Homemade Mouthwash With Essential Oils for Fresh Breath

QUICK SUMMARY

The best homemade mouthwash with essential oils is a gentle swish-and-spit rinse made with purified or distilled water, alcohol-free witch hazel, baking soda, liquid carrier oil, and carefully selected essential oils.

This DIY mouthwash is designed to freshen breath and leave your mouth feeling clean without relying on a strong everyday antiseptic rinse. That distinction matters because some broad-spectrum antiseptic mouthwashes, especially chlorhexidine, can alter the oral microbiome and temporarily reduce the activity of nitrate-reducing bacteria involved in nitric oxide production. (1, 2)

The goal is not to sterilize your mouth. Your oral microbiome is part of a healthy mouth. Use this recipe alongside brushing, cleaning between the teeth, regular dental care, oil pulling if desired, nourishing food, and a low-toxin lifestyle. This is a swish-and-spit recipe, not an internal essential-oil remedy.

My homemade mouthwash will freshen your teeth and help keep your mouth feeling happy and balanced.

Mouthwash is found in most homes because it is advertised to keep breath minty-fresh and help control plaque. And some therapeutic mouthrinses genuinely can be useful.

But there is a big difference between a dentist recommending a specific antimicrobial rinse for a defined reason and using the strongest antiseptic product you can find every day simply because you think your mouth should be germ-free.

It shouldn't.

God designed the mouth as a living ecosystem. Saliva, minerals, teeth, gums, tongue, and hundreds of microbial species interact every day. The goal of healthy oral care is balance, not sterility.

That is one reason we love this simple DIY.

Clearing Up Mouthwash Confusion

Is mouthwash good for you or not?

The answer depends on the product, why you are using it, and how often you use it.

Therapeutic mouthrinses are not automatically bad. Chlorhexidine, for example, has strong evidence for reducing plaque and gingival inflammation and is commonly used for specific dental indications.

But chlorhexidine also illustrates why I do not believe stronger is always better for routine daily freshening.

In a study of 19 healthy adults, seven days of chlorhexidine mouthwash reduced oral nitrite production by about 90% and plasma nitrite by about 25%. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by roughly 2 to 3.5 mmHg during the intervention. (1)

A later study involving 36 healthy adults found that seven days of chlorhexidine use significantly shifted the salivary microbiome, lowered salivary pH and buffering capacity, reduced saliva and plasma nitrite, and was followed by a trend toward higher systolic blood pressure. (2)

Why does that matter?

Certain oral bacteria help convert dietary nitrate into nitrite, which can then contribute to nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide plays an important role in blood-vessel function and blood-pressure regulation.

This is also why I would not tell someone to ignore a dentist who recommends chlorhexidine after periodontal treatment, oral surgery, or for another specific need.

There is a time and place for therapeutic antimicrobial care.

For everyday freshening, however, our family prefers a gentler approach.

What About Essential-Oil Mouthwash?

Essential-oil mouthrinses are an interesting middle ground because standardized commercial formulations have real clinical research behind them.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2025 compared alcohol-containing and alcohol-free essential-oil mouthrinses. Both types were used in clinical studies, and the alcohol-containing versions produced somewhat better plaque control, while bleeding and gingival outcomes were not significantly different in the brushing studies. The alcohol-free rinses were rated more favorably for taste. (3)

That means we should not claim that an alcohol-free mouthwash is automatically more effective or healthier simply because it does not contain alcohol.

We choose alcohol-free witch hazel in this DIY because it fits the gentle sensory experience and natural-living approach we want for an everyday homemade rinse.

And there is another evidence distinction worth making:

Clinical studies of standardized commercial essential-oil mouthrinses do not prove that a homemade formula produces the same plaque or gingivitis results.

Our recipe is a practical home-care rinse, not a copy of a clinically tested commercial product.

Why Use All-Natural Mouthwash?

With all the mouthwash varieties on the market, why make your own?

For us, the biggest benefit is control.

You know what goes into the bottle.

You can skip synthetic colors and flavors you do not want, avoid the alcohol burn found in some commercial products, adjust the aroma, and keep the formula simple.

Your mouth was not designed to be sterile. God created the body with built-in protective systems, including saliva, minerals, mucosal barriers, and beneficial microbes.

