This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Did you know you can make your own mouthwash? This homemade mouthwash is ready in under 5 minutes and takes just a few simple, sustainable ingredients. Give your mouth that fresh, clean feeling with several different essential oil flavors, or make it unflavored — the choice is yours!
You probably know by now that I love to make my own bath, body, and hygiene products!
My entire routine — everything from homemade mascara to DIY shampoo — is made by me with simple, natural ingredients.
I started making my own mouthwash so I could stop buying the pricy all-natural options at the store, and I absolutely love it!
This mouthwash is incredibly easy to make. You just need 4 ingredients and a minute or two to mix up a batch.
You’ll love having DIY mouthwash to get that refreshing, clean feeling in your mouth whenever you need it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple, natural ingredients: It gives me a bit of comfort to know exactly what’s in each of my products! I never have to guess or read labels, because they are all made by me with 100% natural ingredients.
- Sustainable: Making your own mouthwash is just one way to live a more sustainable life. You can reduce your plastic waste and ensure only sustainable ingredients go into your homemade mouthwash.
- Refreshing: I love the feeling I get after using mouthwash! It’s cooling, refreshing, and makes my mouth feel clean. It’s the perfect pick-me-up for any time of day!
- Customizable: A wonderful perk of making your own DIY products is that you can customize them to your needs and preferences. I love choosing a flavor of mouthwash each time I make a new batch, and I can even adjust the other ingredients as needed.
Ingredients
- Water: Use filtered water whenever possible.
- Baking soda: Baking soda adjusts the pH of the mouthwash and works as a natural emulsifier for the essential oils, so they are more evenly dispersed in the water.
- Mineral drops: Mineral mouthwash has become quite popular, and it’s very easy to make your own by adding a few mineral drops to your homemade mouthwash!
- Essential oils (optional): Be sure to read the safety notes before proceeding with essential oils. You can stick with classic peppermint, choose your favorite oil, or keep it unscented.
Unflavored Homemade Mouthwash
If you prefer to have an unscented/unflavored mouthwash, you can absolutely omit the essential oils in this recipe. This will give it a mild flavor from the minerals and baking soda, but it will largely be flavorless. This is ideal for those who are sensitive to flavored mouthwash or anyone who wants to skip the essential oils.
How to Make Mouthwash
Step 1: Fill a glass jar with water and add the baking soda and mineral drops to it.
Step 2: If using, add the essential oil drops.
Step 3: Stir well or secure the lid and shake to mix.
Step 4: Swish about 2 tablespoons in your mouth for 15 seconds, then spit and rinse.
Safety Notes
This recipe has the optional addition of essential oils to add a refreshing flavor. It’s important to note that essential oils should be used sparingly and with caution in oral DIYs.
Always keep mouthwash out of reach of children. Do NOT swallow it — always swish, spit it out, and rinse your mouth after.
This recipe is intended for personal use only and is not intended to treat or prevent health conditions. Check with your healthcare provider before using this DIY mouthwash to ensure it’s right for you.
Best Essential Oils for Mouthwash
Of course, the mint oils are the first ones we think of when it comes to mouthwash. That crisp, spicy flavor is invigorating and makes you feel fresh. But many other essential oils, not just mint, can be used in your mouthwash.
Please note: do NOT ingest the mouthwash; just swish it around in the mouth and spit it out.
Cool Mint Essential Oils
Choosing the type of mint for mouthwash comes down to preference. I tend to think peppermint is too “spicy,” so I prefer the milder flavor of spearmint. As a result, I flavored my homemade toothpaste and mouth freshener spray with that, rather than peppermint.
Either one of these oils, peppermint or spearmint, makes a great option for the mouthwash.
Cinnamon and Clove
Cinnamon and clove give your mouth that fresh feeling without the intense spiciness of mint flavors. If you enjoy cinnamon-flavored toothpaste, mints, or candies, definitely try cinnamon and/or clove for your mouthwash!
Citrus Oils
Lemon, wild orange, and lime essential oils give your mouthwash a bright flavor that can be a welcome change from the more traditional mouthwash flavors. They are a great choice for anyone sensitive to the spicy flavor options.
Expert Tips
- Give your mouthwash a good shake before each use, so everything is well dispersed in the water.
- To use your homemade mouthwash, swish about 2 tablespoons in your mouth for 15 seconds, then spit and rinse out your mouth with cool water.
- You can use mouthwash throughout the day to give your mouth that fresh feeling between meals.
- If you are unsure about a flavor choice, try making a half or quarter batch to test it out.
Best Natural Mouthwash
DIYing is not for everyone. Below, I share my favorite natural mouthwash options that you can purchase if you don’t want to make your own.
- DoTERRA On Guard mouthwash
- Tom’s of Main mouthwash
- Hello fresh mint mouthwash
- Dr. Brite natural whitening mouthwash
- Oral Rinse fresh mint
FAQs
That’s entirely up to you! You can use this mouthwash whenever your mouth needs freshening, between meals, or at the beginning or end of the day.
You can store it at room temperature in a sealed container, like a jar or bottle.
Yes, generally, making your own mouthwash is cheaper, especially compared to other natural mouthwashes, which tend to cost more. Saving money is one of the many reasons I like to make my own personal hygiene products!
No, you can definitely make an unflavored mouthwash without any essential oils! Just skip them when mixing up your mouthwash.
Related Recipes
- Natural Deodorant Cream Recipe
- 5 DIY Face Wash Recipes for All Skin Types
- DIY Cleansing Oil
- Whole Body Deodorant Spray
- Coconut Oil Lip Scrub
If you made this Homemade Mouthwash tutorial or any other tutorial on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Mouthwash with Spearmint
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 drops spearmint essential oil, *optional
- 10 drops of mineral drops
Instructions
- Add baking soda, essential oils, and mineral drops to the bottle.
- Top off with water.
- Secure lid and shake well.
- Swish about 2 tablespoons around in your mouth for 15 seconds, then spit and rinse.
How long will this last on the shelf or do you use right away? Thank you
Hi Laura,
I assume this is safe to be used straight after using the homemade toothpaste?
I’m really enjoying your recipes and love how easy you make it all to read and do it ourselves. Thank you xx
Yes
Instead of using distilled water and adding minerals, can you use filtered rainwater? All of the trace minerals we need are found naturally in the environment. Using water with those already in there might be more beneficial than adding them, especially since bottled trace minerals are synthesized versions of minerals, which aren’t exactly the same as naturally occurring ones.
That is a great suggestion, thanks for sharing! I need to look into this more!
Where do you get those glass jars for the mouthwash that you have in the picture?
I am not sure where I got those from, one of those things I have had around for awhile!
Hi Laura
Always enjoy your recipes having tried most of them ! Thank you very much for sharing your abundant knowledge with us. Would like to try this for those cold lazy nights!
Can I use store bought but a good brand sparkling mineral water?
Thank you Lots of 💛
Praj
I haven’t thought of using sparkling water in this, but I guess you could.
Do you have any recipes for killing paper fleas? I was cleaning out their house and they had a lg. bin filled with old papers, and documents. I shredded them all, now my cat and I are scratching away… help!