It's perfectly natural for your breath to be a little off every now and then. Sometimes there's way too much garlic in your meal, your mouth gets incredibly dry or sometimes you may have forgotten to floss.

Whatever the reason, it can strike anytime. Normally, the go to for most people to clear up their bad breath is gum. However with gum being actually made from synthetic polymers and a splash of latex, I will pass and opt for more natural remedies.

There are several natural ways to combat bad breath that are not difficult at all to get accomplished when bad breath presents itself and you need a fast fix.

First things first – you must keep your mouth clean. Bacteria that grows on any food leftovers that wind up getting stuck in your mouth is one of the main causes of bad breath. This odor causing bacteria typically lives in areas that aren't used as much, such as the back of your tongue.

Using a tongue scraper or brushing your tongue can get rid of any bacteria that may be hanging out. Also be sure to floss to remove anything lingering in between your teeth.

Try some of these all natural suggestions for a fresh mouth and find one that works for you.

• Hydrate! Drink between 6-8 cups of water a day, or possibly increase your intake of water based veggies (cucumbers, lettuce) if you find it difficult to get up to 8 cups of water down a day.


• Squeeze half of a lemon into water and gargle after your meals.


• Chew on several sunflower seeds and drink a glass of water.


• Chew on a few sprigs of fresh parsley or fennel seeds. This stimulates the production of saliva which helps stop bad breath. You can also substitute anise seeds instead.


• Eat an apple a day. It will keep the doctor away and bad breath.


• For more extreme cases or chronic cases of bad breath, incorporate organic yogurt into your diet two times daily for a span of six weeks.

If you find yourself very self conscious about having bad breath, consider making your own breath freshener to carry around.

Holly at Faithful Womanhood shows you how to make your own breath freshener out of two ingredients and a container, preferably a small travel spray bottle.
Simply boil water. Once cooled, put the water in your bottle and add anywhere from 8-10 drops of peppermint or spearmint essential oil to it. Close the bottle and shake it up. Give it a try and feel free to add more essential oil to it to get the strength that you'd like. This is perfect to keep in your purse for a quick spritz.