I’m pleased to welcome Dr. Eric Zielinski to the blog today– you might recognize him from the Essential Oil Revolution Summit, as well as many of the amazing articles he writes and shares on his blog. He’s an expert when it comes to natural remedies (and especially essential oils!) and is sharing his recipe for homemade mouthwash today.
When I met my wife 10 years ago, I fell head-over-heals in love with her almost instantly. We had one of those whirlwind romances. We met in June 2006, got engaged three months later and were married December the same year.
Like most guys during the courting stage, I would have done virtually anything to win her heart. I was even so mesmerized by her beauty that I broke a commitment I made to myself a few years before we met to never use toxic body care items, and went to the local drugstore to purchase some mouthwash.
At all costs I wanted to impress my new-found-love, and I will never forget how I felt after I first rinsed my mouth out that Listerine.
What’s Wrong with Mouthwash?
I can already hear what you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal, Doc? What’s wrong with freshening up your breath to make snuggling up with your honey is a little more pleasant?”
Well…a lot.
There are so many reasons why we shouldn’t use 99% of the store-bought mouthwashes out there, and the worst part of it all was that I knew what I was doing was bad. I just didn’t think I had an alternative.
First off, most mouthwash products contain harmful chemicals like chlorhexidine and triclosan – a registered pesticide since 1969 and a dangerous preservative that the FDA just recently banned from a number of body care products.
Secondly, conventional mouthwash destroys the microfloral balance in your mouth, and can literally dampen your immune function. It’s shocking how powerful this stuff is, and how harmful it can be when you look at the research.
The Reason Oral Health is so Important
I recently spoke at a holistic oral health summit, and I was shocked to learn that up to 90% of all diseases people suffer from can be linked to poor oral health. Believe it or not, your mouth is literally the window to your health. If this sounds like an exaggeration, it’s only because I’m the first person to tell you!
To put it into practical terms, have you ever heard it recommended that you should put a drop of frankincense essential oil under your tongue as a natural solution for a variety of health conditions? It’s actually a pretty popular recommendation in the blogosphere. Well, there’s a good reason why people recommend it. Because it works!
Traditional aromatherapy teaches that this technique is one of the most effective ways of getting the therapeutic constituents of essential oils into your blood stream. Now, what do you think this looks like when the coin is flipped?
Just consider the potentially harmful toxins that swish around in your mouth when you eat processed, fast foods, drink beverages filled with neon color and artificial colorings, and ingest toxic beauty products. And, yes, ladies, you ingest literally dozens of chemicals by licking your lips throughout the day if you wear lipstick!
The reason I’m telling you all of this is not to freak you and get you all paranoid about using makeup, but to emphasize what I mentioned above: your oral health is a window, providing a clear view of how healthy your body is. If your oral health is poor, chances are you’ll develop one or more chronic diseases. If your oral health is strong, the likelihood of you staying healthy is in your favor.
The key takeaway message is this: you do not need to use store bought mouthwash to have a healthy, clean mouth. In fact, you will want to stay away from these products and do-it-yourself!
Essential Oils: The Oral Health Solution
Going back to my story of how I met my wife, I will never forget how I felt after I swished around Listerine around in my mouth for a few seconds. Instantly, I felt a little nauseous – a telltale sign that I just did something my body wasn’t too happy about. Then, after the burning stopped (it was so painful it made my eyes water), the inside of my mouth felt like the skin of a kiwi fruit – all fuzzy and somewhat raw. Note, this was only discernible to me after the sensation of touch returned because the mouthwash made my mouth numb for a few minutes!
If only I knew about essential oils back then…
Today, if I want fresh breathe to make snuggling up with my honey a little more pleasant I go the DIY route and do something like this homemade mouthwash recipe below. It doesn’t hurt, is wonderfully effective and I can rest assured afterward that I did my body good.
Hope you enjoy it!
Homemade Mouthwash Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water (filtered is best)
- 1 tablespoon alcohol-free witch hazel (where to buy)
- 1 teaspoon fractionated coconut oil (where to buy)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 12 drops of essential oils*
- Mason jar for storage
Instructions
- In a medium glass bowl, whisk together essential oils, baking soda, carrier oil and witch hazel.
- Put mixture into a mason jar and fill container with water.
- Tighten lid and shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds.
- The mouthwash is ready for use.
- Swish in your mouth for 10-15 seconds and rinse.
- Store remaining mouthwash in mason jar.
Best Essential Oils for Homemade Mouthwash
- Lime, lemon, grapefruit
- Clove, orange, peppermint
- Cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, and orange
- Frankincense and myrrh
Founder of DrEricZ.com and Biblical Health Academy, Dr. Eric L. Zielinski is a sought-after public health researcher, Biblical health educator and speaker. Dr. Z’s mission is to provide the world with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to experience the Abundant Life. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and children.