Christopher's Original Formulas Herbal Tooth & Gum Powder | Natural Oral Care Powder | Plant-Based Alternative to Toothpaste

I've waited awhile to post this to give the product a fair shake. It is very different from the white minty paste I've used since childhood and it took some getting used to before fully appreciating it.Quick and dirty review: different product, takes some getting used to, but the natural ingredients and the clean mouth feeling are worth it.About me and those who I've introduced to the product: I'm in my 40s with no tooth or gum issues, but I am a fastidious about having a clean mouth feeling. I came to this product after looking for a way to help my mother who is having some mouth issues. I have also given a bottle to my brother who is beginning to have gum problems. Everyone in my family who has tried this product has reported satisfaction with how it works and feels. Both my mother and brother are saying some of their mouth issues have improved. My sister-in-law, who also has no mouth problems, has been using this and loving it.The Review:As noted in many other reviews, the taste is very "earthy" and it does leave your brush and bowl brown, but a good rinse takes care of most of it. You can also add some cinnamon to the power to improve the taste if you're super sensitive to it.Best part of the product: The clean feeling in your mouth! It's really amazing. It lacks that minty cool sense from store bought toothpastes, but what I noticed was my mouth didn't feel dirty throughout the day. You know that grimmy "I need to brush my teeth" feeling? I didn't get it with this product. Nor did I feel like I'd taken on a case of bad breath. Granted, nothing stops this feeling if you've eaten certain foods, but overall my mouth felt nicer longer.I've used the product for about six months and my last dental visit showed no new problems and I spent less time in the chair for plaque scraping.Use of the product can be messy because of the poor bottle design. I also purchased a bottle of the TheraNeem tooth powder with cinnamon and mixed the two products together. I then funneled the product into the TheraNeem bottle which allows you to sprinkle it on your toothbrush. Less mess and less waste.Big warning: Really rinse your mouth. Swish that water around and you won't see the bits of herbs left behind. I read that many people have an issue with that, but with a good rinse, you should be able to get it all out.Granted I mixed two products together, but I have been using this for 6 months and I have only used about half the product. So value for the money is great. Especially when you see what crappy Colgate is charging for all those chemicals.Advice to potential customers: Go into this knowing it's a different product with a different taste. Realize it's not the clean white paste you've used and it can cause a mess. This probably isn't a cure all for bad mouth health, but it can help soothe and maybe improve. The natural ingredients mean absorbing less preservatives and chemicals into your body and that's a good thing in any product. If you do buy, give yourself a fair trial and don't get put off by the differences in taste or application.

This is my first purchase of the brand’s tooth powder. I have purchased other Christopher’s products before because I love their efficacy. I mixed a 50/50 ratio of Christopher’s tooth powder with Viva Doria Natural Tooth Powder and put them in an empty Viva Doria container that was leftover from a previous purchase. I have been using this mixture for a week and I must say I LOVE IT! The combination of the herbs and minty flavor between the two products is fantastic. Highly recommend. My teeth feel clean, healthy, and sparkly, and my breath always smells fresh. Yes, your toothbrush will quickly stain but that is a small price to pay for healthy teeth and gums. Plus, mixing the two brands together makes both products last longer so it’s budget friendly.

UPDATE: 7 24 2014 - I LOVE this stuff and put it into many of my homemade concoctions. Everything listed in the ingredients turns out to be great for skin and hair as well. I put 1/4 t. in my 4 oz hair pomade that I make with WAXELENE, shea butter, vegetable glycerin, essential and carrier oils. I don't have an exact recipe, I just use whatever feels right and look for my desired consistency. I use 1/4 t. in my 8 oz body butters, which I sometimes use on my face. I haven't noticed any staining to sheets, etc., but it is ground up herbs and spices so if you're going to follow suit, keep that in mind. You wouldn't want to put too much in, since ground herbs and spices likely will not sink into skin but their benefit is absorbed. I don't notice any residue on my skin or in my hair afterward so who knows. Maybe it absorbs too? I don't know. I do know, that our skin and hair are better. We glow more, break out less and the texture of hair and skin (including face) is much better since using. I am African American and the hair pomade I make with this is AWESOME. I suppose that if one does not 'grease' their scalp or hair, they could still mix some into hair conditioner. I don't recommend for light hair because I don't know if it could stain. You'd have to test that yourself. You can also use it to make a mask for your face or add it to an already made mask or facial moisturizer. For facial moisturizer, I'd use 1/8t or less, depending on the size of the jar. Works excellent! Seems to help tighten pores, smooth and soothe skin. Less breakouts. I believe it is helping to keep my skin young.As far as use for the teeth, my gums do not bleed when I use this consistently and they feel more grounded (tightened). I had a tooth pulled and I believe it has accelerated healing. At first my teeth seemed brighter, then began to look stained, as well as my toothbrush. I remedied this by brushing with baking soda or toothpaste every so often. I like Rembrandt Deeply White. It too, does not leave any film in my mouth like many other toothpastes do.As far as the toothbrush, I learned to live with the light staining. I rinse the brush as well as I can and soak it in blue Listerine now and again. I also replace the brush heads more often.ORIGINAL REVIEW: I didn't have any issues with the taste. As soon as I opened the container, the smell of the herbs made me smile. The aroma was very pleasant to me. While this product is not for everyone, I enjoyed it very much and found it hard to stop brushing. I eat LOTS of sugar. In my tea, coffee, flavored coffee, etc. I do use a lot of raw honey and when I buy sugar, it's evaporated cane juice. I buy fresh herbs a lot because my apartment does not get the sun I would need to grow them. I do grind my own spices though, and very often. I drink many different teas, among them, Bengal Spice at least once per week, which may explain why I like the taste of this tooth powder.I'll have to update this post when I finish the container as to how well it works but so far, so good. I like the smell, I like the taste, it rinses right off my brush so I haven't experienced any staining to my teeth or toothbrush. I especially like the fact that there is no white film left behind, which I always get when I use commercial paste and I can eat right away after brushing. With commercial paste, I have to wait to eat, otherwise I can't taste my food over all the mint, etc. My teeth feel clean, but naturally clean. I wish I had found this before I had a tooth pulled. I may have been able to save it.It is way overpriced because all the herbs and spices on it's ingredient list are not expensive. I'd make it myself if I knew what quantities to use. As it is, I do not, so if I find that this works, I will continue to use.Hope this helps.