The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

I Tried Luster Premium White Teeth Whitening Products and Here's How It Went


I love my coffee black and my wine very red (I tell myself it’s good for me). With favorite drinks like those, my teeth take a beating. I do my best to brush them as recommended, but definitely do not floss or rinse as much as I should. When I was in high school, I tried whitening strips. I liked them but they hurt my teeth a lot. They made my teeth super sensitive and my mouth tasted super metallic for days. After high school, I went through an “at-home” phase. Instead of buying products to take care of my ailments, I would find stuff around the house. I would make lemon juice and honey face masks. I put mayonnaise on my hair. For my teeth, I did a hydrogen peroxide, baking soda rinse and brush combo that really did great things. I stopped that eventually and I’m not sure why. Now, with age, countless glasses of red wine, and far too much Starbucks, my teeth are not as pearly white as they used to be. That’s why I was so happy to try out the Luster Pro Light Dental Whitening System, Power White Deep Stain Eraser toothpaste, and Smile Illuminator Instant Whitening Kit.



Luster Pro Light Dental Whitening System, ($43.99)
The website claims this dentist-developed, light-activated whitening system has “visible results in just 30 minutes” and “causes zero tooth sensitivity.” Because I’ve had a problem with tooth sensitivity in the past, I was most interested in this assertion. After opening the box, I found the lengthy instructions. They aren’t really complicated, but because you’re dealing with your teeth and your mouth, I didn’t really want to skim over them. I also found a little color analyzer in the package. You basically put this scale up to your teeth, see how your color compares, and then figure out how many times you have to use the product before you get your desired color. It’s actually a pretty nifty tool. I determined that my teeth were not that yellow in comparison to what they could be. I had to do around ten or so cycles of the process to see end results.

Twenty minutes and about a dozen spit-soaked cotton balls later, I was about five cycles in. You essentially rinse your mouth with the provided wash, paint on whitener, and then use the light. The light system has a built-in timer so that it turns off when the cycle is complete (about two minutes). You can either do one of these cycles a day, or you can do them all at once. I was hoping to do them all at once, but I found the process is kind of boring after a while. To combat this boredom, maybe paint your nails or watch your favorite TV show. You also have to sit there kind of awkwardly with your mouth open while saliva pools by your gums (hence the cotton balls), all while holding the light. Your arm gets a little sore as well.

Despite these mild complaints, I actually really enjoy the product. The shade guide is really handy to track your progress, even if you can’t always notice it yourself. My teeth did feel cleaner and whiter, like I had just stepped out of the dentist’s office. The best part? There was absolutely no tooth sensitivity for me! I loved that! Over the following days, I continued to drink my coffee and red wine with no significant yellowing, which was so cool.


Luster Smile Illuminator Instant Whitening Kit, ($17.99)
This kit is essentially a dialed down, compact version of the Pro Light Whitener. It includes an “electrifying blue toothpaste” as a polish step. Following that is a boost step with a mint-flavored mouthwash containing Bluverite and peroxide. For a touch-up, there is a travel-size tube of whitening serum, which is a lot like the bottle found in the Pro Light Whitener kit.

I like this system for emergencies. Again, there was no tooth sensitivity. LOVE IT. My teeth were significantly whiter too. It’s definitely good when you realize your teeth are not their usual shade of pearly and you have to run off to an event.

Power White Deep Stain Eraser Fluoride Toothpaste, ($6.99)
After using the Pro Light Whitening System, I thought I would try some daily maintenance with the toothpaste. The website says “removes up to 95% of surface stains in just 5 days” and “uses 2% stabilized hydrogen peroxide for brighter, whiter teeth -2X the leading brand.”

I like this toothpaste, but I don’t use it as my regular cleanser. I like using it intermittently for an extra dose of whitening. It doesn’t have a very strong mint flavor, which disappoints me a little because I prefer a fresh, minty feel with my daily toothpaste. I certainly do like it for the occasional, coming-in-clutch tooth whitener.

I would definitely recommend these products, if not for the whitening affects then definitely for the zero tooth sensitivity. That alone makes it worth it.

Thanks to Luster White for providing us with courtesy samples for review. As always opinions are 100% our own.
Comments
???The before are whiter.
#1 Pat on 2016-01-05 05:13 (Reply)
Pat,
Thanks for the comment! I'm not the best at photography, but the after is actually a lot whiter (despite it not being overly recognizable in the pic). I think I noticed the whiteness along the gum line in the pictures.

Thanks,
Lauren
#1.1 Lauren Swanson (Homepage) on 2016-01-06 09:43 (Reply)
Yeah. What Pat says.
The 'after' picture looks way more yellow than the 'before'. The 'before' picture is much whiter.
#2 Sam on 2016-01-05 07:29 (Reply)
Agreed, the after looks quite a bit more yellow. Mislabeled?
#3 emily on 2016-01-05 11:40 (Reply)
Leave a comment
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed.
Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
Standard emoticons like :-) and ;-) are converted to images.
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.