How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Naturally

Bad breath can be embarrassing and unpleasant. While breath mints and other shortcuts can cover it up temporarily, to cure it you need to get to the source. Here’s how to naturally get rid of bad breath.

Try Alternative Mouthwashes

Listerine and similar mouthwashes are powerful antibacterials that kill both good and bad in your mouth. But killing the healthy bacteria may harm your gut microbiome, negatively affecting your digestion, immune system, and even brain health. Natural mouthwashes can help control the unhealthy bacteria causing bad breath, without harming helpful bacteria. Here are some natural cures to try:

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is an ancient practice from Ayurvedic medicine prescribed for a wide variety of medical complaints, including oral health. The practice is simple: Brush your teeth as normal, then swish a tablespoon of oil for 1-3 minutes. Spit it in the trash (do not put oil down your pipes!) and you’re done. 

Sesame oil is the traditional treatment, however, coconut oil may actually be more effective, due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It can help with bad breath by balancing your oral microbiome — and also help reduce gum inflammation, thrush, and other oral health issues.

Baking Soda Mouthwash

For a simple DIY bad breath cure, mix two tablespoons of baking soda into a cup of warm water. Swish for 30 seconds or more, then spit it out. Sodium bicarbonate, the key ingredient in baking soda, has strong antibacterial properties that can help rid bad breath while protecting your teeth. Toothpaste with baking soda can also improve your breath.

Avoid Foods That Cause Bad Breath

Not all bad breath comes from poor oral health — the foods you eat can also contribute to bad breath. Here are a few foods that can make your breath stink.

Too Much Protein

The body naturally produces ammonia to help digest protein. If you eat too much protein, this ammonia can give your breath a very unpleasant ammonia smell (think cat pee). Avoid high-protein diets if you’re concerned about your breath. 

Milk and Cheese

When you eat cheese or consume other dairy products, the bacteria in your mouth start to break down its amino acids, creating sulfur compounds, which can give your breath a rotten egg smell. 

Onions and Garlic

Onions and garlic are good for your health, but the sulfur compounds in them are bad for your breath. You don’t need to eliminate them from your diet, but you might want to moderate how much you consume at once.

Peanut Butter

While peanut butter isn’t bad in itself, its consistency makes it very hard to get out of your mouth, even when you brush. This leftover peanut butter feeds your oral bacteria, worsening bad breath. 

Coffee

Coffee can dry out your mouth. Reduced saliva allows bad bacteria to grow, which may worsen bad breath. Be sure to drink a lot of water to balance out coffee’s dehydrating effect. 

Alcohol

Like coffee, alcohol can dehydrate you. Be sure to drink lots of water to balance the effect.

Improve Your Dental Health

While every mouth has bacteria, poor dental health can lead to bacterial overgrowth, causing bad breath. Small pieces of food in your teeth can become breeding grounds for bacteria.

To maintain clean teeth and fresh breath, brush your teeth at least twice per day (and ideally after every meal) and floss daily. Be sure to brush your tongue as well.

Bacteria can accumulate on the tongue just like they can on your teeth. Some toothbrushes have a tongue scraper on the back of the head. However, if yours doesn’t, you can simply brush your tongue with the bristles. 

If you haven’t had a professional dental cleaning in a while, getting your teeth cleaned will likely improve your breath. Your dentist will remove the plaque and bacterial colonies that may be behind your breath problems.

Go to the Doctor

Most bad breath comes from bacteria in your mouth. However, bad breath can also have other, more serious causes such as acid reflux or infections. If your bad breath came on suddenly, or if it isn’t responding to the other methods in this article, it’s a good idea to get checked out to make sure you don’t have an undetected health problem.

Holistic Healing Products

Elixinol Hemp Seeds – 8oz 

While excessive protein is bad for your breath, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, it’s probably not the source of your problem. In fact, many vegans and vegetarians struggle just to get enough protein in their food. These hemp seeds are a natural source of vegetable protein perfect for veggie and vegan diets, they add a delicious nutty flavor, along with a big dose of healthy Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. 

Elixinol Hemp Protein Powder -16oz

Enjoy the same high-quality, minimally processed hemp protein in Elixinol hemp seeds, in a convenient powder form. This protein powder is great for adding to shakes, yogurt, and cereal, or as a baking ingredient to add pure vegetable protein to your fresh bread. 

Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 16 Fl Oz

In addition to all the other health benefits of apple cider vinegar, ACV can also help kill bacteria that cause bad breath! This raw, unprocessed ACV is a great tonic for your breath and your body.