How’s your dental care routine treating you these days?
 
I just got an upgrade on mine, and I didn’t even know I needed one.
 
If you are committed to taking care of your teeth naturally and are looking to up your toothcare game, you might want to take a look at the Essential Oxygen organic dental care line. This California-based, woman-owned company offers vegan, organic products that provide germ-killing, gentle whitening goodness for healthier gums, fresher breath and a whiter smile.
 
As an added bonus, they give a portion of their proceeds to community organizations, so you can also feel good knowing that your purchase is doing good for you and for the community.
 
Plus, I’m going to give you a promo code for 20 % off your order, so, if you are in the market for a low-abrasion toothpaste or organic brushing rinse, now is your chance to try Essential Oxygen with a big, ol’ discount!

The organic toothpaste, tooth polish and brushing rinse are all vegan, gluten-free products that are not tested on animals and come in recyclable, BPA-free packaging. Each of these products is free of fluoride, glycerin, alcohol, and sodium laurel sulfate and work together to give you whiter teeth, fresher breath, healthier gums, and reduced tooth sensitivity.
 
The ingredient lists include only stuff you are familiar with and can pronounce, which is always a huge plus.
 
See for yourself:
 
Essential Oxygen BR Organic Brushing Rinse ingredients – purified water, aloe leaf juice, food-grade hydrogen peroxide, peppermint oil, rosemary leaf oil, eucalyptus leaf oil, lemon peel oil, clover flower oil, and cinnamon leaf oil.
 
Essential Oxygen BR Organic Toothbrush ingredients – food-grade hydrogen peroxide, aloe very gel, xanthan gum, guar gum, coconut oil, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, stevia, lemon oil, rosemary oil, clove oil, cinnamon oil, frankincense oil, coconut flour, and calcium phosphate.
 
Essential Oxygen BR Tooth Polish ingredients – calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, bicarbonate soda, MSM, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, myrrh, stevia, wintergreen essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, lemon essential oil, clove essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, and rosemary essential oil.
 
Gotta love that.

Now that you know what is and isn’t in these natural, cruelty-free toothcare products, let’s talk about how to use them.
 
 Essential Oxygen recommends using what they call the Pristine Protocol:
 
1. Rinse with Essential Oxygen BR Organic Brushing Rinse for whole-mouth cleaning.
 
2. Brush with Essential Oxygen BR Organic Toothpaste.
 
3. Polish with Essential Oxygen BR Tooth Polish as needed for an extra boost in whitening and tartar reduction.
 
Now, you don’t have to do this. You can use the brushing rinse as a pre-rinse before your current toothpaste, use just the tooth polish when you need a mild abrasive for whitening and plaque removal, or you can even use the brushing rinse alone as both an organic mouthwash and a brushing medium.
 
For this review, I followed the Pristine Protocol so that I could have the full experience, and then tell you all about it.
 
So, let’s do it.

As I mentioned above, I decided to do the Pristine Protocol so that I could get the full experience and see how well these products worked together.
 
One thing that I loved right away is that the toothpaste is not abrasive but that they offer the separate tooth polish for those days when you want to add a mild abrasive to polish your teeth and work on those tougher stains from all that tea and coffee. So, you can use the toothpaste for your usual toothcare routine, and then throw in the tooth polish as needed.
 
I also really like the idea of using a brushing rinse before I brush my teeth so that it can reach areas of my mouth I generally do not get with my toothbrush. As a twice daily routine, the brushing rinse and toothpaste leave my mouth feeling clean and fresh, and I particularly appreciate that they are able to do this without harsh chemicals and additives I can’t pronounce.
 
One thing that I have noticed with some organic toothpastes and mouthwashes is that the taste is way too strong and, in the case of the mouthwashes, it can even burn a little. This is not the case with these Essential Oxygen products. The flavor is light and pleasant. While each product has a mix of essential oils, you will mostly taste a light peppermint flavor when using them.
 
Whitening is not the most important attribute I look for when I’m choosing an organic toothpaste, but it sure is a bonus. I would say I was using the brushing rinse and toothpaste about one week when I first noticed that my teeth were a bit whiter. I had only used a small amount of the tooth polish once at that point, so I can certainly see how regular use of these products can help keep my smile brighter.
 
Plus, this gentle whitening is an added bonus on top of healthier gums, fresher breath, reduced tartar, and a cleaner mouth overall. So, yeah, I will be ordering this organic, vegan dental care set again!

Okay, now let’s save you some money.
 
The special promo code I got just for you so that you can save 20% off Essential Oxygen products is CHEAPVEGANCHICK.
 
You can remember that, right? =)
 
So, just...

