I have tried natural toothbrushes and I am not that keen. They quickly go kind of pulpy and I didn’t feel  they are up to the job. So have gone back to my electric toothbrush consoling myself with the thought that
a) the heads are half the size of a normal plastic toothbrush
b) I make my own toothpaste and
c) these are my TEETH.

Here are the compostable options

Bamboo Brush
Ther are a number of all-natural, bamboo toothbrushes on the market some of which I have reviewed below.

Bamboo Brush With Nylon Bristles
In my opinion, these work better than all bamboo toothbrushes. Some claim the nylon bristles are biodegradable others dispute this claim. Best to treat this a reduced plastic option. Read more here.

Biodegradable Cornstarch Bristles
This is an interesting new project that might lead to better things.

More Info
Bamboo Brushes
When I first started my boycott you could only buy bamboo brushes on line. Now you can get them from many health food shops and even Waitrose.  I haven’t tried them for the above reasons but here are two makes I have used.

Ceba

After months of vigorous scrubbing my plastic tooth-brush  had come to the end of its working life. Greatly excited I got out my wooden and natural bristle, completely biodegradable toothbrush .
These brushes are made by Cebra and they say in the blurb…

• wooden toothbrushes – made from sustainable wood (beech)
• with natural (as opposed to acrylic) bristles
• can be disposed off easily and in an eco friendly way
• superb cleaning power and very gentle on teeth and gum
• lasts as long if not longer than a plastic toothbrush

Sad to say it didn’t work for me. There was not enough in the way of friction. The bristles quickly got soft and pulpy then started to disintegrate.
But maybe they will be good for you. If you fancy trying them you can get them here.

Save Some Green

James of Save Some Green Uk sent me some bamboo brushes to try I was hesitant. Eager to give the natural toothbrush another chance, worried in case I didn’t like them and so upset James. But James will be happy to hear the interim feed back on the all natural brush. This has a bamboo handle and natural fibre bristles described on the website as follows
“These toothbrushes are made from bamboo which will rot down to nothing, causing little impact to the environment plus they are BPA free.
I have been using it in conjunction with my electric toothbrush for the above reasons. Now I tend to be an enthusiastic scrubber. I use the electric brush to scour my mouth so vigorously it hurts. So it is nice to have a softer option. This partial use also gives the bamboo brush time to dry out which I thinks helps keep it firm.
I have been following this regime for over 3 months now and the brush is holding up well.
I am assuming that packaging is all biodegradable but the white internal wrap has me baffled. I have asked James for some more info.
You can get them on-line from savesomegreen.co.uk . This online shop is aware of problematic plastic misuse and have a great packaging policy. Tell them you want no plastic packaging and you will be heard.

Biodegradable Brushes

My name is Alan Chen, and I’m the inventor of Smiti, an eco-friendly toothbrush with a stylish, minimalistic design that helps to reduce waste and save the environment.

I invented Smiti after researching how much our daily habits contribute to harming our planet. As the father of a little baby, I really want to contribute to a sustainable future for generations to come. We can all do little changes in order to help.

Smiti is a stylish, gentle and efficient toothbrush that does the job while helping to reduce waste. The interchangeable head of Smiti is made of 100% biodegradable PLA from naturals renewable sources such as corn starch, cassava root and sugarcane. The aluminum alloy handle can be used for years, and at the end of its long life, be recycled.

Using Smiti as a part of your daily dental hygiene routine can greatly help reduce the plastic waste caused by traditional toothbrushes.

I’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign, where until March 27, 2017, Smiti is available to pre-at a great discount. Smiti comes in Black, White, and the exclusive Kickstarter color Rose Gold.

Learn more by checking out the Smiti campaign page: http://kck.st/2kbnkZN
Find pictures and more information in the Smiti Press Kit:

More

Find other plastic free personal care products here…

Making Other Personal Care Products 

Its quicker then  trying to choose between a hundred different shampoos and it’s really simple, fun to do, so much cheaper  and  I get to control what goes on my  body, where it comes from and what environmental impact it has.

Lots more info here on making your own personal care products