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This homemade mouth freshener spray uses the perfect combination of essential oils and water for instant fresh breath without the alcohol found in store-bought sprays.

Amber bottle with mouth freshener sitting on blue and white striped towel.
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Typically after eating, we pop a peppermint candy, a piece of gum, or a spritz of mouth freshener spray into our mouth.

Even though this can be effective at temporarily freshening breath, these options do not come without some downsides. A lot of those candies and gums are loaded with artificial flavors, dyes, and sugar.

Have you ever read the label on the back of a store-bought breath spray? The first ingredient is usually alcohol, which can dry out the mouth.

You can make a very simple mouth spray with essential oils that will leave your mouth feeling fresh and won’t dry it out the way store-bought sprays do. Talk about a win-win!

Why Make Your Own Breath Spray?

Making your own breath spray is one of those simple swaps I love. You get to skip the alcohol, artificial dyes, and sugar that come in so many store-bought versions, and use just a few natural ingredients you already have on hand.

It is also budget-friendly, since one little bottle of essential oil makes batch after batch. Best of all, you get to customize the flavor exactly how you like it, whether that is cool peppermint, sweet orange, or a warm cinnamon blend.

What Causes Bad Breath Even After Brushing?

Sometimes our breath can smell even shortly after brushing. The most common cause of bad breath is food lodged between the teeth or something you ate.

Certain foods like onions, garlic, and broccoli can leave a lingering smell and taste in the mouth. In some cases, not drinking enough water throughout the day can leave your mouth feeling less than fresh too.

homemade mouth freshener spray in a glass bottle

How to Keep Breath Fresh

The best way to keep your breath fresh is by brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing once daily, and drinking plenty of water. Using a homemade mouthwash along with a breath spray is a nice addition too.

It also helps to go easy on foods like garlic, onions, dairy, and fish. These can be hard to cover up and may leave the breath unpleasant.

The Best Essential Oils for a Breath Spray

Peppermint, cinnamon, and clove essential oil sitting in front of homemade mouth rinse.

The obvious ones here are peppermint and spearmint. Minty oils are great for a fresh, cool feeling, but there are other lovely options too.

  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Lemon
  • Wild Orange
  • Clove
  • Cinnamon
  • Tea tree

The best part about making your own breath spray with essential oils is that it freshens and cleanses the mouth with ingredients you actually recognize.

Adding essential oils like cinnamon, clove, orange, or lemon gives your spray a warm, spicy flavor if you want to switch things up from the usual mint.

DIY Mouth Freshener Spray

Glass spray bottle with cinnamon sticks and rosemary leaves behind it.

All you need to make your own mouth freshener spray is essential oils, water, salt, and a glass spray bottle. To get started, choose an oil or oils from the list above.

The essential oils you choose will depend on your preference of taste. Some of the oils on the list are hot oils and should be diluted before use. If using a hot oil in the breath spray, start with 1 to 2 drops first, and add more as needed.

Adding a small amount of salt will help preserve the spray and extend the shelf life. A pinch of sea salt will do! Using distilled water will also help to extend the shelf life.

Essential Oil Breath Spray

You can use a single oil or make a blend of oils to add to your breath spray.

For a 2-ounce spray bottle, add 10 drops of essential oils. Adjust the amount to suit your preference.

This breath spray is not recommended for children under 13.

How to Make Mouth Freshener Spray

  1. Add 5 to 10 drops of essential oil into your glass spray bottle. It is best to use an amber-colored bottle to extend the shelf life of your essential oil spray.
  2. Fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water.
  3. Shake well to combine and spritz in your mouth after eating or when you need to freshen your breath.

Essential Oil Blends for Mouth Spray

Mouth spray in 2-ounce glass spray bottle.

When choosing essential oils for your mouth spray, be sure to pick oils that are labeled safe to use in the mouth.

Peppermint

  • 8 drops peppermint
  • 2 drops cinnamon

Spearmint

  • 8 drops spearmint
  • 2 drops peppermint

Cinnamon

  • 4 drops wild orange
  • 3 drops cinnamon
  • 3 drops clove

Orange

  • 8 drops wild orange
  • 2 drops lemon

How to Use Your Homemade Breath Spray

Homemade mouth freshener with essential oils in amber colored bottle with cinnamon sticks and rosemary sprigs behind it.

