Properly Care For Your Mouth
Right now you’re probably thinking, “Teeth brushing? Oral Hygiene? What am I? An 8-year-old? I think I know how to take care of my grill” We hear you grrrl.
Instead, why wouldn’t we be writing about the latest hair removal treatment, chemical peels or that 28-year-old who tried botox for the first time?
Well, we’ve gotta tell you, all that can wait, ’cause caring for your mouth should be at the top of your new priority list.
(Mental note: Get a priority list). Sure, we all brush our teeth religiously (apart from the nights where the last thing our teeth see before bed is food truck burrito) and we love a shower floss as much as the next girl, but the reality is, upping your mouth game can reap massive health benefits across the board.
We’re not just talking about sparkly molars and squeaky clean gums here. We’re talking about whiter teeth, better sleep, more energy, improved digestion and clearer skin, all by just going the extra mile to make sure your oral game is A+. (ahem)
So in the spirit of keeping things fresh, we’re sharing the all natural mouth care routine that has no joke changed our lives.
It’s time to give your mouth a bit of love. As it were.
You’re body, (and you’re BF) will thank us.
You’re welcome.
Oil Pulling
We wrote about oil pulling here awhile back, and look, while we like the idea of it, the reality is often a different story. Honestly, most of the time it just feels……hard. Spooning the right amount of coconut oil out of the jar, feeling slightly nauseous and trying to last the distance (20 minutes) is often nearly impossible. Enter Keeko. These little sachets landed on our desks a few months ago and since then we’ve been oil pulling every day. In a nutshell, it’s a convenient little pack that contains just the right amount of coconut oil, with added essential oils, meaning it tastes great and it’s more concentrated, so you can do it for as little as 5 minutes and still get all the health benefits. We do it while in the shower every morning.
Binchotan Charcoal
We’re not sure whether you’ve ever had the pleasure of smelling a toothbrush, but look, your mouth contains bacteria, and without wanting to alarm you, well, scientists have found more than 10 million bacteria living in a single toothbrush. Which can contain a certain odor. Yup, gross. Also, viruses can live on your toothbrush for months, so don’t be sharing that shit with anyone, ok? The good news is Binchotan charcoal toothbrushes exist which every girl should own.
Morihata has created the famous Binchotan toothbrushes, also known as the ‘black toothbrush’ that has the charcoal blended into the bristles. Made in Japan, each nylon bristle is blended with the highest quality Binchotan Charcoal powder. This means the toothbrush has powerful deodorising effect to remove plaque and the cause of bad breath. It also helps to prevent harmful bacteria and viruses from growing within the brush. WIN.
You need one in your life now.
Tongue Scraping
Yasmin Sewell swears by tongue scraping (read about it here) and generally anything she does, we do (in a non-single-white-femaley way, y’know?). The ancient Ayurvedic ritual of scraping your tongue with a flat piece of metal bent into a U-shape has a host of health benefits that you should definitely know about.
When we sleep, our digestive system remains awake, removing toxins from our body by depositing them onto the surface of our tongue. If we don’t scrape away these toxins, they get reabsorbed by the body and can lead to respiratory difficulties, digestive problems, and a compromised immune system.
The heath benefits of a quick scrape every morning is well worth it; removing the coating that leads to bad breath, improving your digestion, enhancing your sense of taste, gently stimulating your internal organs and improving your general state of health and wellbeing.
And it’s quick, a few scrapes first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and you’re done.
Natural Mouth Wash
We read an article recently about the dangers of mainstream mouthwashes, and it makes sense. Most contain ingredients that you definitely don’t want to swallow, or even put down the drain. It’s also often alcohol-based, with an alcohol content ranging from 18-26%. According to the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia’s (EHANS’s) “Guide to Less Toxic Products”— “products with alcohol can contribute to cancers of the mouth, tongue and throat when used regularly,” the guide reports, adding that a 2009 review in the Dental Journal of Australia confirmed the link between alcohol-based mouthwashes and an increased risk of oral cancers.
So that was reason enough for us to make the switch. Many natural mouthwashes contain essential oils and other great ingredients which are highly antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial, and often perform much better than synthetic ingredients.
Here’s our list of favourites.
Natural Toothpaste
Just like mouthwash, mainstream toothpaste can contain harmful ingredients that you really don’t want anywhere near your mouth. Among them Sodium Lauryl Sulphate. Essentially, it’s soap, and gives you a foaming quality that we often equate to the feeling of cleanliness, but it’s also toxic.
Mainstream toothpaste can also contain abrasive particles (hello silica contained in whitening products), desensitizers (yes, we’re talking to the Folks out there that are trying to heal the hole in their tooth with Sensodyne), and a host of other ingredients we really shouldn’t be swallowing.
So below are our picks of the natural toothpaste that you might definitely want to try.
