Review: Foreo ISSA 2 Electric (Sonic) Toothbrush 🦷😁💖

Well this will be a different review! A toothbrush! 😁🤗💖 Toothbrushes and oral hygiene are a staple of a beautiful smile right?!? So it makes sense that this review makes it to the blog (eventually at least lol…) 🖌 I got the seriously FANCY Foreo Issa 2 Sonic Toothbrush at the end of January this year, as a birthday gift and I couldn’t wait to share my thoughts with you Beauties, in regards to how I rate it compared to manual brushing, quality and satisfaction. So let’s get into the review!

ISSA 2The improved electric toothbrush with dynamic dual-design Raise the bar for clean. Foreo ISSA 2 Sonic Toothbrush features improved sonic pulses and a combination brush head, plus a 365 day charge that means you’re always ready to complete your daily ritual. Take proper care of yourself with Foreo ISSA 2 Sonic Toothbrush, featuring a more durable design that is soft and very comfortable. This innovative, advanced toothbrush is not just ultra-hygienic but also easy to use, and makes it easy to reach where you need it most. What are the features of Foreo ISSA 2 Sonic Toothbrush?

1. 11,000 pulsations per minute, this advanced toothbrush uses Sonic Pulse Power

2. Designed to be gentle on gums but harsh on plaque, ISSA 2 uses microsweeps to keep your mouth feeling clean

3. USB chargeable, each 1hr of charge lasting up to 365 days

4. A blend of ultra-hygienic, soft silicone bristles and polymer bristles

5. Built in timer to ensure your teeth are correctly cared for

6. Offers a gentle gum massage as you brush

7. Lightweight and travel friendly design – no bulky charging dock

8. Waterproof for use anywhere

9. Includes a tongue cleansing function

The quick-drying, non-porous silicone bristles resist bacteria build up, carrying up to 10,000 x less bacteria than other toothbrushes with nylon bristles. This lightweight toothbrush is battery powered, charged by a USB cable, with each 1-hour charge lasting up to 365 uses. This advanced creation from Foreo inhibits over brushing, prevents gum recession and any damage to tooth enamel. Smile brighter with Foreo!

Each replacement brush head will last you 6 months of use due to its bacteria resistant qualities. Replacements sold separately.

So first a disclaimer. I haven’t used an electric toothbrush before picking up the Foreo Issa Sonic Toothbrush. I have been a manual toothbrush ‘consumer’ (user? fan? 🤷🏼‍♀️) until recently. What made me look to upgrading and trying out not only an electric toothbrush but a sonic toothbrush to boot? I just got sick of manual toothbrushes and how ‘disposable’ they were, as well as ineffective. I realised I had been replacing my toothbrush every 2-3 months and it just seemed like such a waste – disposable plastic piling up at the dump can’t be great for the environment. I figured there had to be a more sustainable solution.

So why didn’t I just choose to buy a sustainable and environmentally friendly bamboo (manual) toothbrush instead? The brush heads never looked very appealing or very effective to me. Also, I realised that with manual brushing. I couldn’t reach the very back of my mouth well, even when I tried so hard to reach those ‘difficult’ areas. My teeth never felt super clean. Sometime last year, I had one of my wisdom teeth removed. It was infected and the dentist mentioned that it’s difficult to keep wisdom teeth clean. I would not be surprised if ineffective brushing was partly to blame. I can’t be sure that I’m applying the right type of pressure when brushing my teeth (manually) or for long enough. So when I heard how GREAT sonic toothbrushes were and even those that had used electric toothbrushes in the past were impressed, I decided to take the plunge and try the very expensive, but very cool looking Foreo Issa 2.

The Foreo Issa 2 toothbrush is Foreo’s redesigned sonic toothbrush. Apparently this version works more effectively and has a better or more comfortable design. It has the same medical-grade silicone exterior as the Foreo Luna (which I love by the way!). I’ve had my Foreo Luna for about 5 years now, and it’s still going strong (I’ve only charged it ONCE since getting it can you believe?!? granted, I don’t use it everyday but almost!) so I knew Foreo’s design and technology was worth the pennies. Well, I hopped it would be lol… I also like to support innovative companies where I can.

Benefits 

The toothbrush is completely waterproof, it’s comfortable to hold and medical-grade silicone is antibacterial (unlike manual toothbrush – they are definitely NOT antibacterial lol 🙄😬).

The Issa 2 vibrates once every 15 seconds to tell you to move to a new quarter/section of your mouth (Foreo recommends cleaning your teeth in 4 ‘sections’). Once you’ve been brushing your teeth for 2 minutes, the toothbrush ‘buzzes’ three times to let you know to stop. But if you don’t turn the toothbrush off, it will naturally turn off at the 2 minute and 30 second mark.

The brush head is made up of silicone bristles and regular toothbrush bristles (made of nylon). Unlike a regular electronic toothbrush where the brush head rotates, sonic toothbrushes pulsate instead. What I love, is that you can decide what kind of speed (and thus pressure to clean your teeth) you would like, using the easy control settings (plus for more speed and strength, and the minus for less; a more gentle clean). Because the brush head doesn’t rotate and thus the bristles don’t move back and forward at speed and with great friction or distance, the bristles clean your teeth gently but effectively. If you have sensitive gums, you will LOVE this toothbrush! The silicones bristles around the edge of the brush head are gentler than the nylon bristles (naturally) and thus your gums are more protected by only coming into contact with the silicone bristles. I sometimes experience sensitive gums and I have not once felt discomfort when using my Issa 2.

