Because I had previously made this blog about vegan toothpaste, it seemed logical to me that I would also write something about toothbrushes. About eco-friendly, bamboo toothbrushes to be precise. It would be a shame to lubricate your good toothpaste on a bad (read: environmentally unfriendly) toothbrush, wouldn’t it? 🙂
Coincidentally, Stijn and I also needed a few new copies. So hup … immediately ordered a pair of ecological toothbrushes! In this article (and in the video) I tell you all about it.
Oh yes, if you watch the video … there is a lot of traffic in our neighborhood haha. Sorry for the noise 😉
What makes a toothbrush eco-friendly?
Well, the answer to that is obvious: the material. Almost all toothbrushes that you can buy in the store are made of plastic. Both the handle and the brushes. If you consider how many people on the planet use a toothbrush – and it is recommended to replace them every three months – then you know that it involves huge numbers of plastic. While it can easily be done without.
Of course, we also regularly bought such a plastic toothbrush. After all, ecological alternatives are not yet available on every corner of the street. Meanwhile, however, we are wiser (and there is now the luxury of the internet and online shopping;)).
Earlier I had already bought an eco-friendly toothbrush from recycled plastic. In itself fine of course but hey … it remains plastic. Sooner or later it will disappear in the waste mountain. So that could be better.
Why not vegan?
Another point is that ecological toothbrushes are sometimes non-vegan. In other words, that real animal hairs are used instead of nylon (plastic). Like pigs and badgers. Uuugh: – /
Indeed, in a way, it is more ecological than nylon. But you do not want it in your mouth and animals are (already) the victim again. That is not an option.
Luckily I found two brands (Hydrophil and Humble Brush) that are both ecological and animal-friendly. And actually even more than that. Enough reason to tell you extensively about:
Bamboo toothbrushes
Hydrophil
Hydrophil is a German brand that specializes in sustainable hygiene products. Ranging from mouthwash, toothpaste, and soaps to ecological cotton swabs, toothbrush holders, and cups. They even have vegan condoms in the assortment!
And toothbrushes 🙂
As said, the material determines whether or not a toothbrush is eco-friendly. That is good at Hydrophil. After all, the handles are made of bamboo.
Although bamboo sounds rather exotic to us (it is also), it is secretly one of the most environmentally friendly materials. Similar to hemp actually. Like hemp, bamboo grows like crazy and doesn’t need a drop of water. And certainly no pesticides. Bamboo is extremely strong and susceptible to little or no disease.
In addition, bamboo is super strong and – just like any natural material – it simply decays over time. Almost zero impact on the environment. If you remove the nylon brushes, you can literally put this toothbrush into the ground and let it slowly decay.
Or you can do something else with it of course 😉
By the way, if you’re wondering if all that bamboo does not produce sulking pandas … just rest assured! Only the bamboo that lies outside the euh … leg reach of the pandas is harvested and used. Our white-black bear friends are therefore not at all short.
Like I said: animal-friendly and cruelty-free 🙂
In short: bamboo is the perfect toothbrush material. The brushes of the Hyrdrophil toothbrushes are still made of nylon plastic but in any case BPA-free. Unfortunately, there are no materials that have the same (polish) qualities as nylon.
But well … it makes a huge difference if the handle is at least plastic-free.
It’s still worth telling that these toothbrushes are available in different colors. At least: the end of the handle is colored. Handy if you want to prevent your housemates from using your toothbrush to remove their plaque or food remains;). And an eco-brand would not be an eco-brand if no natural and environmentally friendly dyes were used for it.
Eco all the way it is!
Humble brush
The Humble Brush toothbrushes are similar in many ways to those of Hydrophil. These are also made of bamboo handles and nylon brushes and are also vegan and cruelty-free. The only difference is in the form (flat instead of round) and the fact that now not the handle but the brushes themselves have been given a color. That looks beautiful by the way. Again, no artificial colors are involved here.
Oh yes, Humble Brush is a Swedish brand, and dentists develop their products. Of course, you can hear the latter always in advertising, but hey … we are talking about dentists who also care about the environment 😉
Both brands are therefore highly recommended. It’s just about what shape and brush feel best for you. Or which one you like most 🙂
Other brands of bamboo toothbrushes
These brands I didn’t try, so if you do, let me know more about it 🙂
- Bamboo Roots
- Mother’s Vault
- Wowe
- Isshah
- GoWoo
- Sprmal
- Honest Ninja
- Panda Bambu
- Mitbuty
- BambooHerb
- Dr. Perfect
- Genkent
- Artmeer
Social projects
Something extra that Hydrophil and Humble Brush have in common: by buying their products, you also support their ecological and social projects.
For example, Hydrophil collaborates with the non-profit organization Viva con Agua de St Pauli e.V, which campaigns for people in the southern hemisphere to gain (and keep) access to clean drinking water. 10% of the operating profit is donated to this organization. In any case, the three pillars of the company: producing water-neutral, vegan and fair trade.
Humble Brush, in turn, uses their Humble Smile Foundation for better dental conditions in developing countries. From the prevention of dental problems and illnesses to teaching about oral hygiene … Humble Brush does everything it can to help people in this way.
You see: much more beautiful can a story about toothbrushes not be? You will naturally smile nicely 🙂
Hopefully, you will find the toothbrush that fits you perfectly. Do you know any other brands or have you already tried one of these (or both)? Leave a comment at the bottom!
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