About

Do you suffer from…

Bleeding gums?
Bad breath?
Temperature sensitivity?
Oral allergies?
Staining?
Coating on your tongue?

I did.

Hi, I'm 'V' Leigh Carr, resident of the "Cave State" of Missouri and the hippie-mom-founder of Cave State Herbal.

 

I suffered from every one of the above issues for much of my life. The worst was my burning oral allergy, increased by the harsh ingredients in most conventional toothpastes.
The brush frustration seemed to be going around.
My six-year-old was picky about pastes and hated brushing her teeth.
My mother had oral allergies like me.
Our neighbors were working to replace toxic products in their household with natural alternatives.
And I was so tired of thoroughly brushing, flossing, avoiding sugar and asking my dentist what would help–just for my issues to keep...getting…worse. Plus, I just felt wasteful throwing used-up toothpaste tubes in my trash, bound for an eternity in the landfill. 

Just a quick glance at the tubes of paste we used, and we could see ingredients that had necessitated poison control warnings, and had no business being on our teeth. Ingredients such as:

triclosan (a potential thyroid disruptor)
Sodium lauryl sulfate (a potential gum irritant)
propylene glycol (linked to damage of the CNS, liver and heart)
glycerin (coats teeth preventing remineralization)
DEA (found in antifreeze!)
parabens (hormone disruptors)

(learn more about these ingredients in our FAQ)

I didn’t have a lot of cash to spend on more fancy toothpaste.
What I did have was an interest in herbal remedies. With some searching, I discovered I had most of the ingredients for making my own basic, natural “tooth powder” -- the ancestor of the pastes we use today. Instead of a plastic tube, I put it in a little glass pimento jar, and I gave it a try. After I tried this curious "tooth dirt" for myself…I was sold.

The powder didn’t burn or irritate. My teeth felt perfectly smooth–not due to slimy glycerin, but because they were polished clean. To my unexpected delight, the temperature sensitivity, tongue coating and gum bleeding started to disappear as well. It was even as powerful against coffee stains as the whitening pastes I had tried!

Best of all, I didn’t even need to brush harder or more frequently…I simply changed what I brushed with.
Soon after, my mother tried some–and finally found relief from the oral allergies she had long suffered with from regular toothpastes.

And after she insisted on trying “mom’s tooth stuff”, my little girl didn’t want to use her bubblegum-flavored kids’ toothpaste anymore.

My neighbors loved their sample so much they ordered a year’s supply for themselves and family members. We were all done with harsh, wasteful toothpastes and were never going back. And so, just like that...Cave State Herbal was born.

We are always looking for ways to increase our health impact and reduce our environmental footprint. Watch us as we grow--adding new solutions for your health, enjoyment and peace of mind!