A wise oral-care routine should work with those systems rather than constantly trying to wipe out everything living in the mouth.

DIY Mouthwash Fits a Non-Toxic Lifestyle

One of the easiest ways to reduce unnecessary chemical exposure is to look at products you use every single day.

Oral care deserves special attention because these ingredients contact delicate oral tissues directly.

That does not mean every ingredient with a chemical-sounding name is dangerous or that every commercial mouthwash is harmful.

It means we prefer simple ingredients when a simple product will do the job.

For routine freshening, this recipe gives us exactly that.

DIY Mouthwash Is Customizable

Like most of my DIYs, this recipe is customizable. I recommend swapping essential oils to fit your preferences and needs, while keeping the total amount called for in the preserved recipe rather than adding extra drops.

Here are some of my favorite aroma directions:

• Lime, lemon, and grapefruit: This citrus combination is uplifting and gives the mouthwash a bright, clean flavor.
• Orange, clove, and peppermint: Orange adds a beautiful citrus note, while peppermint and clove give the blend the bold flavor many people associate with oral care. This is one of my favorites.
• Cinnamon, clove, and orange: I love this blend because it smells like Fall. Cinnamon bark and clove are potent mucous-membrane irritants, so do not increase the recipe's total essential-oil amount or improvise a stronger concentration.
• Chamomile and wintergreen: This is one I would reserve for an appropriately formulated adult blend rather than treating wintergreen as a casual family swap. Wintergreen is highly concentrated in methyl salicylate, and swallowed amounts can cause salicylate toxicity, especially in children. (9)

A 2024 pilot study evaluating several mint essential oils found that spearmint treatment changed the oral microbiome and reduced the abundance of several bacterial groups associated with halitosis and periodontal disease. It was exploratory microbiome research, not a clinical trial proving that spearmint mouthwash treats gum disease. (4)

That is the kind of evidence I like to see developing around natural oral care.

Homemade Mouthwash Ingredient Breakdown

You might be curious to know what exactly goes into a DIY mouthwash. Here's what you need to make this recipe.

Distilled Water: Water quality matters, especially when you are making something you will swish around your mouth. I recommend purified or distilled water whenever possible because it gives you a clean, neutral base.

Distilled water does not make the finished mouthwash self-preserving, though. Once water is mixed with other ingredients and repeatedly handled, microbial contamination becomes possible. We will talk about storage below.

Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel: One drawback of some store-bought mouthwashes is the intense burning sensation. In this recipe, we use witch hazel to contribute a gentle astringent quality without building the formula around beverage alcohol.

This is a preference for our DIY formula, not a claim that alcohol-free mouthwash has been proven superior for plaque control. In fact, standardized alcohol-containing essential-oil rinses have performed somewhat better for plaque in comparative research. (3)

Baking Soda: This inexpensive ingredient is a pro at shifting pH.

A small prospective human study found that a freshly prepared sodium bicarbonate oral rinse significantly increased salivary pH and modestly changed culturable oral bacteria. (5)

A 2025 randomized trial in hospitalized heart-failure patients also found that a 5% sodium bicarbonate rinse improved several measures of tongue coating and oral hygiene over seven days. That study used a defined clinical sodium-bicarbonate solution, not this homemade recipe, so it supports the ingredient rather than proving the finished DIY formula. (6)

Baking soda remains a simple, practical ingredient for a clean-feeling mouth.

Carrier Oil: Carrier oil is an important part of this essential-oil recipe.

Carrier oils dilute and disperse concentrated essential oils, reduce evaporation, improve topical and mucosal safety, help distribute the oils across surfaces, and can amplify the overall therapeutic effect of a formula depending on the carrier chosen.

There is one important formulation detail here:

A carrier oil dilutes the essential oils in the oil phase, but it does not make oil dissolve in water.

That is why this mouthwash needs to be shaken immediately before each use. Do not assume that the oils remain evenly suspended while the jar is sitting on the shelf.

I also recommend a liquid carrier rather than regular solid coconut oil for this recipe. Solid coconut oil can harden and clog drains.

Essential Oils: Essential oils are what make this recipe great. You can customize the aroma to fit your preferences, but oral tissue is sensitive and stronger oils are not automatically better.

Peppermint and spearmint bring the familiar fresh flavor. Citrus oils can make a blend bright and pleasant. Clove and cinnamon are much hotter and require greater respect.

