Tag: toothbrush

Sustainability Project: November 2019

On By donnaansariIn SustainablityLeave a comment

A couple of months ago, I switched from standard plastic toothbrushes to bamboo toothbrushes. I thought I would hate it or there would be a long adjustment period that began with disgust and ended with hesitant acceptance. What really happened was I loved it immediately and also thought if I was wrong about the brush, I might also be wrong about the toothpaste being an issue. Thus I began to search in earnest for a toothpaste that was not sold in plastic tubes.

What I eventually decided on was The Dirt Toothpowder. I thought I would be grossed out by a tooth powder, but I absolutely wasn’t! In fact, I found myself brushing for longer and more often during the day because the sensation of brushing my teeth with a powder and a bamboo brush was so pleasant. I bought the super mint flavor in a 6-month glass jar, because the smaller size comes in plastic. I wish I could bring the jar somewhere and just get it refilled, but that’s a problem for six months from now. I’m sure I could use the jars for other things when they are empty, or just recycle them.

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I looked for a photo in which I was smiling and showing my teeth, and the only photos I have like that are ones in which I am holding a cocktail.

One caveat is I have not had a dentist appointment since I started using this tooth powder. I usually get a very bad report, so I’m curious if it will be any better or worse.

Sustainability Project: July 2019

On By donnaansariIn SustainablityLeave a comment

I may have mentioned, probably more than once, how I hate the look and feel of plastic. Something that reminds me of this every day, twice a day, is my toothbrush. I’ve wanted to replace my plastic toothbrush for a few months, but a had a new one and I didn’t want to be wasteful by just throwing it away, so I decided to wait.

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All the handles are different colors, but the one I picked at random to use first was green.

But last week, we went away to a near-camping situation, and I had been using the same toothbrush for a few months, so I decided it was time to “treat” myself to a new one on my return. There are many different bamboo toothbrushes to choose from. I went with a brand with very positive reviews and cardboard packaging, but may still shop around when the time comes to pick a new one.

After using this brush for a little more than a week, I have to say I really like it! Some people don’t like bamboo toothbrushes because they don’t like the way they feel in their mouth. But I’ve found I like it a lot more than plastic!

Sustaining the Sustainability Swaps!

On By donnaansariIn SustainablityLeave a comment

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It’s been a few weeks since my month-long sustainability swaps, so I thought I would check in. The five swaps I made were: (1) Reusable water bottle, (2) Reusable bamboo utensils, (3) Recycled and bamboo paper products, (4) Reusable beeswax sandwich wrapper,  and (5) Reusable wool dryer balls.

All have held up, and I would like to make some more sustainability swaps, but I have to do some more research, which is time-consuming. I thought perhaps I would aim to do one swap per month, as that seems pretty doable. There are a few things I’m in the middle of researching, so if anyone would like to provide personal insight, I would appreciate it!

Here are a couple of things for which I am trying to find alternatives:

  1. Deodorant: Mostly because of the plastic tubes, so any product that replaced this would have to be in some other packaging, but I’m not particularly sweaty and I have sensitive skin, so I am also looking for something with fewer harsh ingredients. I also have an relatively new deodorant I am going to use up first.
  2. Razor: Again, this is all because of the plastic. I am looking to buy a safety razor, but I am very nervous about using a safety razor. Also, I keep finding boxes of razor “heads” in random cabinets, so I am going to use them up first.
  3. Toothbrush: Once again, the plastic. I know there are bamboo brushes out there, but I just bought a new toothbrush a few weeks ago, so I am going to get its full lifespan use out of it before I swap it out.

Since I am participating in Meat-Free May this month, I’ll probably not decide and write about my next swap in June. Looking forward to it!