a beautiful smile... naturally

while we all want a pretty smile when we face the world each day, many of our choices for toothpaste are chock full of chemicals like parabens, titanium dioxide for whitening, and high levels of fluoride.

"but isn't flouride good?" you ask? well, in proper amounts, sure... but, considering the fact that our drinking water contains more than enough flouride already (and the debate over the risks vs. benefits of flouridated water rages on), adding even more can be poisonous... ick!

for many years, choices for natural toothpaste was seemingly limited... but that is no longer the case... peruse the aisles at your local natural market and you're faced with almost too many choices... anyhoo, i've been trying out a few alternatives and here's what i've found so far...

tom's of maine... tom's is a long-standing brand with a wide variety of flavors and such (they also have a good paste for kids!). i like it, but some feel the baking soda flavor/feel is a bit too much.




kiss my face... this organic aloe vera-based paste is pretty good, with lots of options. the flavor is fine but i've never been one to ponder the taste of aloe vera and, despite the company's attempts to mask the aloe-ness, it's still there.

my latest attempt is desert essence, and - so far - i'm diggin it! the wintergreen flavor of the tea tree oil and need paste is great, and i've read nothing but good things about the effects of neem oil.

i'll update as i try more... in the meantime, try one of these brands or some other kind yourself and let me know what you think!