Use the recipe's established total amount instead of adding extra drops for a stronger taste.

How to Make Homemade Mouthwash with Essential Oils

Making your DIY mouthwash recipe is super easy. After completing this great homemade mouthwash recipe, I recommend creating homemade toothpaste for an added one-two punch!

Homemade Mouthwash with Essential Oils

Author Mama Z

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Quantity

2x4x6x

Ingredients

• 10 drops essential oils*
• 1 teaspoon liquid carrier oil**
• 1 tablespoon unscented witch hazel
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup purified OR distilled water

Supplies

• Mason jar

Instructions

 

• In a mason jar, mix the essential oils with the carrier oil, witch hazel, baking soda, and filtered water and shake to blend. When ready to use, swish approximately 1 tablespoon in the mouth for 10 to 15 seconds and rinse.

Notes

*Essential Oils Blends for Mouthwash:

• Bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, 
• Clove, peppermint, spearmint, sweet or wild orange
• Cinnamon bark of cinnamon leaf, clove, sweet or wild orange
• Frankincense, lime, myrrh
• Peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen
• Cinnamon, chamomile, lavender, oregano, peppermint, thyme
• Roman chamomile, spearmint, wintergreen

**No matter what allergies you may have, there’s a carrier oil that’s right for you. You can use any or a combination of these: Avocado, Fractionated Coconut, Grapeseed, Jojoba, Sweet Almond. These are our favorite carrier oils; to see a full list of options, click here. Your carrier oil needs to stay liquid no matter the temperature, so it doesn’t clog drain pipes.  Raw organic coconut oil is not an option.

Step One: Mix Ingredients

In a mason jar, mix the essential oils, carrier oil, witch hazel, and baking soda.

Step Two: Add Water

Fill the jar the rest of the way with the distilled water. When ready to use, shake well, swish approximately 1 tablespoon in your mouth for 10 to 15 seconds, spit, and rinse.

Because this is a water-based homemade formula without a validated preservative system, do not assume it has the room-temperature shelf life of a commercial mouthwash.

How to Use Homemade Mouthwash Safely

Homemade mouthwash with essential oils should be used as a swish-and-spit rinse, not swallowed.

Essential oils are powerful plant medicine, and a little goes a long way.

Application: Shake the jar immediately before each use. Swish about 1 tablespoon for 10 to 15 seconds, spit it out, and rinse if desired. Use it as an adjunct to brushing and cleaning between the teeth, not as a replacement.

Do Not Treat a Water-Based DIY Like a Shelf-Stable Commercial Product

This is the most important safety update for the recipe.

The presence of witch hazel, carrier oil, baking soda, or essential oils does not automatically establish a reliable preservation system for a water-based formula.

FDA microbiological-safety guidance for water-containing personal-care formulations emphasizes that contaminated water, ineffective preservation, storage, packaging, and consumer handling can allow bacteria or fungi to grow. Finished commercial formulas are normally evaluated for preservative effectiveness rather than assigned a shelf life based only on how they smell or look. (7)

Because the preserved recipe has not been presented with microbial challenge-testing data, I would not assign it a long room-temperature shelf life.

Use clean equipment and a clean jar, make modest batches, minimize direct hand contact with the liquid, keep it refrigerated between uses, and discard it if there is any change in odor, color, texture, or appearance.

Refrigeration slows microbial growth but does not turn an unpreserved formula into a commercially preserved product.

Children

Only use this mouthwash with children who are old enough to reliably swish and spit without swallowing.

For a child's formula, the specific essential oils and total concentration matter. Do not simply use an adult-strength blend and assume that a smaller swish makes it child-safe.

Avoid casual pediatric oral use of wintergreen. Oil of wintergreen is highly concentrated methyl salicylate, and even relatively small swallowed amounts can cause serious salicylate poisoning in children. (9)

Hot oils such as cinnamon bark, clove, oregano, and thyme also require oil-specific oral concentrations rather than generic drop substitutions.

Pregnancy, Nursing, Medication, and Health Conditions

If you are pregnant or nursing, taking medications, preparing for surgery, have a bleeding disorder, aspirin or salicylate sensitivity, a history of seizures, significant oral disease, or another medical concern, choose the exact oil blend with those factors in mind.

