Ultrablast Toothy Tabs

Ultrablast were the last toothy tabs that I had left to try and I was slightly saddened by this knowledge. Despite the initial bad experience with Sparkle, I've been enjoying trying the strange but wonderful flavour combinations that Lush have come up with. Even though I was a little intimidated by the flavouring of these tabs, I armed myself with a tooth brush and got to work brushing my teeth!

Composed of bicarbonate of soda, kaolin powder, mint oils and wasabi, these tabs gently clean your teeth whilst the latter ingredient creates a spicy aftertaste that refreshes your mouth and rejuvenates your senses! At first, I was worried about the wasabi element, especially as I was planning on using these early in the morning, when my senses would be at their strongest; anyone who has ever ingested too much wasabi will know that it can be a rather painful experience. 

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the wasabi acts as more of an afterthought, and it is the mint oils that really shine through here. These tabs taste like your average toothpaste, giving your mouth a refreshing clean with just a slightly spicy kick of the horseradish, making your mouth tingle slightly afterwards.

Unlike Dirty, the flavours in Ultrablast are more subtle, meaning they're great to use before a meal or during the day, particularly if you don't want to saturate your senses with the overwhelming taste of mint. Wasabi also contains powerful antibacterial properties, that help to rid your mouth of any unwanted germs or bacteria that other toothpastes may fail to do.

To use, as with the other tabs, you simply nibble between your front teeth to break up the tab and start brushing. As it foams, the bicarbonate of soda gets to work whitening your teeth and joins forces with kaolin powder to remove plaque and build up. The tabs also contain a very mild abrasive to get rid of tough plaque and added fine sea salt, a natural antiseptic, to give teeth that sparklingly clean feeling. 

As with all of Lush's toothy tabs, Ultrablast leave your teeth feeling squeaky clean and your mouth refreshed. Lush have carefully chosen key ingredients to maintain, and possibly improve the health of your mouth and teeth. I wholeheartedly recommend that you try some. The only suggestion that I would give if you’re a bit unsure about the flavours available is to try out the Dirty tabs first, since it is just spearmint oil and the closest to what traditional toothpaste is.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Garden Pea Powder, Kaolin, Peppermint Oil, Spearmint Oil, French Organic Lavender Oil, Wasabi Powder, Fair Trade Organic Dried Spearmint, Coarse Sea Salt, Sodium Saccharin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Flavour.

Vegan?: Yes

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Chou Chou I Love You Toothy Tabs

I'm starting to get into the swing of using toothy tabs now. At first, I was very skeptical that a tab of bicarbonate of soda and 'flavourings' could do anything for my oral health, or taste buds for that matter! However, after the initial disaster with Sparkle, I have quite enjoyed trying this unique and interesting alternative to toothpaste.  

Chou Chou I Love You Toothy Tabs are scented and flavoured with rose, so they taste like Turkish Delight and make your breath sweet and fragrant. A 12g box, which holds 40 tabs, will set you back £2.95. As I've said in previous reviews, they are an expensive alternative. However, they are much more environmentally friendly than most of that horrible tubed stuff you get in local supermarkets.  

However, one disadvantage to these tabs being environmentally conscious is that they're stored in a thin cardboard box. This makes it rather difficult to store the tabs in the bathroom, the one place in your house that guarantees to stay damp for the most part. I know common sense tells me I could keep these tabs in a drier area of my flat. However, I like to brush my teeth whilst in the shower, so this a little annoying.

To use a toothy tab, you should choose one, pop it in your mouth and crunch it between your teeth. This causes the tab to foam up, where you can then wet your toothbrush and begin brushing as normal. You'll find that brushing your teeth will create more foam, making the experience not that different to how it'll be if using normal toothpaste. 

These particular toothy tabs have a delicious delicate rose flavour, which is intertwined with the tartness of the lemon oil and lemon peel powder. This addition of zest means that the tabs are more on the sweeter side than the floral side, which is probably why I like then far more than I thought I would.

The addition of Dicalcium phosphate anhydrous, which is a gentle abrasive, helped to remove plaque from my teeth and left them really shiny and smooth after each use; the sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar helped to scrub and clean my teeth, making them noticeably whiter after the first few usages. Finally, the sodium lauroyl sarcosine helped to create the foam which made it easier for the tab to circulate my mouth and remove any unwanted food between my teeth.

