Review: Grin Natural Grin On The Go travel kit
[Disclaimer: Gifted] I was gifted this item in return for this review however all words and opinions are my own.
*Update 11/20: I love it when through this blog I discover and get to work with brands that I end up loving. That’s certainly been the case with Grin Natural. Since writing this review it’s been the only brand of toothbrush I buy. I’ve even got my boyfriend hooked. I was really touched when recently they got back in touch to say they’d taken feedback (including mine) on board and had changed the flavour of their toothpaste. They asked if I’d like to try it and kindly sent me another gift package. The new flavours are great, so much nicer tasting and they left my mouth feeling so fresh! They’re still made from 100% natural ingredients, which I love. It’s always great when brands actually listen to feedback and care about their customers.
Over the last year or so I’ve been trying to shop more sustainably. In 2020 I set a goal of buying no new clothes. It’s going quite well, thankfully op shops (charity shops) are a big thing in NZ and they’re great here. Although, it’s a lot harder now we’re in lockdown.
So, when Grin Natural got in touch to see if I’d like to try their all-natural toothpaste and sustainable bamboo toothbrush I was thrilled to give them a go.
Grin Natural are NZ based. Their products are palm oil-free, not tested on animals and made from natural ingredients. Not only that but they focus on sustainability and giving back. They currently run schemes with Unicef to donate brushes to children across the world. I’m really pleased to have found out about this great company that are doing great things.
So, on to the products themselves. I was gifted the Grin On The Go travel kit. Ideal for someone like me! It came with a Charcoal-Infused Biodegradable Brush in pink – it’s so pretty! That was my first thought when I opened the package. I’ve been using a compostable bamboo brush for a while now but it’s nice to have a cute coloured one.
The handle is made of corn starch and is biodegradable, so once I’m finished, I can send it to my local compost facility or back to Grin for free via their recycling programme to get it commercially composted.
The bristles are soft, key for me as I have sensitive gums. They’re also charcoal infused, I think we’ve all heard plenty by now about how charcoal is an amazing natural whitener and as someone who always buys whitening toothpaste having it right there in the bristles is a bonus.
Along with the brush I was gifted a full size and two travel-sized toothpastes. The travel ones are cool mint and whitening.
*see update at the top for my thoughts on their new toothpaste flavours. I won’t lie, the taste is… unusual. It’s made from all-natural ingredients and contains salt which I think may be behind the odd taste. So, whilst it does taste minty, it’s definitely not as minty as your regular toothpaste. It also contains Mānuka oil which is a big ingredient here in NZ, it’s one of our native trees and revered by the Māori for its health properties. Despite the taste I still felt super fresh and clean after using it.
For the full-sized toothpaste they sent me their Whitening with Fluoride Toothpaste. As I already said, I’m a big fan of whitening toothpaste so this was great. It contains salt again and also baking soda which is in quite a few toothpastes these days so the taste was less unusual.
All these goodies came packaged up in a super cute pouch. I love the blush pink features and it’s roomy enough to fit my toiletries for overnight trips. It’s also biodegradable and waterproof. I’m a sucker for cute packaging!
I’m definitely trying to make my bathroom products more sustainable this year. There’s a lot of plastic packaging that I’m hoping to reduce or swap for recyclable options.
Thankfully, Grin Naturals focus on sustainability. Their ingredients and packaging are sustainably sourced and anything that can’t be composted or recycled at home can be sent back to them to recycle for you. In fact, they even accept non-Grin toothpaste tubes. If you send back 10 tubes, floss dispensers, or brushes they’ll even send you a $5.00 voucher in return!
I’m so pleased with these products. Not only are they sustainable, locally made and packed full of natural ingredients, but they look cute on the shelf too. I’ll definitely be ordering more and saving my empties for their recycling programme.
