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How Can I Get Rid of Onion Breath?
Although many types of bad breath can be resolved with a mint, a piece of gum, or brushing your teeth, this is often not true with onion breath. This is because, when you eat this root vegetable, the particles that give off the distinctive smell of an onion stay in your bloodstream for up to three days, meaning that every time you breathe out, it smells like onions. To get rid of this problem, thoroughly floss and brush your teeth. Make sure that you drink plenty of water, and try to eat foods with parsley in them, or simply parsley itself, as this herb can help to neutralize some of the onion smell. While these steps will likely make your onion breath better, you will probably have to wait patiently for it to go away on its own and use mints to mask the remaining smell.
You can take the edge off of onion breath by flossing and brushing your teeth thoroughly. The flossing is perhaps most important, as any small bits of onion stuck in your teeth will only intensify the odor. When brushing your teeth, make sure to clean your gums as well, as this can get rid of some of the oil from the onion causing the bad breath, and remember to brush your tongue. If you have a specialized tongue scraper, using this can be helpful.
The human body constantly produces saliva, which helps to clean out the mouth; however, in order to do this, the body needs plenty of water. After you floss and brush your teeth, drink as much water as you can on a continuous basis. This will not only help to rinse out your mouth, but also aid your body in producing more saliva, shortening the amount of time that you experience onion breath.
Parsley, a common herb that can easily be found in most grocery stores or farmer’s markets, contains oils that produce a scent that can neutralize that of onions. Chewing on a piece of parsley and eating foods containing large amounts of it, such as a salad utilizing parsley as a green, can help to relieve bad breath. If possible, opt for flat-leaf parsley, often referred to as Italian parsley, as it tends to contain more of the neutralizing oils. In the future, adding parsley to any foods that contain onion can help to eliminate some of the bad breath issues associated with eating it.
While all of these ideas can help to relieve onion breath, you may have to wait until the oils leave your bloodstream. These tips and tricks, however, will help to reduce the amount of time that you experience onion breath and can mask any remaining odor temporarily. In addition to this, chewing minty gum, using breath mints, or rinsing regularly with a gentle mouthwash can also help to hide the smell until the onion works its way out of your system.
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![Onions.]()
Onions. -
![A tongue scraper, which can help with onion breath.]()
By: chatursunilA tongue scraper, which can help with onion breath. -
![Flossing can help get rid of onion breath.]()
By: Monkey BusinessFlossing can help get rid of onion breath. -
![Onion stays in the bloodstream for up to three days, meaning every exhalation contains a trace of its distinctive smell.]()
By: Piotr MarcinskiOnion stays in the bloodstream for up to three days, meaning every exhalation contains a trace of its distinctive smell. -
![Rinsing with mouthwash is an easy way to get rid of onion breath.]()
By: Matthew ColeRinsing with mouthwash is an easy way to get rid of onion breath. -
![Brushing the tongue can help prevent bad breath.]()
By: gosphotodesignBrushing the tongue can help prevent bad breath.
Discussion Comments
Reading this article really has me thinking. While it's pretty obvious that it's difficult enough to get rid of onion breath, I wonder what other kinds of stinky foods there are out there that not only leave a bad taste in your mouth, but are even harder to get rid of. That's definitely something interesting to think about.
On a final note, I've always thought one reason why when we eat very "stinky" foods, (such as onions) we can smell our bad breath as well as "taste" it, is because of our senses.
After all, as humans, food isn't just about taste, but smell as well. Something that looks appealing, might not be so appealing to us if it has a bad smell, since both of those are directly linked. For example, have you ever had a stuffy nose, and couldn't really taste what you were eating? That's exactly what I'm talking about.
My favorite aspect of this article is how it discusses some very efficient ways to get rid of onion breath, and doesn't allow you to assume it's something that can just go away instantly.
While it's true that this article does give some great suggestions on getting rid of the infamous "onion" breath, one thing that has always worked best for me is brushing my teeth three times in a row, for three minutes each.
Obviously, this is only one solution, but it works best for me, and it might for others too. Not only does it leave my breath smelling incredibly fresh, but even more so, it gets rid of the onion taste after a few minutes. One thing I've always disliked about eating strong onions is the fact that anything you eat or drink afterwards, has an onion aftertaste of sorts.
As an example, one time when I was finished eating a few onions, I went to drink a glass of water, but it left a terrible taste in my mouth. Overall, it's not just about getting rid of bad breath, but the taste that comes along with it as well.
While it's true that we've all had experiences with bad breath, even more so, onion breath is something all of us can relate to. However, this applies more to cooked onions, than the raw kind. In fact, this reminds me of a funny story that happened when I was at college.
A few years ago, after eating a burger with onions in the school cafeteria, there was a rather awkward incident. Later that night, my resident assistant had called me to his room, as a means to discuss that people on campus were complaining about me not brushing my teeth, which wasn't true at all.
The problem was that I had put so many onions on my burger, everyone on campus noticed it, and assumed it was intentional. How does this relate to the article? Whether you're eating onions or any other kinds of "stinky" food, just remember how it can affect you or the people around you.
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