This week I’m writing about brushing my teeth again. Just like I wrote before about a zero waste toothbrush. This time, I want to tell you about the stuff you put on the toothbrush, toothpaste. Very important to use (even though I read somewhere that it’s more important to brush than to use toothpaste, but I don’t believe that)!
‘Normal’ Toothpaste
Toothpaste is always packed in a tube. A plastic tube, iew. That’s not something we want. Plastic does not degrade and can’t be 100% recycled, it always downgrades. And so, plastic is not a circular material. I was in need for something else.
DIY Toothpaste
Now, there’s two things you can do to make toothpaste zero waste. 1. Don’t brush your teeth any longer. Haha, just kidding. 1. Make your own toothpaste. A lot of zero wasters do this, but I stopped after one time. Even though I am not new to DIY, I make my own make-up remover and deodorant, it’s about the fluoride. I have made my own toothpaste before and it worked. But when I checked in with my dentist whether it was safe to make my own toothpaste he said it was, but I’d have to use fluoride. No exceptions he said. I follow his advice, he’s the expert. I don’t want to ruin my teeth. Now, I’ve found out that fluoride can’t be bought anywhere. Which brings me to the second option.
Zero Waste Toothpaste
Then there is the second option. Toothpaste in a glass jar! There’s one brand I know of that sells this. Ben&Anna! Before, they used to only sell toothpaste without fluoride, but since a while they also sell flavor that contains fluoride. If you want to buy it, pick the orange flavor or white flavor with fluoride. It’s vegan, cruelty free and the company supports ocean cleaning! It’s unfortunately not 100% zero waste. The packaging is all glass and aluminium, which are both 100% recyclable, expect for one piece that’s in between the lid and the glass. I sent Anna&Ben an e-mail to see what material that’s made out of. For now, this is the best option I could find.
Only Online
Ben&Anna does sell their toothpaste at Holland&Barret, Etos and Douglas, but I couldn’t find a flavor without fluoride in any of those physical store. That leaves to me ordering it online. The first time I ordered just one, to test it. But the second time I ordered 4 packages at once. This saves resources and money. You save money when you order it during a sale (I did when there was a sale at Douglas for 25% discount on all items) and emissions and packaging because you order more than one item (only one cardboard box is needed instead of 4 individual ones). I hope they’ll sell it soon at a physical store too. When you get it shipped at home (or at their store and then you can pick it up there), it is luckily plastic-free!
My Experience
I only ordered the orange and the white flavor both with fluride so these are the only ones I can recommend, which I do haha! I like the flavor ‘white’ most because it’s really minty and gives this fresh taste. I prefer this most for toothpaste, but the orange flavor is fine too. And also very important: it foams very well! That’s something I personally really need. I’ve tried tooth tabs before too, but I hate the biting and chewing on those. Also: they don’t foam enough. The Ben&Anna flavors are sort of gel-ish and I love that. You only need a small amount too, so it’s very efficient. One jar lasts me just over 2 months. The jar comes with a little spatula to put the toothpaste on your toothbrush. Hygienic if you use the toothpaste with multiple people in your household. I use it alone and so I just put my toothbrush in the jar haha. One jar sells for 6,99 euros (unless you wait for sale like I did).
Yours sincerely,
Romee
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