Shake well before each use to make sure everything is well combined. Then spritz directly into the mouth to freshen your breath. I like to keep a bottle in my bag and one in the car so it is always handy after a meal or a cup of coffee.

doTERRA OnGuard Mouth Spray

If you have doTERRA OnGuard essential oil, this blend is lovely in your freshener spray. It is a warm, spicy mix that freshens the breath and leaves your mouth feeling clean.

DoTERRA OnGuard is known as the protective blend, and it is a unique combination of wild orange, cinnamon, clove, rosemary, and eucalyptus.

Its cozy cinnamon-clove-orange flavor makes it a nice one to keep on hand. Just spray into the mouth whenever you want to freshen up.

Young Living Thieves Mouth Spray

Similar to doTERRA’s OnGuard, Young Living has a blend called Thieves. The main difference between the two is that doTERRA uses wild orange and Young Living uses lemon.

Thieves is a similar warm, spicy blend that freshens and cleanses the mouth. If you have Thieves or OnGuard, you can use 10 drops of the blend in your 2-ounce glass spray bottle to make your mouth spray.

Can Kids Use Essential Oil Mouth Spray?

I don’t recommend this spray for children under 13.

If you do choose to use it with older kids, you can dilute it further by using 2 to 5 drops of essential oils instead of 10.

A Few Safety Tips

Because this spray goes in your mouth, only use pure, high-quality essential oils that are labeled safe to use in the mouth, and always check your bottle’s label. A little goes a long way, so stick to the drop counts and don’t overdo it.

Some oils are hot oils and should be diluted, so start with 1 to 2 drops. Do a small taste test first, and if you notice any irritation, stop using the spray.

This spray is not recommended for children under 13, and always keep your essential oils out of reach of little ones.

What is your favorite essential oil blend for a homemade breath spray? Let me know in the comments below; I love hearing from you!

5 from 6 votes

Homemade Mouth Freshener Spray

Prep: 1 minute
Active: 2 minutes
Total: 3 minutes
Yield: 2 ounces
This homemade mouth freshener spray is made with essential oils and water. It is simple to make and works great!

Equipment

  • 2 ounce spray bottle
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Ingredients 

  • 8 drops of wild orange and 2 drops of lemon essential oil, or choose from the list above.
  • Distilled water

Instructions 

  • Add the essential oils to the glass spray bottle.
  • Top off with distilled water.
  • Shake well.

Notes

Add just a pinch of sea salt to extend the life of the spray.
Because this spray goes in your mouth, only use pure essential oils that are labeled safe to use in the mouth, and check your bottle’s label. A little goes a long way, so stick to the drop counts. Some oils are hot oils and should be diluted, so start with 1 to 2 drops. Do a taste test first, and stop if you notice any irritation. Not recommended for children under 13, and keep your essential oils out of reach of children.
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This recipe is for your own viewing pleasure and is not meant for healing purposes. Readers must perform their own research and tests before making any recipe.

About Laura

Welcome to Our Oily House, I’m so glad you’re here! Explore DIY cleaners, homemade soaps, skincare and hair care recipes, fragrance-free solutions, and sustainable laundry tips for a naturally inspired home.

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5 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. Theresa Scott says:

    First I think you are a wonderful human being and a beautiful spirited woman of God. I like all of your homemade recipes. May the Lord bless you and your family this holiday season

  2. Nathan V says:

    Hi Laura, I was wondering if you read my comment because I didn’t get any reply but by checking your blog I noticed you updated the list, removing wintergreen. I’m glad I could help you considering all the good info you give and how much all this info has helped me.
    On that same note, when re-reading the post I saw you left behind wintergreen in one place:
    “The obvious ones here are peppermint, wintergreen, and spearmint. Minty oils are definitely great essential oils to use when trying to freshen your breath, but there are other ones that can be effective too.”
    Just a friendly help! I hope I’m not being too naggy.
    Best wishes!

    1. Laura says:

      Thank you!

  3. Carol says:

    Thank you so much. I want to make this. 😃

  4. Annicia Raghunanan says:

    Lovely idea will try this.

  5. Rebecca says:

    I can’t wait to try this!