Lush Toothy Tabs, you’ve probably heard all about them. A wonderfully bite-sized alternative to the everyday toothpaste you and I use. It’s natural, preservative-free, not tested on animals, and the best part? It comes in reusable and recyclable packaging! But when it comes to something as important as oral hygiene, I wasn’t just going to use any old soapy pill to clean my pearly whites, I needed something that was going to work! And so, I tried, tested, and reviewed the Lush Toothy Tabs.
I tried the Lush ‘Miles of Smiles’ tab, a compact pill flavoured with English peppermint, organic peppermint and wild mint, and judged them on the following criteria;, usage, brushing, taste, texture, and aftermath. And then I decided whether this eco-alternative is worth the change.
Usage:
The back of the toothy tab container has pretty clear instructions on the usage of this product. Nibble on a single tab until it forms a mix of powdery foam, wet your toothbrush, and then get scrubbing! You’d think I could get it right. But, despite the clear instructions the first thing I did wrong was put the tab waaaaay too far back into my mouth, and let my molars do the munching. Not the right thing to do. As I munched instead of nibbled a few things happened that seemed to dampen my experience with the tabs. First, the powder was too far back and started trickling down my throat, and second, it seemed to foam almost too much. But, a few coughs and a splutter later, I stuck my wet toothbrush into my mouth and started brushing, and found that despite my shenanigans and lack of nibbling on the tab, the usage of this product was what can only be described as, easy-peasy.
Brushing:
Despite my initial scepticism, just like regular toothpaste, the Toothy Tab foamed up very nicely once I had added a bit of water on my brush. Very quickly the foam began to increase, and the soft feelings of soapy bubbles filled with minty freshness overflowed in my mouth. If anything the tab produced almost too much foam, but just like with regular toothpaste I brushed for a good two minutes and found that my mouth felt squeaky clean.
Taste:
I won’t lie, the taste did surprise me. With no idea what I was really biting into the initial strength of the tab was pretty overwhelming. It may have been because I placed it so far back in my mouth, or because I hadn’t nibbled it enough, but at first, the minty freshness was more of a tsunami of powdery bitterness. But as I persevered and kept chewing away I could taste the flavours changing and the subtle minty flavour slowly began to shine through. The longer I brushed the more prominent the taste got, but never became overwhelming. In comparison to regular toothpaste, this flavour almost tastes more real. There is a gritty, natural bite to the mint that really shows the use of natural ingredients. You can tell that this taste is the real deal, and not some processed hyper-flavoured teeth goo. Although it is definitely an acquired taste, I am sure the longer I use it, the more accustomed to it I will become.
Texture:
Unlike the silky smooth paste I am used to, this toothy tab really gave some grit to my grin. Obviously, with a product that is made from compressed powder, you can’t expect a soft texture. But, the powdery, gritty texture of the tab gave it a sense of cleansing power that you just don’t get with regular toothpaste. It almost feels like each individual particle of powder is rubbing your teeth and gums clean with a little bit of coarse loving. It’s true, the texture of the tab is extremely different from regular toothpaste, but in no way does it mean its bad. And in fact, my mouth feels cleaner for it.
Aftermath:
Now, for what’s really important. That ever sought after feeling of minty fresh breath and squeaky clean teeth. Did the Toothy Tabs do it? They sure did! After a good two minute scrub with my bamboo toothbrush, I could feel my pearly whites shine with delight. The days worth of grime was lifted. Despite the initial strength of the Tab taste, the aftermath of the brush left a subtle minty-freshness on my breath. Nothing as strong as regular toothpaste, but as someone who doesn’t struggle with bad breath, this wasn’t a worry for me. My teeth felt smooth and clean after a fantastic wash with a ‘Miles of Smiles’ Toothy tab, and after a good rinse of water, there was no gritty residue left either.
After trying out this sustainably made product, I feel that Toothy Tabs are well worth the swap from regular toothpaste. Not only are the ingredients natural, and better for your health. The packaging that it comes in can be brought straight back to Lush once you’re done with them to be cleaned and used over and over again. I feel that with something as essential as toothpaste, it can be hard to find a package or plastic-free alternative, but with Lush’s Toothy Tabs, you don’t have to give up the convenience of plastic packaging for a sustainably made product. It’s the best of both worlds. Although in many ways Toothy Tabs are not like normal toothpaste, they also have their strengths and are an eco-conscious product I would encourage everyone to get behind.
All The Small Things 