The next time you take a swig of that cool, minty-fresh mouthwash, read the label.

ACT, one of the top sellers contains ingredients such as sodium saccharin, sorbitol, green dye #3, and yellow dye #5. It’s more bad news for standard mouthwash, which recently was revealed to increase the risk of cancer.

Enter The Natural Dentist, where colors are derived from vegetable juices such as red cabbage, purple carrot, beet, tomato, and annatto.

Instead of sodium lauryl sulfate, a common ingredient that acts as a detergent and produces foam in toothpaste, The Natural Dentist uses a coconut-based ingredient.

Product labels and printed materials are produced with soy ink, which has low VOC levels (volatile organic compounds) that contribute to air pollution; and all products are vegetarian/vegan and have earned the cruelty-free product seal from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Other options include JASON Natural Cosmetics; Dr. Ken’s; and Eco-DenT oral care products.

Now go ahead – rinse and brush with a good conscience!

The post Swish, Gurgle, Splat: the Natural Dentist appeared first on EcoSalon.

For the love of your friends and colleagues, freshen your breath, but pass on the Listerine unless you want a little cancer to go with that minty mouth. An Australian study of 3,200 people has found that alcohol-based mouthwashes actually increase your risk of developing oral cancer, and that risk increases nine-fold if you smoke or drink. It’s thought that the ethanol in the mouthwash helps cancer-causing chemicals like nicotine absorb into the skin.

Listerine has long been considered a smart part of a healthy dental care regimen. We’ve all seen the cute cartoon animated commercials where germs are sent scrambling. But this may be one case where the cure is worse than the disease. Thankfully, you’ve got better options:

Jason’s Healthy Mouth mouthwash is free of alcohol, saccharin and anything else you wouldn’t want swishing around your mouth. Try a 16 oz bottle for $7.36.

Prefer DIY? Here’s an easy single-serving recipe:

2 oz. of water
1/4 tsp. baking soda or sea salt
1 drop peppermint oil
1 drop tea tree oil

Mix, rinse, and spit. Ahhhh…now you can smile and breathe easy.

Image: razee

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