove, etc.
- 20 g water estimate
Instructions
- Weigh out all of the dry ingredients and mix them together.
- Add the essential oil and surfactant and stir until well incorporated.
- Little by little, add in filtered or distilled water until you achieve a thick paste.
- Press the mixture into small silicone molds and let them dry. (This can be done in the sun.)
- When dry, pop the tablets out of the molds.
- Store them in an airtight container.
To use toothpaste tablets
- Chew on a tablet then brush as usual.
Notes
Toothpaste FAQs
I purposely chose xylitol because it inhibits the cavity-causing bacteria that lead to tooth decay. Other sweeteners may not have those same beneficial properties and some may even feed the bacteria and help cause cavities.
Stevia itself is a natural product that doesn’t lead to tooth decay. That said, there are a variety of different products on the market like stevia drops and powders. These products have other ingredients that may cause issues.
Both activated charcoal and cocoa powder are generally safe to use in homemade toothpaste. Theobromine, found in cocoa powder, has actually been found to help with the remineralization of tooth enamel. Activated charcoal may help absorb toxins and impurities that can cause discoloration on teeth. That said, both are a dark color and may make a mess of your sink. While they may make your teeth look whiter at first, they may both eventually lead to a darkening of your teeth.
While I’ve seen it included in several online toothpaste recipes, please don’t add it! Diatomaceous earth has a Mohs scale hardness rating of 6 which is higher than that of hydroxyapatite, the main mineral component of tooth enamel (rating of 5). Before using any ingredient, make sure the hardness rating is lower than 5, or you risk abrading away tooth enamel. Also, make sure it won’t lower the pH of your mouth or contribute to the formation of plaque in some way.
I’ve received messages from some concerned readers about using essential oils for fear of disrupting the natural bacteria balance in the mouth. They worry that since essential oils have antibacterial properties, they may harm the good bacteria. I understand the fear, but essential oils, while they do have antibacterial properties, they aren’t as strong as you might think. Consider what happens when you make a homemade cosmetic with an essential oil. Unless you were using an extremely high dose, the essential oil won’t affect the shelf life of the product much. Microbes will quickly grow; that’s why you need a preservative. In the case of homemade toothpaste, only a few drops of essential oil are used to add flavor and freshness to the mouth. This isn’t enough to make any real impact.
Xylitol and baking soda also have antibacterial properties and yet are generally recommended as ideal for oral hygiene.
Hola Tracy, tu blog es muy interesamnte, conecta conmigo en muchas cosas, amo también hacer las cosas por mi misma. Me encantó tu receta de pastillas de dientes, una consulta puedo reemplazar el Cocil gluatamato sódico por S Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI) que es el que venden en Perú. El agua destilada es la que venden en farmacia? Agradezco tu respeuesta, saludos!
Hola Karina,
¡Muchas gracias por tu mensaje! Sí, puedes reemplazar el cocoyl glutamate sódico por Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI). Yo lo he probado (porque me ha pregunatdo lo mismo mucha gente) y funciona bien, además de tener un sabor bastante suave.
Y sí, el agua destilada es la misma que venden en las farmacias, la que se usa, por ejemplo, para planchas o aparatos que necesitan agua sin minerales. No es totalmente necesaria, pero me gusta recomendarla en recetas cosméticas para asegurarme de que el agua no tenga contaminantes que puedan alterar la fórmula.
I purchased a bottle of sodium cocoyl glutamate, but it says for external use only. Any ideas for a substitution?
Hi Jess,
That “for external use only” label is pretty standard for surfactants—it just means it isn’t officially certified as food-grade. In reality, almost all commercial toothpastes use similar cosmetic-grade surfactants, including sodium cocoyl glutamate and SCI.
As long as it’s from a reputable cosmetic supplier and used in a small amount, it’s generally fine for toothpaste. If you prefer to play it extra safe, you can skip it altogether—it’ll still clean your teeth, just without the foam.
We bought some Halo toothpaste tabs for a trip and loved them so much that we wanted to make the switch permanently to tabs, but they are expensive!! I was so excited to see a recipe for them from a DENTIST.
