three toothbrushes with different designs burned into them. One has floral design, one has under water fish design and one has the name Ali Rose burned in.

How to Personalize Your Bamboo Toothbrush

Week 13

Bamboo toothbrushes are much better for the environment than their plastic counterparts. However, they often lack the distinguishing features, like color, that make them easy to tell apart. I share almost everything with my husband, but I draw the line at swapping toothbrushes.

My first thought was to paint them different colors, but adding paint would mean it can no longer go into my compost bin. I also didn't want to risk adding any chemicals with a sharpie marker. I considered trying to dye them with natural colors like beet juice, but didn't think the bamboo would hold the color very well. Ultimately, I decided to use a wood-burning tool that could make cute designs without sacrificing the integrity of the bamboo.

This project took about 15 minutes, but could take more or less time depending on the intricacy of your design and your comfort level with a wood-burning tool.

What you'll need

  • Wood Burning Tool - These range from $15-$50. I have the Walnut Hollow Creative Versa-Tool which I got at a Joann Fabric and Crafts. It sells for $35, but Joann always has coupons online so I used %40 off one single item and saved $14.
  • Bamboo Toothbrush - You can use any kind, but I highly recommend the ones from No Tox Life as they are inexpensive and offer a nice flat surface to work with.
  • Pencil - to sketch the design before burning.

Let's personalize our toothbrushes!

  1. pliars being used to twist the tip off of wood burning brush

    Decide which tip will work best for your design and change it out before turning on your wood-burning tool. Use pliers to twist the tip off and on. You can use mutiple tips, but always wait for the tool to cool completely before changing them out.

  2. wood burning tool shown with heat dial turned up to 3 out of 4

    Plug in your wood-burning tool so it has plenty of time to heat up. I found that the higher settings worked best for this project.

  3. bamboo toothbrush with floral pencil sketch

    Using a pencil, sketch your design on the toothbrush. You can write a name, draw or picture, or simply create a pattern. If you have kids, maybe they would like to draw a little design on there. Get creative!

  4. wood-burning tool burning floral design into bamboo toothbrush

    Use the wood burning tool to trace your sketch. Start with light pressure and adjust as needed.

  5. floral design burned into bamboo toothbrush

    Once you've gone over all your sketch marks, your toothbrush is finished!

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