Switching Over to A Plastic-Free Oral Care Routine

Luckily, there are plenty of plastic-free alternatives on the market today, so making your oral care more eco-friendly doesn't have to be such a daunting task.

Here are a few of our favorites that you can use to replace the plastics in your oral hygiene routine:

1. The Toothbrush: Not A Plastic Bristle In Sight

Close to a billion toothbrushes will be thrown away in the U.S. this year, and yep, most of them are plastic.

Plastic polymers have been the main feature of toothbrush designs since the 1930s and, as we now understand, plastic doesn’t biodegrade. That means that almost every toothbrush that’s been chucked since then is still out there in the world, hanging out, and they’re definitely not cleaning anyone’s teeth anymore. Decades later, we have learned the grave reality of plastic pollution.

Our current favorites are toothbrushes by the brand Truthbrush, made from organic bamboo and 100% castor bean oil bristles. The bamboo is finished with plant oil, and the entire brush will biodegrade in natural conditions. We are often asked if they're compost-friendly. That really depends on your compost service. If you're composting at home, we can't promise it will break down at the same speed as your table scraps and yard waste. So we recommend collecting your brushes for a while and burying them somewhere that won't be disturbed.

And for those of you who prefer an electric toothbrush, we now carry Bamboo Electric Toothbrush Heads made by the same brand!

2. The Toothpaste (Tabs): No Tubes, No Liquids

Tooth tabs are our favorite plastic-free toothpaste alternative. They're convenient, ideally-portioned, and deliciously minty. When it's time to brush, simply pop one in your mouth, chew it up until it's a paste, then brush those pearly whites. We've tested about every toothpaste tab on the market and these reign supreme.

3. The Floss: The Kind That Won't Piss You Off

Unfortunately, it’s not just the floss containers that are plastic. Most types of floss are made of plastic and coated with PFA (aka perfuoroalkyl substances), a chemical found in teflon.

Thankfully, there are some great alternatives! The vegan floss we carry is made from bamboo fibers and activated charcoal. It's also coated with vegetable wax and infused with mint for a clean, fresh glide through your teeth. Plus it comes in a cute glass container that you can reuse over and over again.