How to Make Natural Deodorant at Home: DIY Recipe

By Dr. SamiUllah, PhD Lead Formulator, Formula Chemistry

Quick Answer: A reliable baking soda coconut oil toothpaste recipe blends 58.5% Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, 30% Sodium Bicarbonate (CAS 144-55-8), 10% powdered Xylitol, 1% peppermint oil, and 0.5% tocopherol into a water free paste. 

Because coconut oil melts at 24 to 26°C, swapping 2% of the oil for Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax keeps the paste firm in hot rooms, and the formula contains no fluoride.

Why Does Homemade Coconut Oil Toothpaste Turn to Soup Every Summer?

Most homemade coconut oil toothpaste fails the first week a room crosses 26°C. The oil liquefies, the baking soda sinks, and the jar becomes a salty puddle sitting on a hard crust of powder.

This baking soda coconut oil toothpaste recipe solves that with a water free base, controlled particle size, and a small wax option for hot climates. I built it after watching three summer batches separate on a shelf in Punjab, where June afternoons pass 40°C.

The broader question of choosing a toothpaste base lives in our guide on how to make natural toothpaste. This article owns one specific system: coconut oil as the carrier and sodium bicarbonate as the cleaning powder, with no water, glycerin, or gum anywhere in the jar.

What Can This Paste Do, and What Can It Not?

This recipe contains no fluoride. Fluoride toothpaste remains the standard that dental associations recommend for cavity protection, so a fluoride free paste should never replace professional advice for anyone at elevated cavity risk.

In the US, a toothpaste that makes anticavity or gum disease claims is regulated as an OTC drug. A paste positioned only for cleaning teeth and freshening breath is a cosmetic, so keep any label or product description to those claims and confirm current rules in your market before selling.

Coconut oil also carries claims that a finished paste cannot support. Lauric acid makes up roughly 45 to 52% of its fatty acids, yet no reliable evidence shows that the thin film left after a two minute brush delivers measurable antimicrobial activity in the mouth.

Treat this formula as what it is: a gentle, surfactant free cleaning paste with a pleasant finish. That honest framing protects your readers, your customers, and your brand.

Baking Soda Coconut Oil Toothpaste Recipe: The 100 g Bench Formula

Every percentage below comes from weighing, not spoon measures. A 5 g error in bicarbonate shifts the taste more than any flavor oil can mask, so use a scale that reads to 0.1 g.

To scale, multiply each percentage by your batch weight and divide by 100. A 250 g batch uses 146.25 g coconut oil, 75.00 g sodium bicarbonate, 25.00 g xylitol, 2.50 g peppermint oil, and 1.25 g tocopherol, for a total of 250.00 g.

Phase A is the carrier, Phase B holds the powders, and Phase C carries the heat sensitive additions. Keeping those phases separate during mixing is what makes the paste smooth instead of gritty.

Key Properties of Each Ingredient

Consistent data matters when you adjust a formula later. These are the figures I work from at the bench, and they match the values used across Formula Chemistry recipes.

Difficulty sits at beginner level for the base formula. The heat stable version moves to intermediate because it requires melting wax at a higher temperature and cooling in stages.

Why Do Coconut Oil and Bicarbonate Work Without Water?

Sodium bicarbonate dissolves in water at roughly 9.6 g per 100 mL at 20°C. In a water based paste, part of it dissolves and the rest stays as crystals, which changes texture and taste over time.

Inside an anhydrous coconut oil base, none of the bicarbonate dissolves. Each particle stays intact as a gentle polishing agent until saliva reaches it during brushing.

That design choice also explains why this paste never foams. No surfactant is present, and coconut oil coats the bristles instead of lathering, so expect a slick, smooth feel rather than bubbles.

How abrasive is baking soda on enamel?

Sodium bicarbonate is one of the softest abrasives used in oral care, with a Relative Dentin Abrasivity value commonly cited near 7. The ISO and ADA ceiling for daily toothpaste is 250, which leaves bicarbonate far below the limit.

Its crystals also partly dissolve in saliva as you brush, so they soften instead of staying sharp. That self limiting behavior is why bicarbonate suits a daily paste better than calcium carbonate or pumice at the particle sizes most home formulators can buy.

