Shaving: from disposable to refillable razors
Disposable razors are one of the biggest plastic culprits in the bathroom. You use the blade a few times, then the whole thing goes in the bin, handle and all. Most are made of mixed plastic that can't be recycled, so every razor you've ever thrown away is still out there somewhere.
It helps to know the ladder of better options. A refillable system razor is the easy win: one handle you keep for years, and you swap only the blade. A safety razor goes a step further: one metal handle and a single recyclable blade, with almost no waste. It's the most sustainable shave there is. The catch is the learning curve. The technique is specific enough that plenty of people find it fiddly, and for all its name, it doesn't feel very safe in the first few weeks. For some people it clicks. For others, it just puts them off shaving sustainably altogether.
That gap is why we went into product development. BioEdge and especially Smooth Touch are for everyone who wants the sustainability without the fuss: a bamboo handle you keep, a bio-based refill you swap, and a shave that feels familiar from the first stroke. Smooth Touch combines an FSC-certified bamboo handle with a 96% bio-based refill, made largely from recycled Swedish wood waste and vegetable oils. It was named Shaving Product of the Year 2025 at the Beauty Innovation Awards and won a European Product Design Award. A system like this lasts for years and stops new plastic from piling up with every shave.
Golden tip: let the blade dry after every shave. Water left on the edge dulls it, so drying makes both the blade and the handle last much longer.
Oral care: bamboo toothbrushes and brush heads
The average plastic toothbrush gets thrown away every two to three months, and it almost never gets recycled, because it's made of several types of plastic fused together. They turn up on beaches, and since plastic doesn't really break down, close to every toothbrush ever made still exists in some form somewhere on the planet. A bamboo handle is compostable, so each brush leaves far less behind.
Our bamboo toothbrushes use bio-based nylon bristles, made from castor oil. They're not biodegradable, and we'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise, but they let us keep the plastic on the brush to an absolute minimum.
Prefer to brush electrically? Our Sonicare compatible replacement brushes are mostly bamboo and use 88% less plastic than a standard head. And we're even prouder of our Oral-B heads: bamboo apart from the bristles, and the first of their kind anywhere. They fit every Oral-B except the iO and the Pulsonic, so it's worth a quick check of your model. You can read the full rundown in Which bamboo brush head fits your Oral-B?
Golden tip: stand your bamboo toothbrush upright in an open cup so it can dry fully between uses. Better for hygiene, and the bamboo lasts longer.
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Hair care: plastic-free hairbrushes for every hair type
Plastic hides in hairbrushes too. If it isn't in the handle or the cushion, it's often in the bristles, and usually for no good reason. Ever had static, frizzy hair after brushing? A plastic brush is frequently the cause. Our bamboo hairbrushes are plastic-free and vegan, with FSC-certified bamboo bodies.
The trick is to match the brush to your hair rather than making do with a one-size brush:
- Oval brush for everyday use and all hair types: gentle detangling with a little scalp massage.
- Paddle brush for thick, long, or full hair: smooths large sections in one pass, with less frizz.
- Vent brush if you blow-dry: the open back lets warm air through, so drying is faster and gentler on your hair.
- Tangless for curls and stubborn knots: flexible bristles work through tangles painlessly, wet or dry, even in the shower. One honest note: the Tangless is the only brush in our range with any plastic at all. Its bristles are made from recycled plastic.
- A bamboo comb or the lightweight detangling brush for travel and your bag.
Golden tip: clear the loose hairs after each use and keep the bamboo dry. Wet wood splits and warps over time, so a quick wipe is all it takes to make a brush last for years.
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Body care: bottles, bars and packaging
Plenty of plastic sneaks into the bathroom beyond the razor and the toothbrush, from shampoo and shower gel bottles to pump dispensers and shrink-wrapped soap. The easiest step is to move to products in paper or compostable packaging, or to a bar of soap instead of a pump bottle. From there, choose plastic-free accessories, like a bamboo tray or holder instead of a plastic one.
Golden tip: replace each product only when it runs out. You build a plastic-free bathroom one empty bottle at a time, not in a single shopping spree, and that's exactly what makes it stick.
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Where to begin
You don't need to overhaul the whole room. Pick the one swap that's easiest to wrap into your routine, the razor, the toothbrush, or a single brush head, and start there. The rest follows on its own pace as things run out. If you want the reasoning behind bamboo in the first place, we lay it out honestly in Is bamboo really more sustainable?
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start?
Start with whatever is easiest to swap into your routine. A lot of people begin with a toothbrush or a set of brush heads, because it's a small change you barely notice, then move on to the razor.
Do bamboo products really last?
Yes, as long as you keep them dry. Bamboo handles a lot of water, but sitting wet shortens its life, so a quick dry after use goes a long way for brushes, razors, and combs alike.
How does delivery work?
It depends on the item. Smaller, flatter items, like toothbrushes, brush heads, razors, and refills, fit through the letterbox, so you don't need to be home for them. Bulkier items, such as the hairbrushes, come as a regular parcel instead. When you reorder, it's a one-off unless you opt into the subscription, which saves 10% and has no lock-in.
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