Overall, I was really happy with the noticeable difference these tabs made to my teeth, and I actually really enjoyed the taste. Alongside Breath of God, these are definitely my favourite toothy tabs so far and I'm keen to continue using them as opposed to reverting back to tooth paste.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sorbitol, Kaolin, Flavour, Rose Oil, Lemon Oil, Rose Petal Powder, Benzoin Gum Powder, Lemon Peel Powder, Sodium Saccharin, Geraniol, *Eugenol, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

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Atomic Toothy Tabs

The Aquatic Toothy Tabs are described as a 'gloriously romantic' confection. They contain Earl Grey tea, lime oil and jasmine which acts as an aphrodisiac, although I don't really know why you'd want to get heated whilst brushing your teeth! A beautiful combination of Organic Earl Grey and Sencha tea combined with jasmine absolute and fine sea salt, leaves your mouth feeling fresh and clean and with a delicate perfume on the breath.

Aquatic, like all of Lush's toothy tabs, works in the same way. You place one tab between your front teeth and gently nibble until it becomes a powder. Then you wet your toothbrush and proceed to brush your teeth as normal. The addition of water from the brush helps the power to foam up and it works in exactly the same way as normal toothpaste.

These tabs didn't foam up as much as other ones I have tried, and they did dissolve very quickly when placed between my teeth. Although, they still did a good job of making my mouth feel sanitised, clean and fresh.

One box (which contains roughly 40 tabs) will last you around three weeks, although at £3.50 a box, this is definitely more expensive than a normal tube of toothpaste. However, the results speak for themselves; my teeth felt clean throughout the entire day without the overpowering minty aftertaste that I disliked about using normal toothpaste. 

Although I was a little skeptical about these tabs tasting of Earl Grey tea, I soon discovered that the flavour is very mild, so you don't have to be a fan of the English delicacy to enjoy and use this product. In fact, I would go as far as saying that the lime was the more prominent taste here, which made them sweeter than I expected.

Overall, these are the second flavour of toothy tab that I have been more than satisfied with and I will definitely be buying these again in the future. However, these will only be bought every few months to change up my morning routine as I preferred Breath of God toothy tabs and these are £1 cheaper!

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Organic Sencha Tea Powder, Jasmine Absolute, Lime Oil, Wakame Seaweed Powder, Fair Trade Organic Earl Grey Leaves, Fine Sea Salt, Sodium Saccharin, Flavour, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

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Breath of God Toothy Tabs

As I said in my Dirty Toothy Tabs review a few months back, I've been a little hesitant to try all of the flavours in Lush's toothy tab range, simply because of the bad experience I had when trying out Sparkle for the first time. Early mornings are a terrible time for anyone to be testing out their taste buds so when I saw what was in store for me with Breath of God, I was rather skeptical at first.

Lush say "Breath of God contains an echo of the same thought-provoking fragrance. There are powders of sandalwood, myrrh, benzoin, fennel and vanilla, blended together for an incredibly gentle, yet fresh delicious flavour. It won't leave your mouth overpowered by mintiness, but beautifully perfumed by this spiritual blend reminiscent of the fresh Tibetan mountains." 

What first concerned me about these tabs was the idea that my mouth would be 'perfumed' - something I can only associate with eating soap as a child. Then there was the mixture of Sandalwood and Fennel, which sounded like what munching on a pile of twigs from the forest might taste like.

What I actually found, was that these toothy tabs have a gentle vanilla taste at the forefront, with a slight echo of citrus behind and a hint of peppery flavour as an afterthought. These tabs have a creamy taste with a very slight perfumed quality, but it's not overpowering at all, and in fact, it works well.

My teeth felt really clean after the first use, and felt smooth and shiny throughout the entire day. As the days went by, my teeth began to look and feel better after every use, which I associated with the ingredients Lush used to make them. 

The addition of Dicalcium phosphate anhydrous, which is a gentle abrasive, helped to remove plaque from my teeth and left them really shiny and smooth after each use; the sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar helped to scrub and clean my teeth, making them noticeably whiter after the first few usages. Finally, the sodium lauroyl sarcosine helped to create the foam which made it easier for the tab to circulate my mouth and remove any unwanted food between my teeth.

Overall, I was really happy with the noticeable difference these tabs made to my teeth, and I actually really enjoyed the taste. These are definitely my favourite toothy tabs so far and I'm keen to continue using them as opposed to reverting back to tooth paste.

I may not have the Breath of God, but thanks to these tabs, my oral health is definitely heading in the right direction.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Sandalwood Powder, Kaolin, Benzoin Gum Powder, Vanilla Powder, Myrrh Gum Powder, Fennel Seed Powder, Sodium Saccharin.