For bicarbonate levels in water based pastes and deeper particle grading, see our guide on how to make toothpaste with baking soda. Here, the focus stays on how bicarbonate behaves when coconut oil is the only liquid phase.

Why xylitol instead of sugar or honey?

Oral bacteria cannot ferment xylitol into acid the way they ferment sucrose. That property is why it appears widely in formulations designed for oral care.

At 10%, xylitol offsets most of the salty edge of bicarbonate without making the paste taste like candy. Honey and maple syrup add water and fermentable sugars, so they have no place in this formula.

Grind the xylitol before weighing it into the batch. Granulated crystals feel like sand against the gums, and a 20 second pulse in a dry spice grinder brings them close to powdered sugar.

Why add tocopherol to a coconut oil paste?

Coconut oil is mostly saturated and resists oxidation well. Virgin oil still carries trace unsaturated fats and flavor compounds that drift toward stale notes over months.

At 0.5%, Tocopherol slows that drift for almost no cost. It also has no taste at this level, so it never competes with the mint.

Virgin or refined coconut oil?

Refined coconut oil is the better choice for most people. It tastes neutral, so the peppermint reads clean and the paste does not taste like dessert.

Virgin oil works if you enjoy the coconut flavor. Its melting behavior is nearly identical, so the percentages stay the same either way.

How Do You Make It at the Bench?

The whole process takes about 25 minutes, most of it cooling time. Suspension depends far more on stirring at the right temperature than on the ingredients themselves.

1. Sanitize a wide mouth glass jar, a spatula, and a mixing bowl with 70% isopropyl alcohol, then let them air dry completely. Any water left behind becomes a contamination risk in a paste with no preservative.
2. Sift the sodium bicarbonate through a fine tea strainer to break up lumps. Pulse the xylitol in a dry grinder until powdery, then sift it the same way.
3. Weigh the coconut oil and warm it gently to 35 to 40°C until just liquid. Higher heat only lengthens cooling time.
4. Add both sifted powders to the melted oil and stir until no dry pockets remain.
5. Let the mixture cool to 30°C, then stir in the peppermint oil and tocopherol. Adding them cooler limits flavor loss.
6. Set the bowl in a cool water bath and keep stirring as the oil thickens. Around 22 to 24°C the mixture turns opaque and creamy, and that is the moment suspension locks in.
7. Spoon the paste into the jar, cap it, and let it set for 2 hours before first use.

Step 6 is where most batches succeed or fail. If you stop stirring while the oil is still clear, the powder settles into a layer that no amount of later mixing fully fixes.

How Do You Keep the Paste Firm Above 30°C?

Coconut oil alone cannot hold powder in suspension once it turns liquid. The fix is a small amount of a high melting wax that builds a network inside the oil.

Candelilla wax melts at 68 to 73°C and keeps the paste thick well past the melting point of coconut oil. Two percent is the ceiling I recommend for toothpaste, because higher levels leave a waxy film on the teeth that needs a second rinse.

Melt the candelilla wax with the coconut oil at 75 to 80°C until fully clear. Cool the blend to about 45°C, add the powders, and then follow the same cold stir process from step 5 onward.

How do you soften it for winter?

Below 18°C, coconut oil sets hard enough to fight the toothbrush. Replacing 10% of the coconut oil with Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, sold as fractionated coconut oil, keeps the paste soft down to about 10°C.

Fractionated coconut oil stays liquid because its fatty acids are mostly C8 and C10 chains. It adds no taste and mixes into the base without any extra steps.

Variant Formulas That Still Total 100%

Each variant below changes only what it needs to. Every column totals exactly 100.00%, so you can swap versions without recalculating anything else.

The Low Salt version suits first time users who find bicarbonate harsh. Mild Mint works for sensitive mouths, and Unflavored is the right starting point if mint oils irritate your gums.

Seven Mistakes That Ruin an Oil Based Toothpaste

Nearly every failed baking soda coconut oil toothpaste recipe I have reviewed traces back to one of these. Each one is easy to avoid once you know why it happens.

Using baking powder instead of baking soda

The two sit side by side on grocery shelves and share similar names. Baking powder contains acid salts and starch, so it fizzes in the mouth, tastes metallic, and leaves a pasty residue.

