For my first ever product review, we’ll be taking a look at a toothbrush. Yup.

A toothbrush may seem a strange product to review to some, but this one is pretty darn special. The Boie USA (pronounced BWAH) toothbrush is fully recyclable, antimicrobial, long-lasting, and incredibly gentle.

I originally saw it when I was looking around for a vegan and cruelty-free toothbrush online. I had been using an Oral-B electric toothbrush for years, but I know now that that company tests on animals. No thanks. I had heard about biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes which seems like a great idea, until you think too much about how much bacteria something like a porous toothbrush must harbor, plus how uncomfortable what is essentially a stick with bristles must be to use. Online reviews confirmed both points for me. I also didn’t like the fact that, while most of the toothbrush is biodegradable, the nylon bristles are not, so the recommended action is to snap off the head and throw it away. Nah. Moving on.

My penultimate purchase came from Preserve with their toothbrush made from 100% recycled (and recyclable) plastic and new nylon bristles. This is a great choice, and I thought it was as good as it could get when I bought it. As someone who has very sensitive gums, I appreciated the ultra soft bristles, though my teeth never really felt super clean. One thing I wasn’t too sure about was the fact that I could never really get a handle on what they do with the nylon when the handle is recycled. I’m pretty sure that is discarded, but I really can’t find any sort of confirmation. I also felt it was a shame to have to recycle all that plastic. Don’t get me wrong; I’m way happier it’s being recycled than not recycled. But as we know, the actual process of recycling plastics uses a lot of resources, and it’s always better to reduce. I thought about my trusty electric toothbrush and its replaceable heads, and how much plastic could be saved that way. Still, it seemed Preserve was the best of the best, and I happily used their toothbrushes for quite some time (and I continue to use their razors to this day).

Then good ol’ Instagram showed me an ad for Boie USA toothbrushes. It’s such a strange, eye-catching item. I mean, it kind of looks like a toothbrush, but it also kinda looks like one of those rubber pet hair mitts. At first glance, I didn’t know what it was. But I clicked on the ad, read the features page about the silver-embedded antimicrobial bristles, how long the heads last… and that they were replaceable and fully recyclable! Alright, now I had to try it. It comes in four different colors, but you know your girl had to go for the pink. The brush with one head is $12, and replacement head are $5 each (and are estimated to last twice as long as nylon toothbrushes. They offer free shipping on orders of $20 or more, so I ordered the brush plus two additional heads and (im)patiently awaited their arrival.

I have never been so excited to brush my teeth in my entire life. I ripped open that package and ran to the bathroom. Interesting to note is the fact that, while both the Preserve and the Boie have very strongly curved handles, they curve in opposite directions, so brushing may take a bit of re-learning the angles. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Boie (besides the crazy bristles of course) is its size. The head (and neck?) is significantly bigger than the Preserve (see above), though the handle itself is much thinner as far as its depth, if you see what I mean. Preserve’s handle feels like a pretty average handle, but Boie’s is quite thin. You can kind of see that with the photo of the replacement head here:

And now to use it. As I mentioned before, I have very sensitive gums. Even with ultra soft bristles, my gums bled every single time I brushed my teeth. I thought that’s just what I’d have to deal with forever. Guys. Guuyyyys. My gums didn’t bleed. At all. Like. At. All. By the end of that first brushing, I was trying to make my gums bleed. Ok, that sounds weird, but what I mean is I was really scrubbing hard because I thought maybe I needed more pressure with this new toothbrush because they weren’t bleeding. Nope. Nothing. Afterwards my gums felt stimulated rather than sore. My teeth were squeaky clean. If I absolutely had to find fault, it’s that the larger head took a bit of maneuvering to get into all the little corners of my mouth, but by the second time using it I had mastered it. I’ve also heard that they’re working on a smaller version, but don’t quote me on that. On top of the fact that it’s my favorite ever toothbrush to use, I love that the heads last twice as long as standard toothbrush heads, and that they can be replaced and fully recycled.

There are, of course, down sides to anything. One down side could be argued that the plastic is #7, and many recycling facilities do not accept it. That’s the case for me, too, but what I plan to do is keep a small mailer under my bathroom sink to collect the used heads, and then mail them back to Boie USA’s recycling program once the mailer is full (which, due to the fact that they last so long, may take me a decade!). Another down side is the fact that they are only available online, so no running out to pick up a couple of heads in an emergency. Perhaps one day that will change, but who knows.

All in all, I call this a major win. Recyclable, Sustainable, BPA and phthalate-free, and oh-so-gentle. Definitely one of my best purchases with year.

My rating: 5/5Have you tried the Boie USA toothbrush? What are your thoughts? Would you be interested in seeing more reviews? What would you like me to review next? Share your thoughts!

~M

Not sponsored. All opinions are my own.