Your guide to natural and organic living

Swissco Medium Natural Bristled Wooden Toothbrush

January 21, 2009

A clean and simply designed wooden toothbrush with natural bristles.

  • Natural bristles
  • Wooden handle
  • Plastic free

I bought this brush because I thought natural bristles would be much gentler on my gums than nylon bristles – I imagined them to be like the very soft fibres on natural hair brushes. But, for a medium brush, the bristles were extremely hard and as a result made it a very uncomfortable brush to use. I found them far too stiff and painful on my gums and quite abrasive on my teeth. The toothbrush head was a bit big for my mouth so I struggled to clean the teeth that were further inside my mouth.

I had a look on the Swissco website and you can buy a soft, natural bristle brush with a plastic handle.

I really like the simplicity of the design of this brush – simple, clean and minimal. It was just as comfortable to hold as toothbrushes covered in different shaped bits of plastic and bendy bits. The toothbrush is also lightly varnished so you can leave it in your bathroom without worrying about it soaking up lots of water!

Despite the fact that it wasn’t very comfortable to use, Swissco do get a big bonus point for eco friendliness. The handle for is made from wood and as a result will degrade much quicker (could they be put on the compost heap?) than traditional plastic brushes. They also have a 100% biodegradable brush made from badger hair.

I am going to try a soft bristled toothbrush before I cast negative judgment on all Swissco toothbrushes :)

Summary

  • Pros: Degrades quicker than plastic
  • Cons: Medium bristles were too hard, uncomfortable to use

Ingredients

Wooden handle, natural bristles

Let us know what you think