Review: Bite Toothpaste Bits & Bamboo Toothbrushes | Zero Waste Toothpaste

Save the Planet & Yourself

One of our resolutions for 2020 was to eliminate as much plastic as possible and to reduce our carbon footprint here at Mind Over Mango. This past holiday, we were developing our best stocking stuffer gift guide for our art curation platform No Sleep New York. While on the hunt for the best gifts, we encountered an interesting find for teeth brushing: 100% biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes. Shortly after this discovery, an ad popped up online about a new and inventive way to brush your teeth and save the planet. We knew that the power of these two products combined could potentially help us be one step closer to our goal. Thus, we jumped on board and gave them a try – together. Enter Bite Toothpaste Bits and their Bamboo Toothbrush Set.

What are Bite Toothpaste Bits?

Bite Toothpaste Bits are vegan and cruelty-free bite-sized toothpaste tablets that replace traditional toothpaste. Just take a tab, pop it into your mouth, bite down, and chew several times to break down the bite and activate the “paste”. Brush your teeth as you normally would and voilà! You’ve now eliminated the need for traditional toothpaste.

Why Use Tablet Toothpaste?

Bite Toothpaste was built around two fundamental questions we should all be asking ourselves when brushing our teeth: do we really need plastic tubes, and what type of ingredients are we putting into our bodies while we brush? Part of what we do here on Mind Over Mango is to educate others about being more mindful of our planet and our bodies. Bite Toothpaste Bits has done all the research for you so that you can make smart decisions before purchasing:

Other Fast Facts

More than 100 million animals suffer and die in the U.S. every year because of cruel animal testing practices for chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics purposes.

Every year, more than 50 Empire State Buildings worth of toothpaste tubes end up in landfills and oceans.

We have 1 planet, which means we have to join forces and take care of Mother Earth before it’s too late.

What Are The Ingredients?

Bite Toothpaste Bits have made a very conscious effort to only include ingredients that will be good for your teeth – and not harmful for your body. Traditional toothpaste contains ingredients such as parabens (known to cause Cancer), Propylene Glycol (found in antifreeze), and Aspartame (when at high temperatures can become poisonous). When we brush, we inadvertently swallow and ingest these ingredients into our bodies and bloodstreams. Over time, the chemicals can have toxic buildup that could lead to inflammation and other potential health concerns. Bite Toothpaste Bits contain only the most essential and safe ingredients you need for good oral health.

Definitions are pulled from the Bite Toothpaste Website:

Available Purchasing Options

There are numerous purchasing options available to Bite Toothpaste Bit users. They have several great flavors and two types of packages to choose from.

Flavors

There are three different flavors available in the bits: Naturally Whitening Fresh Mint, Fresh Mint with Activated Charcoal, and Berry Twist. We personally opt for the charcoal options as we feel it may give us the best whitening results. That being said, all the available versions are great. The Berry Twist is especially great for kids. So if you’re trying to get your whole family on board, there’s certainly a flavor for everyone.

Single Purchases vs. Subscriptions

Another purchasing option would be the ability to buy the Bite Toothpaste Bits alone or in a subscription package. A single purchase (equivalent to 60 tablets, or a 1 month supply for one person) will set you back only $12 USD. If you opt for a subscription package, you pay only $30 USD for a full 4 month supply. With the 4 month plan, you will save 38% and pay $7.50 USD per month. Both the single month and subscription options are inexpensive and worth the small investment for the planet and for yourself (and of course, your entire family, too).

Bamboo Toothbrushes

After they launched their bits, Bite came out with its first eco-friendly line of Bamboo Toothbrushes. These toothbrushes are constructed with Moso bamboo, which is a renewable resource that does not require much water to grow (a total plus). There are also no pesticides or any added chemicals. The bristles are constructed using a bamboo-charcoal infused polyester. Bite Toothpaste explains that it is impossible to create bristles (at least right now) that are both vegan and plastic-free. The reason being is that the only compostable types of bristles are made of boars hair, which goes against Bite Toothpaste’s cruelty-free policy. According to Founder Linsday McCormick, she chose the polyester option because “I felt it was the lesser of all evils that are available to us now”.

Soon, Bite will be offering a toothbrush head recycling program, where you can send back the removable head and keep the handle so that you can pop on a fresh head. This will help save materials and ultimately create less waste in the long run.

Sustainability

Sustainability is one of Bite Toothpaste Bit’s priorities. Aside from the obvious sustainable materials we’ve discussed already, packaging and shipping are another way in which Bite cuts down.

Shipping

In order to reduce carbon footprint, Bite only ships using pre-existing postal routes via USPS. Oh, and there’s no rush shipping option either. To some, this may seem impracticable. However, from a sustainable standpoint, it is extremely practical and largely cuts down on carbon footprint. (For the record, we got ours within just a few days and it was not a long wait at all.) Generally, online shopping is actually more eco-friendly than old-fashioned brick and mortar. Bite wrote an awesome article explaining everything that goes into sustainable shipping that we highly recommend checking out.

Packaging

All Bites come in a reusable and recyclable glass container with a recyclable aluminum lid. Any Bite refills are sent in a plastic-free, home compostable, biodegradable baggie. When a product is shipped in an envelope, that means it is being mailed off in a plastic-free, recyclable, and 100% compostable package. The interior is made with post-consumer newspapers that help to pad your product and prevent damage, all while being free from plastic. Their boxes also contain no plastic, are made with corrugated cardboard, and use paper tape to seal them.

Founders

Bite Toothpaste was Found by Lindsay McCormick and Co-Founded by Asher Hunt. We spoke directly with Lindsay and when asked what she was most proud about as a result of Bite, she responded:

“I started Bite as an advocate for sustainability. I was not trying to start a company, I was trying to create a change that I knew needed to happen. Bite started in my living room by making tablets on a hand-press tableting machine and my customers consisted mostly of friends and family who shared my passion for protecting the planet. What I’m proud of most is how many people have joined in our mission with us and how people have started to realize and question the impact that our daily routines really have on the planet. It’s the small everyday changes that add up to make a big difference.”

Our Rating

If you can’t tell, we’re pretty enthusiastic about this company and its products. No, we were also not paid or provided anything in return for this article. We purchased Bite Toothpaste Bits on our own dime because we made a goal for 2020 to actively pursue a more sustainable lifestyle. We knew after testing out Bite that we needed to make this article a thing. Therefore, we give our rating a 9/10. We deduct only 1 point because we’d love to have a little more foaminess to the bite. After researching other recent reviews (within the last year or so), we have calculated the overall rating of this company and its products to also be a 9 out of 10. If this article wasn’t enough to convince you, we encourage you to do your own research. For the price of only $12 or less though, we think it’s worth kicking the tube with us.

Have you tried Bite Toothpaste Bits before? Leave us a comment and tell us your experiences below!