Alcohol breath can be a big problem, especially if you have to go to work or meet someone. No one wants to have bad breath, and when it comes to alcohol breath, it can be even worse.
Fortunately, there are ways to neutralize alcohol breath and help you feel more confident in social situations. In this article, we’ll show you how!.
1. Brush Your Teeth and Tongue
Brushing your teeth and tongue is one of the most effective ways to neutralize alcohol breath. Brushing helps to remove the alcohol residue from your mouth and combats any odor.
Use toothpaste that contains baking soda, which is a natural odor neutralizer. Brush your tongue as well since the tongue harbors a lot of bacteria that contribute to bad breath.
2. Drink Water
One of the reasons why we get bad breath after drinking alcohol is that it dries out our mouth. A dry mouth creates the perfect environment for odor-causing bacteria to thrive.
Drinking water helps to rehydrate your mouth and flush out any alcohol residue that may be contributing to bad breath. Aim for at least 8 glasses of water a day.
3. Chew Sugar-Free Gum or Mints
If you don’t have access to a toothbrush or just want a quick solution, try chewing sugar-free gum or mints. Sugar-free gum contains xylitol, which helps to neutralize odor-causing bacteria.
Mint has a natural odor neutralizer and freshens your breath.
4. Use Mouthwash
Using a mouthwash can help to mask the smell of alcohol on your breath temporarily.
Look for a mouthwash that contains essential oils, such as peppermint or tea tree oil, as they have antibacterial properties that can help to eliminate odor-causing bacteria and leave you with a fresh breath.
5. Eat Something
Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach makes the alcohol hit you faster and harder and increases the risk of dehydration, which is one of the main causes of bad breath.
Eating food before or during drinking alcohol helps to reduce the severity of the hangover and help your liver process the alcohol faster. Eating something also helps to produce saliva, which is necessary for neutralizing odor-causing bacteria.
6. Drink Green Tea
Drinking green tea can help to neutralize alcohol breath. Green tea contains polyphenols that eliminate bad breath and prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria. Drinking green tea is also an excellent alternative to high-calorie alcoholic beverages.
7. Avoid Smoking
Smoking makes your breath smell terrible, and the combination of alcohol and smoking is a disaster. Both alcohol and smoking make your mouth dry, which creates an environment for odor-causing bacteria to grow.
Smoking also reduces your immunity, making your mouth more susceptible to infections that cause bad breath.
8. Suck on Lemon Wedges
Lemon juice is a natural cleanser and a natural way to kill bad breath. Sucking on lemon wedges after drinking alcohol helps to reduce the severity of the odor and neutralizes the bad smell.
Lemon also stimulates the production of saliva, which is necessary for neutralizing odor-causing bacteria.
9. Don’t Mix Drinks
Don’t mix your drinks if you want to avoid alcohol breath. Mixing different types of alcohol can cause different types of bad breath. For example, beer breath smells different from whiskey breath, and mixing the two can create a terrible odor.
10. Time is Your Ally
Time is the only way to completely neutralize alcohol breath. In fact, it takes about an hour for your body to process one drink of alcohol. If possible, wait for one to two hours before driving after having a drink.
Waiting gives your liver time to break down the alcohol and reduce the severity of alcohol breath.