In the lives of each of us, from time to time there are setbacks and unexpected situations for which we are completely unprepared. At these moments, we do everything possible to not fall in the eyes of others and save our reputation.
One such situation is meeting an important person after a large meal with spicy and odorous ingredients. To avoid a communication barrier, everyone should know how to get rid of the smell of onions, as well as garlic and other savory things from their breath.
Believe me, history knows many cases when, due to poor oral hygiene, business meetings were disrupted, love unions collapsed and bloody wars began (but this is not certain).
That is why it is important to take care of the mental health of your interlocutors as soon as possible and neutralize the threat in the form of an unpleasant odor. Especially when the fate of the world and all humanity is at stake.
So, here are the 16 main ways to get rid of the smell of onion and garlic from your mouth. Remember them and pass them on to next generations.
Why does onion and garlic cause bad breath?
Before we start saving your situation, let's figure out why eating onions and garlic affects our breath so much. In fact, there are many reasons for this, but the main one is the increased content of sulfur compounds in these products.
The main chemical that causes problems with fresh breath is allyl methyl sulfide (AMS). It is this that prevents you from overeating on onions and garlic without affecting your fresh breath.
Moreover, you must understand that rinsing your mouth or brushing your teeth will not be able to completely eliminate the unpleasant odor, because sulfur elements enter the bloodstream after eating. Thus, the smell of onions comes not only from your mouth, but also from inside your body when you start talking.
Moreover, in hot weather this smell can come from the pores, so be vigilant. However, you have every chance to minimize the consequences of taking onions and garlic, which we will talk about now.
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Express methods
There are many answers to the question of how to urgently remove bad breath. Here are the most effective express ways to get rid of bad breath.
- Chewing lemon, lime. This method will not eliminate the stench forever, but it will get rid of it for a few hours. You need to chew a piece of lemon or lime along with the peel. It is also recommended to use citrus zest as an emergency medicine, which you can always carry with you in a fabric bag.
- Coffee. Among coffee lovers, it is rare to find people with bad breath. Caffeine is known to kill unpleasant odors. If you can’t drink a cup of aromatic drink, it is recommended to gnaw 3-4 coffee beans (which you need to put in your pocket or purse in advance). This method will relieve the stench for 7-8 hours. It is not suitable for people suffering from periodic or constant increases in blood pressure. Hypertensive patients are better off chewing a few sprigs of dill or parsley. This method will not only freshen your breath for 8 hours, but also cleanse the oral cavity of bacteria.
- A sprig of cloves helps with terrible odor in the mouth. All you need to do is chew it for a few seconds. Clove essential oil extracted from the plant will not only refresh the oral cavity, but also lift your spirits.
- Juniper will help hide fumes well. It is recommended to chew the berries for several minutes. This method is capable of defeating even the strongest amber after active celebrations with the consumption of large quantities of alcoholic beverages.
- Sour apples can also combat this problem. Fruits will get rid of plaque, bad breath and improve the functioning of the digestive system.
- To get rid of the problem, it is recommended to chew pine nuts or roasted seeds for a few minutes. This will provide fresh breath for 1-2 hours and even get rid of the smell of garlic and onions.
- If you consume half a teaspoon of propolis daily, this will help eliminate stench and accelerate the regeneration of the mucous membrane during the development of inflammatory processes.
- A salt solution will also help get rid of the problem. To do this, you need to rinse your mouth with salty liquid (or sodium chloride 0.9%) for 2-3 minutes. It kills odor and destroys bacteria.
- If you rinse your mouth with any vegetable oil in the morning, it will relieve bad breath for several hours.
It is also recommended to use wormwood for chewing. The plant eliminates bacteria, restores the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and eliminates bad breath. Magnolia has the same properties. All you need to do is chew the plant for 1 minute.
Recommendations
In order to remove the smell of onions from the mouth, use products belonging to one of the following groups:
- Products with a rich but pleasant aroma.
- Natural or artificial antiseptics that kill bacteria in the mouth.
- Products that accelerate oxidation processes - this allows you to quickly remove from the blood the remnants of onion sulfur compounds, which are the source of the unpleasant odor.
In addition, there are a number of general recommendations that can reduce the negative impact of onions on human breathing even before consuming the product:
- in a dish that is served before an important meeting, the onion is cut as finely as possible - this way a large proportion of allicin will disappear from the cut before it enters the human body;
- at a festive feast, it is better to eat dishes with onions first - so there is a high probability that the subsequent drinks and dessert will overwhelm the specific smell of onions;
- During cooking, onions can be scalded with boiling water - heat treatment destroys a significant part of the sulfur compounds.
Using these tips when preparing dishes, you won’t have to eliminate the unpleasant odor after eating them.
Medicines
How to remove bad breath using pharmaceutical products? It helps a lot, especially if you drank a large amount of alcohol the day before, the drug Atoxil, Polysorb. These drugs have an adsorbent effect, which consists in the rapid removal of alcoholic breakdown products from the body.
A solution of Chlorophyll, which contains a green pigment found in plants, will help in the fight against unpleasant odors. It has a deodorizing effect. In addition, regular use of the medicine helps to destroy microbes in the oral cavity, eliminate wounds and inflammatory processes in the gums.
Chlorophyll is also added to toothpastes and mouth rinses. The substance is found in spinach, broccoli, dill, etc. Therefore, these products must be included in the diet of a person with halitosis.
