Homemade Mouthwash: with Spearmint

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 we love to make our own bath, body, and hygiene products!

Our entire routine — everything from homemade mascara to DIY shampoo — is made by me with simple, natural ingredients.

We started making our own mouthwash so we could stop buying the pricy all-natural options at the store, and we 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 our products! We 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: we love the feeling we get after using mouthwash! It’s cooling, refreshing, and makes our 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. We love choosing a flavor of mouthwash each time we make a new batch, and we 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

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. If you prefer to have an unscented/unflavored mouthwash, you can absolutely omit the essential oils in this recipe.

How to Make Mouthwash

Pouring baking soda into a jar to make homemade mouthwash.

Step 1: Fill a glass jar with water and add the baking soda and mineral drops to it.

Dropping essential oils into a jar of homemade mouthwash.

Step 2: If using, add the essential oil drops.

Stirring a glass jar of homemade mouthwash with a spoon.

Step 3: Stir well or secure the lid and shake to mix.

A jar of homemade mouthwash with a striped towel and a bottle of essential oil.

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

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. Of course, the mint oils are the first ones we think of when it comes to 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. We tend to think peppermint is too “spicy,” so we prefer the milder flavor of spearmint. As a result, we flavored our 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, we share our 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

How often should you use mouthwash?

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.

How do you store homemade mouthwash?

You can store it at room temperature in a sealed container, like a jar or bottle.

Is making your own mouthwash cheaper than buying store-bought?

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 we like to make our own personal hygiene products!

Do we have to use essential oils in our mouthwash?

No, you can definitely make an unflavored mouthwash without any essential oils! Just skip them when mixing up your mouthwash.

Related Recipes

If you made this Homemade Mouthwash tutorial or any other tutorial on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 16 votes

Homemade Mouthwash with Spearmint

By the studio Ascher Prep: 2 minutes minsAdditional Time: 3 minutes minsTotal: 5 minutes mins Servings: 1 bottle A jar of homemade mouthwash with a striped towel and a bottle of essential oil.

SaveSaved Pin Print Did you know you can make your own simple, sustainable mouthwash? This homemade mouthwash can be made in less than 5 minutes and it gives your mouth a cool, refreshing feeling!

Equipment

mouthwash bottle

Ingredients

1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 drops spearmint essential oil, *optional
10 drops of mineral drops

Prevent your screen from going dark

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.

Notes

*Feel free to omit the essential oils for an unflavored mouthwash. You can also substitute peppermint, clove, cinnamon, or citrus oils for the spearmint. Shake well before each use. Not for children under 18. 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. If you choose to add essential oils to your mouthwash, keep it 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. Tried this recipe?Mention @our_oily_house or tag #ouroilyhouse!