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Easy Instructions for Using a Neti Pot
Step 1: Make a Saline Solution
Use bottled purfied or distilled water warmed to body temperature or very slightly warmer for the nasal wash. Avoid very hot or very cold water. If you are using an Aromatic Salt neti pot, it is safe to use a microwave to warm the water right in your neti pot. The Aromatic Salt neti pot is large enough to hold 8 ounces of water comfortably. It will not be filled it all the way to the brim.
Use a rounded 1/2 teaspoon of Aromatic Salt Original or Unscented to 8 ounces of warm distilled water. The cap of the Aromatic Salt bottle can be used to measure the salt. Fill the cap until the salt just covers the threads, just over half a cap. The instructions for the amount of salt are guidelines. Adjust to find the amount that is perfect for you. If you experience a "swimming pool" feeling, try using more neti pot salt. If you experience stinging, use less salt. When you find the perfect amount of salt, the saline solution should flow through the nasal passages quite comfortably. Because Aromatic Salt neti pot salt dissolves in water much more quickly than table salt, a quick stir before beginning the nasal wash should be sufficient to dissolve it completely.
Step 2: Rinse
With your neti pot filled with Aromatic Salt saline solution and standing over a basin or sink, tilt your head gently so that one nostril moves downward toward the basin and the other nostril moves up toward the ceiling. Insert the spout of the neti pot into the upper nostril and gently pour the saline solution into the upper nostril and let it flow out through the lower nostril, as in the illustration above. When the neti pot is empty, blow out through both nostrils into the sink or into a tissue. Be sure not to close either nostril as you blow out. Repeat on the other side.
When you have rinsed both sides, and after you've gently blown your nose, bend all the way forward and turn your head from side to side to release any of the saline solution that may remain in the nasal passages.
Step 3: Care of your Neti Pot
Wash your Aromatic Salt neti pot by hand or in the dishwasher.
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Why salt is necessary in using a neti pot
Salt is added to the water for the neti pot to increase the density of the water, making it compatible with the mucus membranes of the inner nose. Salt is also a traditional healing substance which draws out excess fluid from swollen tissues. Aromatic Salt Original neti pot salt also contains essential oils which further enhance the healing properties of the salt water solution.
How to find the amount of salt that’s perfect for you
If you feel a “swimming pool” feeling after rinsing, you may have used too little salt.
If you feel a stinging when rinsing, you may have used too much salt.
It is more common to use too little salt than too much salt.
The neti pot and your nose
A primary function of the nose is to warm and cleanse the inhaled air. Turbinates are baffle-like structures within the nose which slow and direct inhaled air flow, allowing the air to become warm and moist before it reaches the lungs. The mucus blanket covers the nasal passages and serves to trap dirt, pollen and germs, preventing them from reaching the lungs. When healthy, the mucus blanket continuously sweeps the embedded debris down and out of the nasal passages where it is swallowed and neutralized by the acids of the stomach. In dry climates, such as the insides of our heated houses in winter, the mucus blanket can dry out and become crusty, depriving the body of this effective natural cleansing system. Or the mucus can become watery as in hay fever conditions. In either condition the mucus blanket is unable to perform its function effectively, contributing to allergy and sinus problems and leaving the area more vulnerable to colonization by germs.
Rinsing the nostrils with a neti pot gently removes dried mucus and debris from the nasal passages, allowing the sinuses to drain freely and clearing the nose of accumulated dirt, pollen, mold spores, bacteria and viruses. It promotes freer breathing, decreases congestion, and deprives germs of an undisturbed place to colonize.
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