1. Click here.

2. Fill your cart.

3. Type in the promo code (CHEAPVEGANCHICK) during checkout to save 20% on your next order of organic mouthwash, toothpaste or tooth polish (or their other products!).
 
If you happen to be reading this months after it was posted, check the Essential Oxygen page on Dealspotr for the most recent deals on their organic, vegan dental care products.

About five years ago, I had the opportunity to review some CORE Meal Bars and instantly fell in love with this easy, pre-packaged, vegan meal option that I could take with me on road trips or when attending an event where I knew vegan options would be scarce. I loved them so much that I hounded my local Whole Foods to stock them and, when they did, started regularly stocking my freezer with them.
 
Now their meal bars and other whole-food items are much easier to find at your favorite grocer – plus, they have expanded their offerings to include CORE bars, tonics and granolas.
 
There is a lot to love about convenient whole-food options that are vegan and organic, but there is even more to love about this company. So, when Corey from CORE Foods sent me an email to see if I would like to do a vegan product review for their CORE Bars, you know I was all over that.

Before we even get to the food, we’ve got to talk about this company. This small, Oakland-based company staffs their kitchen with formerly incarcerated people to give them a second chance and sources their sustainably grown ingredients from carefully selected farmers that share their dedication to organic, sustainable foods.
 
Their oats are grown by the Smith family in Colorado on the world’s leading gluten-free oat farm, and then processed in a dedicated factory to ensure their certification as gluten free. Their almonds come from an employee-owned, democratically ran company in Central California. The raisins are sustainably grown by the Sahatjian family on the world’s first organic raisin farm, which was established in 1928.
 
You can find out even more about where their ingredients come from on their website where you can read about how each ingredient is processed and where it was grown.
 
You gotta love that – but if buying from a company that gives second chances to the formerly incarcerated, supports sustainable family farms and is transparent about ingredient sourcing isn’t enough for you, there are plenty more reasons to love these whole-food bars, like 100% organic, non-GMO, certified gluten-free ingredients in tasty bars with no added sugar.

The Cashew Chip Core Bar is made from organic, gluten-free oats, organic cashews, organic raw flaxseed, organic cacao mass, filtered water, organic coconut and organic almonds. With eight grams of protein, six grams of fiber, 15% of the daily allowance of iron, no additives, and no added sugar, these vegan bars are perfect for breakfast on the go, road trips, or heading out for a day of outdoor activities.
 
I loved this bar. I mean, really loved it. Sometimes I get a hankering for chocolate that just will not quit, but I definitely do not want to reach for some sugar-laden chocolate bar or something of that nature. So, instead, I can eat half (or all) of a Cashew Chip CORE Bar and feel totally satisfied without that icky feeling you get after eating something super sweet.
 
The Cashew Chip CORE bar is kind of like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie but not as sweet. Basically, it’s awesome.
 
Like all of their bars and meal bars – and any real food – these bars are perishable, which means you can store them in the freezer for up to two years, your refrigerator for two months or at room temperature for one week. Storing them in the freezer works great, because it only takes about 10 minutes for them to thaw, which means you can set one out for breakfast while you are getting ready or you can throw one in your backpack for later in the day.

The short, easy-to-pronounce ingredient list for the Bananut Dream CORE Bar includes organic gluten free oats, organic cashews, organic walnuts, organic banana, filtered water, organic flaxseed, organic coconut, and organic cinnamon. This one has seven grams of protein, five grams of fiber, 10% of the daily allowance for iron, and no added sugar.
 
If you are a fan of banana nut bread, oatmeal cookies and cinnamon, you are going to love this bar. It’s like the perfect combination of these three examples of deliciousness and, since there is no added sugar, it’s a cleaner taste where you can taste each of the real-food flavors without that overwhelming sweetness that should only be found in cupcakes but is often found in snack and meal bars made by other companies.
 
Like the Cashew Chip bar, the Bananut Dream bar is a filling, tasty option that is completely portable and ready to go for some quick fuel between meetings or activities. While I do take this one with me when I’m going to have a long day away from home, my favorite way to enjoy it is at home with some hot tea.

You can purchase CORE bars (and CORE Meal bars, granola and tonics) online at the CORE Foods website. You can also find CORE bars in Whole Foods Markets and in tons of stores across the country. Use their handy store locator to find one near you.
 
If you purchase your bars on the CORE Foods website, you might want to sign up for their subscribe and save option, which means you will get your bars automatically delivered to you at an interval of your choosing and with a 5% discount. (Total yay for discounts!)
 
When shopping for CORE bars or meal bars, always glance at the end of the ingredient list to make sure it says “(VEGAN),” since some of their bars have whey.