You’re dressed to the nines, you’re hair is perfectly in place and your skin is absolutely flawless.

What’s the one thing that could possibly spoil your entire look? Icky, yellow, stained teeth! There’s nothing more gorgeous than a full set of pearly whites gleaming through a wide and bright smile.

Looking after your pearla’s is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to look after your health and keep you looking fab. We’ve got five tips to help give you an instantly whiter and brighter smile…

1: Watch what you put in your mouth
First off, make sure you’re not subjecting your poor teeth to too much nasty food or liquids. There are certain types which have been found to stain teeth more than others. Foods to avoid include coffee, tea, dark fizzy drinks such as coke, red wine and even blueberries! The good news is you can balance this up with foods which naturally whiten or maintain white teeth, such as strawberries, apples, pears, celery, carrots, cauliflowers and cucumbers. Yum – munch away ladies! 

2: Make your own miraculous mixture
A fab DIY option to safely bleach your teeth is to mix a small amount of baking soda with a dash of lemon juice and salt, and use as toothpaste. Make sure you only use a small amount of lemon juice. Don’t go overboard with the lemons though – they do contain acid which can be harmful to the enamel on your teeth. Lemons are a natural bleach and the salt will act as a stain remover. Just remember, less is definitely more then trying this!

3: Get lippy
Pick the right shade of lippy or gloss and your teeth will look significantly whiter. Pick the wrong colour, and they can end up looking a lot darker than they really are! If you have grayish teeth, avoid red lipsticks with blue tones. Try cool colours with a brown base – nude pinks with an almost brownish hue will help make your teeth appear whiter. For those girls with yellowish teeth, steer clear of deep, dark and bright shades, and any super shiny glosses. Instead opt for pink shades with blue undertones, and nudes.

4: Go for the glow
It’s a universal law that when you’ve got a sun kissed tan (obviously faux is the only way to go – no chance of skin cancer or lobster red burns), you just look better. This rule applies here, as a golden tan helps make even the dullest of teeth look mega watts brighter! Our fav tan in a bottle goodies include Victoria’s Secret Bare Bronze Collection Glow Moisturiser (nzgirl staffer Melissa swears by it!) and the Body Shop’s Sun Luster Bronze.

5: Up the routine
OK, so this is obvious but I bet there are more than a few guilty girls out there who don’t brush, floss or use mouthwash on a twice daily basis. Naughty, naughty! The best thing you can do for your teeth is look after them, with a proper, thorough and regular dental routine. Not only will they stay healthy, but they’ll look it as well! Buy a mouthwash that contains a small amount of hydrogen peroxide – it’s the main ingredient in most teeth whiteners available for over the counter purchase.

Ramarea

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