Homemade mouthwash with aloe vera

This natural diy mouthwash with aloe vera will rinse out plaque and fight gum disease. This quick fix homemade mouthwash can also help with bad breath.

Reasons to use natural mouthwash

Natural mouthwash makes for a great addition to an oral hygiene routine as it reaches corners of your mouths, tongue, and gums that may be missed during brushing.

It should not be used as a substitute for regular brushing and flossing.

Some people use mouthwash to control bad breath and have a pleasant taste in their mouth, others have therapeutic reasons to help with conditions such as gingivitis, dry mouth or plaque buildup.

Why make homemade natural mouthwash?

There are many over the counter mouthwashes in the market so why make your own natural mouthwash? 

The main reason is that you can control the ingredients. Firstly, most conventional mouthwashes contain harmful chemicals and dangerous preservatives. Secondly, conventional mouthwash destroys the microfloral balance in your mouth. People tend to use strong sanitizing mouthwashes with hopes of leaving their breath fresh and minty, instead they put their oral microbiome off balance. By the way bad breath is a symptom of a system that is out of balance.  

Our mouth contains about 500 to 1,000 different types of bacteria, enzymes that aid in digestion, proteins which provide nutrients for the helpful bacteria and enzymes that aid in digestion. The way to succeed with your oral hygiene is to improve the microbiome balance in your mouth and gut.

The way to go is to use homemade mouthwash with natural ingredients that help with remineralization in addition to freshening your breath. It is also a great way to boost and strengthen beneficial bacteria.

What ingredients to use to make your homemade mouthwash super effective

Benefits of Aloe Vera for your gums

Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties aloe vera finds its uses in gum and oral issues. We are talking about the aloe vera gel where the leaf stores all its nutrients. The aloe vera gel contains anti-inflammatory agents that stimulate the immune system function, collagen growth and blocks the paths of irritants. It also contains antiseptic agents that help inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses and fungi. These all help with gingivitis, gum infections or other mouth irritations (1) It is also a very effective remedy for acne-prone skin and makes therefore a great addition to creams or toners.

Aloe vera is also very effective in the prevention of gum diseases caused by inflammation or bacteria

Be aware that aloe vera is not suitable for people with diabetes as it may lower blood sugar to a dangerous level.

Aloe vera is well known healer that can help to heal burns and sunburns much faster. I always keep this aloe vera burn gel at hand. I like to powder dried aloe vera leaves into aloe vera powder that possesses similar medicinal benefits as juice.

Baking soda

This study claims that baking soda significantly increased salivary pH which led to the inhibition of bacterial growth (2) Odorless baking soda also helps balance the ph after ingesting acidic food that can damage your teeth.

Baking soda has abrasive properties that help break the bonds of molecules that stain the teeth and remove plaque.  For that reason, baking soda is popular for whitening teeth. (3)

Sea salt

Salt water is a natural disinfectant that can help draw out bacteria and improve gum and dental health. It is used mainly for the prevention of gingivities, cavities and periodontitis. 

Salt water gargles are a simple and safe way to help with sore throats and sinus infections. 

Essential oils

The main purpose of adding essential oils to a mouthwash is to disrupt the growth of bacteria in the plaque. Thus helping to avoid gingivitis, cavities and periodontal disease.

As per this study (4) using a mouthwash with essential oils help reduce plaque and gingivities. Patients with gingivitis who brushed and flossed routinely and used mouthwash with essential oil had a significantly lower amount of gingivitis than the other controlled group that didn’t use mouthwash with essential oils. 

The essential oils that are best to use in mouthswash:

• Lime, lemon, grapefruit
• Clove, orange, peppermint
• Cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, and orange
• Frankincense and myrrh

If you don’t feel comfortable with using essetnail oils or you make this mouthwash for children you can use peppernmint extract to achieve a pleasant fresh flavor instead. The amount of alcohol in these formulas are almost negligible. 

How to make homemade mouthwash

First step

Start with aloe vera juice which you can either buy ready made or make from aloe vera plant. 

Second step

Cut and Rinse the aloe vera leaves thoroughly, cut the spiky edges on the sides and let the yellow latex drop off. 

Third step

Scrape the gel using a knife or spoon.

The gel inside should be white or clear in color, free of any yellow latex

Fourth step

Blend the gel for 1 minute until you achieve aloe vera juice.

Fifth step

Add distilled water, baking soda, sea salt and essential oils and mix it well. Use a sterilized bottle to avoid any contamination.

Sixth step

Shake it before use to disperse oils, salt and baking soda that may settle at the bottom.

Keep it refrigerated and use within 2 weeks.