Bruno

Our somewhat affectionately nicknamed ‘selfie-generation’ is more obsessed with their appearance than ever before. The cosmetic industry is rapidly flourishing, with people spending on average £342.90 a year on beauty and skincare a year and contributing £17 billion to the UK economy alone. Among the most sought after beauty treatments we Brits opt for receiving, teeth whitening has grown in popularity. With the price of procedures varying greatly and finding reputable practitioners to carry out the treatment becoming ever more challenging, we are looking into more and more ways of perfecting our pearly whites at home, ourselves.

Teeth can become stained from the regular consumption of coffee, sugary drinks, tea and through smoking. The teeth whitening process typically involves bleaching your teeth to make them lighter in colour. Teeth whitening can’t make your brilliantly white, but it can make your teeth whiter by several natural shades. There are numerous ways of getting cleaner, whiter looking teeth in the comfort of your own home and although there are seemingly endless amounts of teeth whitening kits online, there are some more natural options out there too. Check out our pick of the best:

Oil Pulling

This is possibly the cheapest way of whitening your teeth and has reportedly been a method used for hundreds of years. All you have to do is take some organic cold pressed oil such as sunflower oil or coconut oil and swirl it around your mouth for 20 mins so that when you spit it out it is foamy and white in appearance. Repeating this process twice a day, followed by rinsing your mouth and brushing away excess oil is said to make your teeth look professionally whitened.

Strawberries

Not only are strawberries delicious, but they can also be a great ingredient to whiten your teeth with- who knew! The malic acid within strawberries acts as an astringent and removes surface stains from your teeth. The process involves mixing a mushed up strawberry with baking soda and applying the mixture to your teeth for 5 minutes once every two weeks.

Lemons

Keeping with the fruit and baking soda theme, another highly effective method of teeth whitening is the mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. By mixing several teaspoons of baking soda with fresh lemon juice and applying the paste to teeth that have been whipped dry of saliva for one to three minutes; your teeth will stay looking their very best all day, every day.

Baking Soda and Peroxide

For a quicker at-home teeth whitening solution, try making this solution of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Start by purchasing 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution and mix it with baking soda until a paste forms. Then, add a dash of salt and apply a generous amount to your teeth and use a toothbrush to cover your teeth with the solution and leave for 2 minutes. After this, rinse and brush your teeth thoroughly- it’s as easy as that! Be sure to avoid using this method too often as it can lead to enamel damage due to the power of its ingredients.