Wintergreen deserves special caution around anticoagulants and salicylate-sensitive conditions because of its methyl salicylate content.

If a mouthwash causes burning, swelling, rash, numbness, worsening irritation, breathing symptoms, or another reaction, stop using it.

Do Not Use Mouthwash to Hide a Dental Problem

Persistent bad breath, bleeding gums, tooth pain, swelling, loose teeth, sores that do not heal, or recurrent oral infections deserve evaluation.

A minty flavor can make the mouth feel better without correcting the underlying problem.

Natural oral care should help you practice better stewardship, not delay care you actually need.

Can I ingest essential oils?

Do not casually ingest essential oils in water or neat (undiluted). Internal use of essential oils requires proper dilution, product quality, dosing knowledge, and safety guidance. Learn more about how to ingest essential oils here.

Homemade Mouthwash FAQs

What is the best homemade mouthwash for fresh breath?

Our homemade mouthwash combines purified or distilled water, baking soda, alcohol-free witch hazel, liquid carrier oil, and a carefully selected essential-oil blend. It is designed for freshening and everyday oral-care support rather than sterilizing the mouth.

Can you put essential oils in homemade mouthwash?

Yes, when the formula uses an appropriate amount and the oils are diluted before exposure to oral tissue. In this recipe, the carrier oil dilutes the essential oils, but it does not make them water-soluble, so shake the mouthwash immediately before every use.

What essential oils are best for mouthwash?

Peppermint, spearmint, orange, lemon, lime, and chamomile are practical starting options for flavor and aroma. Clove and cinnamon can also be used in carefully formulated blends but are much more irritating at excessive concentrations. Wintergreen requires additional safety restrictions because it is rich in methyl salicylate.

Is homemade mouthwash safe to use every day?

A properly formulated swish-and-spit rinse may fit into an adult's regular oral-care routine, but daily suitability depends on the ingredients, essential-oil concentration, oral sensitivity, and how the water-based product is stored. Stop if irritation develops, and do not use an unpreserved homemade rinse as though it were indefinitely shelf-stable.

Does mouthwash kill good bacteria?

Some strong antiseptic mouthwashes alter the oral microbiome. Chlorhexidine has been shown in small human studies to reduce nitrate-reducing activity and change the composition and chemistry of saliva. That does not mean every mouthwash has the same effect. (1, 2)

Can antiseptic mouthwash raise blood pressure?

In a small study of 19 healthy adults, seven days of chlorhexidine mouthwash reduced oral and plasma nitrite and was accompanied by a 2 to 3.5 mmHg rise in blood pressure. This finding concerns a specific chlorhexidine protocol and should not be generalized to every mouthwash. (1)

Should I swallow homemade mouthwash?

No. This homemade mouthwash is designed to be swished and spit out. The formula contains essential oils and is not written as a medicinal internal-use protocol.

Does homemade mouthwash replace brushing and flossing?

No. Mouthwash is a helper, not the foundation. Keep brushing, cleaning between the teeth, eating a nutrient-dense diet, and getting appropriate dental care.

How long does homemade mouthwash last?

This water-based recipe does not have a validated preservative system or microbial challenge-tested shelf life in the article, so I would not assign it a specific long room-temperature expiration period. Make modest batches with clean equipment, refrigerate between uses, and discard any batch that changes in smell, color, texture, or appearance. (7)

Can I use solid coconut oil in this recipe?

No. Solid coconut oil can harden and clog drains. Use the liquid carrier oil called for in the recipe.

Does homemade mouthwash cure gingivitis?

Do not use this recipe as a stand-alone treatment for diagnosed gingivitis or periodontitis. Standardized essential-oil mouthrinses have human evidence for plaque and gingival outcomes, but this homemade formula has not been tested in those clinical trials. Persistent gum inflammation or bleeding deserves proper evaluation. (3, 8)

Good oral health is not about killing everything in your mouth.

It is about creating the conditions for a healthy oral environment and practicing the habits that protect your teeth and gums over time.

That is what I love about this recipe.

It is simple. It is customizable. It fits naturally into a non-toxic home. And it reminds us that more aggressive is not always more effective.

Use your homemade mouthwash as one piece of a bigger routine, pay attention to what your mouth is telling you, and steward your health with wisdom.

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