Hydrogen peroxide 3% eliminates stench for a long time and gets rid of pathogens. The rinsing procedure is carried out 2-3 times a day.
An effective disinfectant is Septagol. This is an antiseptic, which contains eucalyptus ester, mint, as well as thymol, menthol, benzalkonium chloride. The drug is able to destroy bacteria, relieve irritation from mucous membranes, and improve breathing.
The drug Asepta refreshes and eliminates microbes in infectious and inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity. It contains peppermint oil, methylparaben, carboxymethylcellulose, metronidazole and chlorhexidine.
Infresh lozenges are very popular for poor breathing. They contain extracts of mint, alfalfa, wheatgrass, as well as chlorophyll. Lollipops have a long-lasting effect.
Helpful information
Tips to help prevent and eliminate onion odor:
- It is recommended to wear gloves when working with a bow. They will not allow its smell to be absorbed into the skin of the hands;
- the knife can be lubricated with vegetable oil, which will protect it from odor;
- During a feast, dishes with fresh onions should be tasted first - this is done so that subsequent products can cover up their smell;
- to remove the pungent aroma from a vegetable, you can pour boiling water over it, or marinate it for 15 minutes in a weak vinegar solution;
- a cut but unused onion should be wrapped in cling film or placed in a container so that its aroma does not fill the entire room.
You will find a lot of useful and important information about removing various unpleasant odors from objects and surfaces in this section.
How can you tell if you smell?
- Cover your nose and mouth with folded palms and exhale. If there is an unpleasant odor, it will be easy to smell. This method is well suited for testing breath in a public place, as it is the most invisible to others.
- Lightly lick the inside of your wrist - the smell that appears after the saliva dries will give you an idea of the smell from your mouth. You should not carry out such a check if there are strangers around.
- Exhale air into a clean cup that fits tightly to your face. Then take a deep breath - this way you can smell the breath.
Folk remedies
Unconventional methods help eliminate onion odor quite well.
Various types of herbs help cope well with this task.
The following recipes also help eliminate onion aroma:
- Mint freshens breath due to its antiseptic properties. Grind a small bunch and fill it with hot water. Cover with a lid for 10 minutes, strain, add honey. You can also chew fresh mint leaves.
- Prepare a mixture of two tablespoons of sunflower or olive oils. Add a teaspoon of salt. Rinse the mouth.
- Add equal parts of fresh dill and mint leaves to boiling water. Infuse the decoction for half an hour, strain, and drink.
- Add a tablespoon of a mixture of chamomile, wormwood, and strawberries to a glass of boiling water. Leave for half an hour and strain. This rinse has a refreshing and disinfecting effect.
- Cranberry juice can also neutralize the effects of eating dishes with onions.
- Carrots and potatoes will also help.
- The oral cavity is rinsed with decoctions: cumin seeds and alder leaves are poured with boiling water and cooled. Mint and sage leaves are also poured with boiling water, left for an hour, and cooled.
- Oatmeal can activate saliva production.
Fruits and vegetables
Fans of fresh onions who want to quickly get rid of the not-so-pleasant aroma need to make sure that they always have fruits and vegetables in their home. Fruits, which tend to quickly darken in the air, are, oddly enough, a very effective remedy. You just need to cut an apple or pear and wait until the fruit darkens. The fact is that these fruits contain an oxidizing enzyme, which, when it enters the oral cavity, reacts with sulfur compounds and neutralizes them. And there are no sulfur compounds - no smell.
Important! Similar properties are endowed with: eggplant, cucumber, zucchini and tomato.
What to do to get rid of onion smell
Well-known ways to help:
- Drinking milk is an excellent remedy to combat the repulsive odor. The amber will quickly go away if you drink a glass of dairy products.
- The zest of citrus fruits will relieve a person of the taste of garlic or onion in the mouth in a short period of time. It is enough to eat a small piece of the product.
- You can use nuts after your main meals and snacks.
- Rinse your mouth with clean water after eating.
- Chew parsley leaves.
- Roast almonds and walnuts and chew.
- Brush your teeth with special toothpastes.
- Use chewing gum.
- Karmadon grains must be chewed to give freshness to the breath. If you don’t have plant seeds at home, use coffee beans. Seasonings, tea, cinnamon, and cloves can help very well.
- Cranberry juice destroys the aroma of dishes that contain onions or green onions.
- Oatmeal stimulates sufficient saliva production.
Methods that urgently neutralize onion odor from the mouth help quickly eliminate the unwanted effect and leave the opportunity to eat a healthy vegetable at a convenient time.
Why do onions cause bad breath?
The unpleasant onion smell appears as a result of the release of a sulfur compound from the plant cells - allicin. When chewing onion fibers, this substance comes into contact with oral bacteria, which causes a specific odor. Moreover, allicin not only enters the stomach, but is also absorbed into the blood. This causes the person to subsequently exhale the substance through the mouth while speaking.
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Important! Bacteria accumulated in the oral cavity can aggravate the situation. Their greatest concentration is on the tongue - this can be determined by a white or yellowish coating. Bacteria can also accumulate between teeth.
Activated carbon
This unique remedy is found in almost every family. But few people know that activated carbon not only saves against poisoning, copes with allergic manifestations, but also eliminates unwanted odors. In order to remove the smell of onions, you will need 4 tablets, which must be chewed without drinking. After 10 minutes the smell will disappear. Rinsing with water to which you should add a few drops of lemon will help remove black deposits. You can also reduce the smell by chewing lemon zest, but this method is too short-term.