When I took my first child to a (conventional) dentist I asked her if she thought mouthwash was a good idea for kids. She said no, which was surprising. Later after being very unsatisfied I traveled far to see a holistic dentist who was an advocate for natural mouthwashes for children. To me, mouthwash sounded like a really easy way to upgrade our nightly brushing routine. Getting kids to do a lot of complicated things before bed can be a challenge so I liked the thought of something easy like this.

I started reading and shopping around for different mouthwashes for kids. The first problem was that many had fluoride in them, which I am opposed to using. After ruling out those products, I starting seeing mouthwashes with more unfavorable ingredients like artificial colors and flavors, high alcohol content, and glycerin (this is a safe ingredient but just inhibits mineral absorption when used in oral care products).

Even after all that, my children hate mint toothpaste and mouthwash. It was literally impossible to find a mouthwash that would work for us so I started making my own, which is surprisingly easy.Continue Reading