Onions are a great accompaniment to Indian meals but the one thing they are not – is romantic. Many are the moments when I regret passing over a bowl of chopped kanda to go with the parathas. Because you know what happens later – monster breath!
Like many personal care products in recent times, mouthwashes too have acquired a questionable reputation.Why? Because most of them contain alcohol, and alcohol isn’t good for the teeth. There’s no point in harming your molars in the quest for sweeter breath, is there?
That’s where the Himalaya Herbals range of alcohol-free mouthwashes come in. They claim to have ‘no burning taste’ either. There are three variants and I put all their claims to test over the last few days.
Complete Care Mouthwash
The Complete Care mouthwash promises healthy gums and teeth using natural ingredients like miswak, neem and pomegranate. Miswak is the twig that Indians used as a toothbrush in olden times and has a lot of medicinal benefits, while pomegranate juice has been documented to fight dental plaque. Neem has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. All you have to do is pour 15ml of mouthwash into the cap (there is an indicator for the measure) and swish it around in your mouth thoroughly for 30 seconds. At the end, you have to spit the liquid out, even if it does taste really good. Incidentally, I had a tooth ache when I used this mouthwash (I used it in the night, just before sleeping), and it had nearly vanished the next day. So I’d say, it’s pretty effective. Of the three variants, I liked this one the best for its taste, refreshing sensation and efficacy.
Price: Rs. 95 for 215 ml
Sparkling White Mouthwash
I have an important event coming up and I was so glad to see something that would help my pearly whites look prettier! Teeth whitening procedures at a clinic are not really good for your teeth as they erode the enamel but this mouthwash is totally natural. It contains papain, an enzyme present in papaya and bromelain, an enzyme present in pineapple for removing surface stains on the teeth. Apart from papaya, even strawberries are said to whiten teeth so maybe you can have a few before using the mouthwash! Other ingredients include water, sorbitol, polysorbate 20, glycerin, sodium benzoate, poloxamer 407, potassium sorbate, flavour, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, salt, cetylpyridinium chloride, menthol, citric acid and sugar. Since it has only been a few days, it’s too early to say whether it whitened my teeth or not, but I’m happy with the taste and sensation.
Price: Rs. 95 for 215 ml
Active Fresh Mouthwash
The flavour of this mouthwash mimics our favourite mouth freshener saunf (fennel seeds). The tradition of chewing on fennel seeds for sweet breath is centuries old. If you don’t have any dental issues, you can go for this one as all it promises is long-lasting fresh breath with the aid of fennel seed oil and mint. However, I found that it lacks the zest of the other two and is a bit milder. While the instructions ask you to fill the bottle cap fully with mouthwash, I find that a little less than 15ml works better for me. The swishing procedure and the subsidiary ingredients are the same for all three mouthwashes. There is no instruction with regards to whether you should drink water after rinsing with the mouthwash but I enjoyed the minty menthol sensation when I had a swig of water after rinsing.
Price: Rs. 95 for 215 ml
Packaging suggestions
Currently, the mouthwashes are only available in one size – 215ml, which is pretty large. In addition, there is a protective foil but once you remove that, the liquid spills whenever you tilt the bottle, even when the cap is closed. It would be nice if Himalaya comes up with a smaller bottle with a flip cap that would be more travel-proof. But until then, you could pour some of the mouthwash into an old flip cap bottle and add it to your travel kit. All three mouthwashes provide up to 12 hours protection from germs and are clinically tested. They are also free of other red flag ingredients like fluoride.
If you haven’t used a mouthwash before, you should start. Indian diets are known to be spicy and flavourful and no one was in greater need of a mouthwash than our tadka-loving desi community. And if you were using an alcohol-based mouthwash thus far, switch over to Himalaya Herbals. Natural products are always the best products in the long run.
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