Do sonic toothbrushes more effective at cleaning your teeth? Yes. Why? While the bristles move to shift plaque and bacteria like a regular toothbrush does, the pulsating action forms tiny bubbles in the space between the toothbrush and the teeth and these help to shift more plaque than ‘regular’ brushing. Bingo! ⭐️ Standard electric toothbrushes move/vibrate the brush head somewhere in-between 2,500 and 7,000 strokes per minute. Sonic toothbrushes however, generally vibrate at 30,000 to 40,000 strokes per minute. Evidence suggests that a sonic toothbrush will indeed clean areas that a conventional brush cannot. This is because the extreme vibration creates a substantial amount of energy and motion, powering mouth fluids (saliva, water, toothpaste) into the areas between teeth and below the gum line. The result is these areas are given an amount of attention that otherwise would not happen with a standard (or electric) toothbrush (source: Huffpost).

It’s also been found that people who brush their teeth with an electronic toothbrush brush their teeth for longer. I can believe this. The time activated buzzes/vibrates, ensure I brush my teeth for the recommended amount of time. When using a manual toothbrush, I was not going to be staring into a clock to make sure I brush my teeth for exactly 2 minutes (the recommend amount of time to brush your teeth). I’m half asleep in the mornings and that just won’t happen. The Issa 2 means you don’t have to actively think about this. At the same time, the vibrating/buzzes as well as the automatic switch off function stops you from over-brushing teeth (also not good for you).

Do my teeth feel cleaner after brushing with the Issa 2? YES! I can seriously feel the difference. My teeth feel like they have been professionally cleaned. Even those hard to reach spaces are easier to get to (I think the Issa 2 toothbrush head is a little more narrow than a regular brush head) and I can FEEL that plaque build up is gone. Honestly, the difference is SO great I would never go back to a manual toothbrush again. I think the dentist will be shocked the next time I come in for a check up! 😁 I’m certain I will have less plaque buildup than usual. I will update you with his comments after my next appointment.

The other great innovation Foreo have come up with – is that you charge the Issa 2 with a USB CHARGER! It only takes an hour to fully charge and then the battery should last you for a year. Foreo makes some amazing batteries… The brush head only needs to be replaced every 6 months, which I think is reasonable and better than most electric toothbrushes.

OH also – the regular Issa 2 brush head on it’s reverse side has a tongue cleaner. It’s not super duper, but if this is important to you – you can buy a seperate tongue cleaner brush head, better designed for this job. I received mine as a freebie (gift with purchase).

Cons

You can’t use toothpaste that contains peroxide (peroxide is in most ‘whitening’ toothpastes). The peroxide deteriorates the silicone and you will need to buy brush heads more often. Apparently a formula with 5% peroxide (or less) is ok – but again, it isn’t recommended. I like to use Oral-B toothpastes with my Issa 2 (no peroxide) 😅

It’s very expensive. I feel so bad recommending such an expensive product (and I do recommend it). But I think the quality and hopefully it’s ‘shelf-life’ (if you can keep and use the same model for 5+ years) is reasonable. How expensive is it? $235 AUD. A replacement brush head is $27.90 AUD. At least once you fork out for the brush itself, the brush heads aren’t insanely expensive, so it’s not expensive to ‘keep’ long term. Maybe you save some money here, compared to standard electronic brush heads which can be more expensive. You have to weigh up which works best for your budget.

You don’t have to buy the Foreo Issa 2 sonic toothbrush – other big brands in oral health care and accessories are bringing out sonic models too (Philips and Oral-B). I love my Foreo Issa 2 and whole heartedly recommend it but that’s not to say that other brands sonic toothbrushes don’t work just as well. The effectiveness of the brush is priority over how it looks, but I do like that the design of the Foreo Issa 2 is ‘different’. It takes guts to try something new when product designs barely change over decades.

Final Thoughts 

I love my Foreo Issa 2. It’s certainly an investment but oral health is  certainly connected to your health and overall wellbeing (as well as an aesthetically beautiful smile!) so I highly recommend the toothbrush after testing it out twice a day over 4 months. Getting used to a electric toothbrush probably took me about a week (at first I didn’t know how to manoeuvre my hand and arm – I was so used to manual brushing!) but now it’s second nature 😅

You can certainly pick up a sonic toothbrush made by a different brand; the technology should be relatively the same after all. If you want to invest in an electric toothbrush it makes sense to pick up a sonic electric toothbrush, which is definitely the newest and most innovative technology on the block.

Oh I almost forgot – I bought the mint green colour, but Foreo sell the Issa 2 in black, cobalt blue and pink. I think there are also ‘mini’ Issa toothbrushes for kids.

I bought my Foreo Issa 2 from Adore Beauty but you can also check out the range via the Foreo official website, which also includes a web shop or depending on where you live, will link you to an official stockist. I contacted Foreo via the chat function on their website once and the staff answered my question quickly and in detail. Big thumbs up for great service! 👍

So that’s it Beauties! I’m a happy camper and SO happy I made the change to a electric toothbrush 😁🌟🦷 Have you made the switch yet? Have you heard of sonic toothbrushes? Let me know in the comments below!

Catch ya next time,

Beauty Bee~

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