The fix is simple: check that the label reads 100% sodium bicarbonate, food grade. Nothing else should appear in the ingredient list.

Walking away while the oil is still warm

Once the powder is stirred in, the paste looks finished. Liquid coconut oil cannot suspend dense crystals, so the bicarbonate settles within minutes.

Keep stirring in a cool water bath until the paste turns opaque at 22 to 24°C. That single habit prevents the dry crust at the bottom of the jar.

Mixing equal parts oil and baking soda

A 50/50 ratio circulates widely online because it is easy to remember. The result is dry, crumbly, and so salty that most people quit after a few days.

Hold bicarbonate at 30% or lower. If the taste still bothers you, switch to the Low Salt variant at 20%.

Dipping a wet toothbrush into the jar

Habit makes this almost automatic. A wet brush carries water and oral bacteria into a product that has no preservative to handle either.

Use a small clean spatula or a wooden stick to transfer a pea sized amount. Make batches of 50 to 100 g so each jar is used up within a few weeks.

Overloading the peppermint oil

More mint seems to promise fresher breath. Above about 1.5%, menthol starts to sting the gums and the soft tissue of the cheeks.

Keep peppermint at 1.0% or lower. For sensitive mouths, spearmint at 0.5% gives freshness with far less bite.

Spitting the paste into the sink

Coconut oil solidifies below 24°C, and it does so inside your pipes too. Over months, daily spitting can build greasy deposits in the drain trap.

Spit into a tissue or a small bin instead. At minimum, run hot water for several seconds after each use.

Adding glycerin, xanthan, or water for texture

This usually comes from copying gel toothpaste recipes. Glycerin does not mix with coconut oil and separates into a layer, while xanthan gum needs water to hydrate and stays as grainy powder in oil.

Keep this paste fully anhydrous. If you want a gel texture, build a separate water based formula with a proper broad spectrum preservative.

Troubleshooting Table: Fix It Without Starting Over

Most problems show up within the first week of use. The table below maps each symptom to its cause and the exact correction.

Remelting is safe as long as you keep the temperature under 40°C for the base formula. Higher heat drives off the flavor oil, which then needs topping up by weight.

How Long Does a Water Free Toothpaste Last?

With no water present, microbes have very little to grow in, so this paste needs no preservative as long as it stays dry. The real limits are oxidation of the oil and contamination during use.

Store it in a capped glass jar away from direct sunlight and use it within 3 months. Discard any batch that smells sour, shows dark spots, or has liquid pooling on top at normal room temperature.

Pumps and squeeze tubes are not practical for this texture, since the paste changes consistency with temperature. A small jar with a separate spatula remains the cleanest option.

Who Should Use This Paste, and Who Should Skip It?

This formula fits a specific user and a specific purpose. It works as a cosmetic cleaning paste, not as a replacement for dental care.

Good candidates include:

• Adults who want a surfactant free paste because foaming agents irritate their mouth
• People who prefer a short, recognizable ingredient list and already keep regular dental checkups
• Formulators testing anhydrous oral care systems before moving to water based pastes

These users should be cautious:

• Anyone with active decay, high cavity risk, or a dentist’s fluoride recommendation, since this paste contains no fluoride
• Children, who tend to swallow paste and should use products their dentist recommends
• People on sodium restricted diets, who should rinse well and avoid swallowing
• Households with dogs, because xylitol is highly toxic to dogs even in small amounts
• Anyone allergic to coconut, mint, or candelilla

Always conduct a 48-hour patch test with any new formula before wider use.

Coconut Oil Toothpaste FAQ

What Makes This Paste Worth Mixing at Home?

This baking soda coconut oil toothpaste recipe works because a water free base removes the need for preservatives and weighed percentages remove the guesswork. 

Controlled cooling, ground powders, and a small wax option turn a fragile recipe into one that survives a Pakistani summer or a cold winter room.

At Formula Chemistry, we treat even simple recipes as formulation problems with measurable answers. Weigh a 50 g test batch using the base formula, cold stir it to 23°C, and brush with it for one week before adjusting a single percentage.

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