I just made your formula, Tracy, though I used Cocamidopropyl Betaine for the surfactant instead since I already had it and saw that Halo uses it. I made one other change. I swapped Hydroxyapatite for the baking soda since I read that it’s great for teeth. I bought the Hydroxyapatite in a capsule form and then took apart the capsules. Unfortunately the granules are irregular in size and some are large enough to be gritty. I made a reduced size test batch and tested the paste while still wet so it’s not a big deal. Other than the little bit of grit from the Hydroxyapatite they are awesome. I actually forgot I was using my MYO version.
What’s your take on Hydroxyapatite, Tracy? Any ideas how to add some without having the gritty issue? I am trying to soak the Hydroxyapatite with the water that will go into the formula overnight to see if that’ll solve things.
Thanks so much. This is my third recipe of yours. The roll-on deodorant and the liquid Dr. Bronners are just like the store bought stuff, but better ingredients.
Thank you so much!
I have mixed feelings on the hydroxyapatite. I’d be really hesitant to try to add it to a MYO product, though.
Here’s my reasoning: Basically, hydroxyapatite is the main component of tooth enamel. That means it will have the same number (at least relatively) as your tooth enamel (a 5 on the Moh’s hardness scale). Baking soda, which some people are worried about its abrasiveness, only has a rating of 2. It’s much softer than dental enamel.
My concern is that you could be abrading away enamel while brushing with hydroxyapatite. Yes, some studies have shown remineralization form using toothpaste with hydroxyapatite, but I believe it uses micro or nano hydroxyapatite. I’m guessing it’s added in a solution vs. a powder (and I’d also guess in much smaller quantities than what you probably added.)
While it’s questionable how much you can abrade away if you’re using a soft bristled toothbrush with your toothpaste (vs. a polishing disk, etc.), I’d still be concerned about what it could do to your teeth over time. For me, I’d guess it would harm more than it would benefit. (I could be wrong, but this is me making an educated guess.)
I guess my focus with cavities these days is more on diet. I think that will always have much more of an impact than whatever gets put in toothpastes. Toothpaste is only on your teeth for a very limited time and then rinsed off. It can’t really help as much as commercials for miracles would have us believe.
I’d have to do more investigation, but, off the top of my head, that’s how I feel about it.
Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate it. That makes it easy then. I can just skip the hydroxyapatite…one less ingredient to buy!
I’m having a difficult time sourcing sodium cocoyl glutamate. Can you tell me where you purchased it? Also, is it the powder or liquid form that is used in this recipe?
Hi Brenda,
I live in Spain and bought it locally, so my sources probably aren’t very good for most people. (I’ve bought form several places, including Jabonarium and Planeta Huerto- for those who are in the area!) I actually bought both the powder and the liquid and tried both. Either works fine! If using the liquid, just make sure not to add too many other liquids so that the paste stays thick enough.
I appreciate your reply and thank you for letting me know that i can use either the liquid or powder form of sodium cocoyl glutamate.
Is it OK to substitute sodium cocoyl isethionate for the sodium cocoyl glutamate? I realize the isethionate is a synthetic version of the glutamate, but it is also far less expensive. What are your thoughts?
Thanks very much,’
Jeanne van Emmerik
Hi Jeanne,
Great question! 😊 Yes, you can substitute sodium cocoyl isethionate for sodium cocoyl glutamate. They’re both gentle surfactants, but isethionate is a bit more cleansing and slightly less mild than glutamate. I’ve tried it myself in this recipe, and it worked just fine—the flavor stayed mild and the texture was good. It’s definitely a more budget-friendly option if that’s what you have on hand. 💕
This DIY toothpaste tablet recipe is a game-changer! It’s eco-friendly, cost-effective, and super convenient for travel. Thanks for sharing such information and promote sustainable oral hygiene.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the toothpaste tablets helpful. They really do make eco-friendly travel so much easier.
I have tried these and they are wonderful! Thank you so much for posting the recipe.
What do you call the plastic bottle you used for adding the water?
Thanks, Nicole.
It’s actually made of silicone and it’s called the Lekue deco pen. I find it really handy for lots of uses.