Natural Baking Soda and Homemade Cinnamon Mint Tooth Powder

Driving across the Seven Mile Bridge, my mind starts to wander.  What is baking soda, is it pure, is it natural, does it have harmful chemicals in it?  (Seven miles is a pretty long way and my mind does wander quite often.)  I use baking soda for many purposes, including in food, so I decided I had better check it out.

I have used this brand of baking soda for many years.  It is an inexpensive wonder- useful in many applications such as a cleaner, deodorizer, fire extinguisher, and buffering agent.  It doesn't just mask odors it neutralizes them and when combined into a batter it makes great breads and pancakes.  But how is it produced?  I checked out a few sites and found this one to be the most informative about the production of pure baking soda.  My old faithful Arm and Hammer does use a chemical process through which trona ore is mined.  And, like any chemical process the items used and the waste produced can cause pollution.  But , this baking soda is really inexpensive.

There are natural deposits of baking soda in the USA, with the Green River Formation in Colorado being one of the most notable.  This natural occurring baking soda is found in the Bob's Mill brand of baking soda and is produced without chemicals. (The cost of this is higher than the Arm and Hammer.)

As you can see, I still have lots of baking soda so I plan to continue using it to clean my counters and sprinkle on Butterscotch's bedding before it is washed.  But, I plan on using Bob's in the future for cooking, skincare, and tooth powder.

My favorite is a cinnamon and peppermint combination:

• 13 tablespoons calcium carbonate
• 4 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 25 drops peppermint essential oil
• 12 drops cinnamon essential oil

I combine all the ingredients in my blender and blend about 1 minute; then store in a container with a tight fitting lid.