How to Get an Onion Smell Off Your Breath

You love the taste of onions in your food. You don't like the unpleasant aftermath that leaves you reeking of onions for hours. When you eat onions, the saliva in your mouth starts the breakdown process. During your food's digestion, onion compounds are absorbed into your bloodstream, transported to your lungs and bad breath occurs. If you refuse to stop eating onions completely, there are various ways to reduce or eliminate onion breath.

Things You'll Need

• Dental floss
• Toothpaste
• Tongue scraper
• Mouthwash
• Breath mint or chewing gum
• Parsley or coriander leaves
• Water
• Black tea

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Floss your teeth and brush them after eating onions. Brushing your teeth will not eliminate onion breath indefinitely, but may offer temporary relief. Use a toothpaste that contains chlorine dioxide or zinc that neutralizes sulfur compounds that cause bad breath. Brush thoroughly for two minutes; include the surface of your tongue and reach far in the back where bacteria accumulate. Use a tongue scraper if desired.

• 2

  Rinse your mouth with mouthwash after eating onions or after brushing your teeth. Swish the liquid in your mouth for one minute before spitting it out. Use an alcohol-free mouthwash as alcohol reduces the flow of saliva, making your mouth more prone to bacteria growth and tooth decay.

• 3

  Suck on a breath mint or chew minty, sugar-free gum to mask onion breath and to promote the flow of bacteria-cleansing saliva.

• 4

  Chew on parsley or coriander leaves after finishing your meal because they contain odor-eliminating compounds.

• 5

  Drink a lot of water after eating onion-rich foods. Water will increase saliva in the mouth and help to wash away odor-causing bacteria.

• 6

  Drink black tea after eating onions. Polyphenols in black tea stop the formation of bacteria in the mouth and suppress bad-smelling compounds.