In Search of the Perfect Toothbrush
I’ve been searching for the right toothbrush since I started attempting zero waste living in August. The blogs I’d read recommended switching to bamboo toothbrushes, so I logged onto my Amazon Prime Student account and 1-Step ordered a package of highly recommended compostable, bamboo toothbrushes and threw in a matching bamboo bath scrub brush to match.
I was sorely disappointed when, after a week of use, toothpaste began to build up on the bristles and after another few weeks, the wood on both the toothbrush and body brush began to crack and the toothbrush began smelling…funky?? I thought that I would just have to deal with this as a part of the zero-waste process, but I was unhappy with it to say the least.
The toothbrush comes in four colors; black, pink, red, and blue. Image via
Then I came across a New York startup called Boie (pronounced boo-ee). They sell two things: toothbrushes and body scrubbers. Both are made from BPA and latex free recyclable thermoplastic elastomer and include silver in the bristles which gives the products antimicrobial properties through ~chemistry~. A body brush costs $8 and a single toothbrush is $10, with subscription plans for their replaceable heads at $20, $15, and $10, making them affordable, but definitely pricier than a $1 Colgate brush.
I decided on the most frequent replacement plan for my toothbrush (4 heads a year) and added on a bright yellow body scrubber as well. A week later I said goodbye to my crusty, cracked, bamboo toothbrush and hello to a sleek, minimal, eco-plastic one with four detachable heads. And lemme tell you, the search is over.
The brush is skinny, effective, and stays clean with little more than a short rinse. It takes some getting used to because the bristles feel a bit different from your average toothbrush, but after one or two brushes, you won’t notice a difference at all.
I’m still getting the hang of the body brush, though. Because it looks like this:
The body brush comes in five colors; yellow, pink, mint, red, and blue. Image via
It takes some experimenting to figure out how to hold. It also doesn’t retain suds as well as my bamboo scrubber did, but the upside is that it also doesn’t retain hair as well as my bamboo scrubber did. You win some, you lose some.
Besides being recyclable, Boie’s products are cruelty-free and made in America to reduce the emissions caused by international shipping. They also donate a portion of their profit to charity and strive to reduce emissions in every step of production process. The only thing I noticed was that they ship in cardboard and plastic rather than environmentally friendly packaging. I can only hope this is something they will change in the future.
Overall, I highly recommend Boie’s products. They’re environmentally friendly, durable, and functional. My search for the right toothbrush is over!
Feature gif via.