Vegan?: Yes

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Dirty Toothy Tabs

After my less than pleasant experience with the Sparkle Toothy Tabs, I was a little hesitant to try any of the other flavours. However, the premise of Lush's tabs being environmentally better, urged me to give them a second chance. For this reason, I thought I'd play it safe with their spearmint variety, Dirty. 

The tabs come in a small rectangle box, which makes them great for travelling as they'll take up a lot less room than your average tube of toothpaste. They're also mess free as paste risks leaking all over your luggage, whereas if your box of toothy tabs were to 'explode', you'd just have a small collection of broken tabs that are easily removable. 

However, there is one disadvantage to these tabs being environmentally conscious, and that's that they're stored in a thin cardboard box. This makes it rather difficult to store the tabs in the bathroom, the one place in your house that guarantees to stay damp for the most part. I know common sense tells me I could keep these tabs in a drier area of my flat. However, I like to brush my teeth whilst in the shower, so this a little annoying.

The box currently retails for £2 and is aimed to give you roughly 40 uses, which does make this product marginally more expensive than your shop-bought variety. However, there are many perks aside from the environmental aspects that make me believe this product is worth the price tag.

To use them you simply pop a tab into your mouth, crunch down using your front teeth, wet your toothbrush and begin to brush your teeth as per normal. The powdery mixture foams with the addition of water but remains grainy. It is this abrasive texture that I believe helps to whiten your teeth and clean away any stubborn pieces of food.

The gritty texture is something that you have to get used to, as at first I was a little grossed out by it. However, the addition of these pieces helped me to feel like I was exfoliating my teeth and they definitely felt clean and fresh after I had finished. Unlike normal toothpaste, the aftertaste is also a lot more subtle, meaning that I could enjoy eating afterwards without experiencing that overpowering minty flavour that you do with shop-bought paste.

Overall, this second attempt at using toothy tabs was a lot more positive than the first, and I shall definitely be continuing my use of these for the near future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Spearmint Oil, Neroli Oil, Sodium Saccharin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Flavour.

Vegan?: Yes

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Sparkle Toothy Tabs

I remember going into a Lush shop a few years ago, completely oblivious to every single one of their products, and being as dazed and confused as I can imagine newbies doing nowadays. Whilst I was staring wild-eyed and disorientated because of the numerous smells and products, I was approached by one of the keen employees. Seeing me standing next to the collection of toothy tabs, she assumed I was looking to purchase some and offered me the chance to try one. 

After this stranger convinced me to put this small, circular tablet into my mouth (my drugs education lessons mockingly circulating in my mind), I was disgusted to find my mouth suddenly full of a powdery substance that tasted far from edible. I feigned a dignified smile and exited the shop as soon as possible, spitting out the gritty substance as I walked down the street, confused as to how they managed to sell such a strange and revolting product. 

So almost five years later, when I found a packet of 'Sparkle' in my Lush legends gift box, I was far from keen to give it a go. However, I loved the idea of a product that promoted less packaging and wastage, so I was hoping that I might be luckier this time around.

Sparkle, like all of Lush's toothy tabs, works in the same way. You place one tab between your front teeth and gently nibble until it becomes a powder. Then you wet your toothbrush and proceed to brush your teeth as normal. The addition of water from the brush helps the power to foam up and it works in exactly the same way as normal toothpaste.

As I hadn't read up on the flavour I was trying, I had no idea what to expect, and was very taken back by the overwhelming taste that filled my mouth once I started brushing. I was expecting a gentle mint taste to match my usual toothpaste but was horrified to find that what I got instead was a mixture of vanilla, lemon and black pepper. 

Normally I would embrace all of these flavours as I love them all individually. But together they formed a flavour that, to me, was reminiscent of vomit.  I found myself trying to wash out my mouth as quickly as possible for fear I might actually throw up. It was revolting.

Having said that, and the only reason why I'm giving this product a rating of three, is because there is a noticable difference in the way my teeth feel after using one of these tabs. They leave my teeth feeling squeaky clean, so much so that I usually can't stop touching my teeth with my tongue! I also notice that they banish any lingering smells that may usually fester on the breath for a while. After using one of these, my teeth felt cleaner than they had done in a long while and I noticed that this clean feeling stayed with me throughout the entire day.

Sparkle is definitely an acquired taste, and one that doesn't fein well with my particular palette. But although I wouldn't recommend this particular flavour as I find it pretty nasty, I am definitely going to try other flavours if they have the same positive effect on my teeth. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Lemon Peel Powder, Sicilian Lemon Oil, *Limonene, Black Pepper Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Fair Trade Organic Black Pepper Powder, Fine Sea Salt, Sodium Saccharin, *Citral, *Linalool, Flavour.

Vegan?: Yes

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