Whitening Your Teeth Naturally (Easy & Cheap)

Growing up, I lived in a very strict household (nothing wrong with that) and I was a good kid (nothing wrong with that). I didn't want to do anything "bad", but with five siblings, I had to do *something* to establish my independence. So I found tiny ways to rebel. These usually hurt me more than anything, especially my decision to not brush my teeth for awhile (GROSS!!!). For several years, I brushed my teeth maybe a few times a week. This was especially a problem when I had braces in middle school.

*Shudders*

In retrospect, I'd like to thank all the people who were friends with me in middle school and junior high.

Anyway, because of this, my teeth got stained pretty yellow. It was very, very gross. Since hitting college age when I had a bit more freedom and self-awareness, I've searched for good whitening products. The problem with those products is that my teeth are quite sensitive, and they would make my mouth ache for days, at the very least, and not do much in the way of permanent help.

So I started searching for more natural ways of whitening my teeth that wouldn't also damage them. And recently my lovely mother-in-law asked me spontaneously if my teeth are naturally this white or if I whiten them somehow. That's when you know you've made it! So I'll share my process with you here with one treatment in the morning and a different treatment at night.

*Note: The contents of this post are no replacement for advice from a dental professional. You will also have significantly better results if you begin with a professional teeth cleaning, so you aren't fighting an upward battle.*

Baking Soda

This is a tried and tested method for whitening your teeth. Baking soda is not a novel concept, but it is quite effective.

First, wet your toothbrush and squeeze some toothpaste onto the bristles, being careful to make sure it actually adheres and won't fall off later.

See how it's pressed a little down into the bristles?

Next, open your container of baking soda that you keep in a convenient spot near the sink.

Yes, that is a Harry Potter reference.

Dip your bristles into the baking soda with the aim to get more than you think you'll need. The baking soda doesn't adhere particularly well.

Dig even deeper than this, trust me.

Tap your toothbrush against the lip of the container so that the excess baking soda falls back into the container. This keeps you from getting baking soda dust all over your counter.

Brush your teeth and rinse like normal. That's the entire morning ritual! Some people add lemon juice to the baking soda ritual, but citrus softens your enamel and you can easily wear it away doing that, especially while brushing.

Activated Charcoal

You may have heard of activated charcoal. It's what they give you in hospitals when you're been poisoned. It also has a happy side effect of helping you to whiten your teeth.

First, prepare your container of activated charcoal. I have a bag of activated charcoal that I bought pretty cheap from Amazon, and it has lasted forever. You want to make sure you use some sort of scoop like a tablespoon measure to transfer the charcoal into your container. If you try to pour it, you will get a LARGE cloud of black dust that goes everywhere and is pretty difficult to clean.

If you look closely, that is another Harry Potter reference.

Same as this morning, put toothpaste on your toothbrush and dip it into the activated charcoal. You only want to get a little bit this time, though.

Tap your toothbrush to allow any excess to fall into the container (this is VERY IMPORTANT if you hate stains). Then brush your teeth as normal.

I find it's easier to strategically spit your charcoal/toothpaste out into the puddled moving water net to the drain, rather than directly under the stream of water. This way you don't get nearly as much black water splashed around your sink. I've never had a problem wiping the black off my porcelain sink, but it is very difficult to get out of clothes, so be careful

Enjoy your pretty new smile! You may want to print of a teeth shade card to compare your teeth to so you can see the actual progress over the weeks you use this process.