I don’t know about you, but I am known to scour the depths of the internet anytime I am about to make a purchase – big or small, it doesn’t matter! I love to see honest reviews about products to help me decide if it is right for me and my family and I am sure there are many that can relate to this. In fact, many of you may not know this, but I have a blog (Color Your Health) where I post reviews from time to time about non toxic and clean living products that I try out. These review posts are always very well received so I decided that I needed to start a series on all of the new “natural” oral health care products that are coming out into the market lately.
As someone who truly appreciates cutting out unnecessary toxic ingredients in products I use at home, I am very happy and open to try out these new lines of products. But the bottom line – they have to be effective! As a dentist (and even if this were not my profession) the most important part of these reviews for me will be deciding if these products are beneficial to a person’s overall oral health. When I look at a list of ingredients, my main focus is looking for things that are not necessary or things that are known to adversely effect the body. I should also put a disclaimer here about my thoughts on fluoride. I have mentioned before some of my feelings on fluoride, but to sum it up I will just say that it should be a personal choice. In making this personal choice I highly recommend discussing this with your dentist to determine the cavity risk of you or your loved ones as this can help you make a more informed decision on how beneficial fluoride would be in your specific circumstance.
And with that, let’s discuss my first product for review: Hello Charcoal Floss
Disclaimer: This review is 100% my thoughts and opinion. I was not paid by the Hello brand, I am not associated in any way with their brand, I receive no monetary compensation for this review, no affiliate links are found within this post, and I purchased this product with my own money. Well, that about covers all the technical stuff!
Packaging Claims
This floss caught my eye right away because of it’s unique black packaging. This particular floss claims to remove plaque, glide easily, detoxify the teeth and gums, and be both vegan and cruelty free.
Ingredient Specifics
The floss replaces traditional Teflon type coatings with vegan candelilla to allow the floss to slip between the teeth naturally. The product also contains xylitol which has been shown in studies to have anti cavity properties.
First Impression
I immediately liked the feel of the floss right out of the container because it was both smooth and tacky at the same time meaning I could really get a good grip on it. The charcoal black color did not rub off on my fingers at all which I was wondering if it would. The smell was nice and fresh but not overpowering.
Effectiveness
This floss definitely worked well, because of the black color you could easily see what you were removing between the teeth and it was grossly rewarding. As far as the claim that it glides easily I tend to agree with that with one exception. The floss is very durable and thus thicker than normal floss so if your teeth are extremely tight together you may have a hard time getting the floss through. In regards to the claim of detoxification, if you look at it from the standpoint of flossing, yes the floss detoxifies the mouth as it removes bacteria laden plaque. To be honest though, I do not believe that the bamboo charcoal adds any detoxification, I think it is more of a trendy selling point in my opinion. And not that this is the most important factor – but I did love the overall freshness that my mouth had for hours after flossing thanks to the nice peppermint flavor.
Long Term Use
To be honest, and maybe in fact human, I don’t particularly enjoy flossing. Yes, that’s right, I’m a dentist that does not enjoy flossing. But guess what? I actually enjoyed the flossing experience with this floss. I think the combination of the texture of the floss, the visual affirmation of what I was removing, and the minty fresh feeling – I have a new flossing favorite, and it’s the Hello Charcoal Floss! So the answer is yes, I do plan to use this product routinely!
Price
$4.99 for 54.6 yards
Author
Dr. Mikaeya Kalantari has been a practicing pediatric dentist for over 7 years working in both the children's hospital setting and private practice. She has had a wealth of experience treating children of all ages, and medical conditions. When it comes to serving children, she feels the importance of communication between the dentist and parent can not be emphasized enough. Dr. Kalantari practices in her family owned dental office in Mission Viejo, California.
