So yeah, it’s no wonder why I am so particular about what I use to take care of my teeth. I use natural deodorant and the majority of my skincare is also natural so why wouldn’t I treat my oral care the same way?
Why natural?
In reality the question was why not? I test out a lot of product and am exposed to a lot of god-only-knows-what ingredients so the products I use day to day when I’m not trying something new I try and keep as simple as possible.
Considering that whatever toothpaste I’m using I am probably also eating there are a few common ingredients I try my best to avoid:
- Sodium Laurel Sulfate: I also avoid this ingredient in my haircare products. This is what makes product foam up and people often associate foam with cleansing however there is no direct relation to SLS and a product’s cleaning ability.
- Fluoride: This is one ingredient that I know can be a bit polarizing because fluoride is effective in reducing cavities (seems like most studies I read said up to 25%) however too much fluoride can cause mottling, those stains or white spots that can appear, and in large doses can be fatal.
- Artificial Dyes: Why? Like why does something you literally spit into your sink need to be “pretty?”
- Chemical Flavours: With an abundance of natural breath fresheners, like spearmint and tea tree, I would rather opt to consume something from natural vs something from a lab.
A misconception about toothpaste is that it is meant to clean your teeth when rather it’s meant to kill bacteria and restore your mouth pH balance. The act of brushing and flossing your teeth is what cleans your teeth, not the toothpaste and mouthwash on its own. That’s why a good toothbrush can be so costly.
Think of it this way; if you were cleaning your counters with a rag and all purpose spray, a toothbrush is the rag (it gets all the shit off the counter and puts in the elbow grease) while the toothpaste is the all purpose spray (it disinfects and smells nice).
The team at Lokena sent me some samples prior to their launch to try out and I’ve been using both the mouthwash and the toothpaste for about a month now. My first impressions were of how gentle the formula was and either product burned the way other toothpastes I’ve used had. I tend to dread using mouthwash because of the burning sensation and because I have sensitive gums but both products were fine for everyday use.
Their site also does a great job of breaking down how they compare to other natural toothpastes and Lokena is aimed at killing bacteria more effectively than others.
One of my favourite things about Lokena is their commitment to transparency with a full ingredient breakdown list with descriptions available on their site (see it here). I did the work y’all. I read the whole thing and there is no ingredient added just for the hell of it making the formula well-rounded.
At the time of this post, it is not available yet but is available for pre-order! It is a bit pricier than drugstore toothpastes (priced at $14 a tube) but I find that a little goes a long way.
