Alkalol Nasal Wash -- 16 fl oz

I am no wimp but this stuff burned...in a good way so I had to use a 50/50 ratio. My husband used it and thick mucous started coming out which he was not seeing just using a Neti Pot. He is hooked! I felt like someone had stuffed a pack of Kools up my nose or maybe even some Hall's Cough drops cause the Menthol is strong. It burns like hell and I could not handle it straight. I am going to have to work my way up to full strength for sure. This has worked better than anything else we have used previously. We both have ear problems as a result of many years of sinus problems which caused a blockage of the Eustachian Tubes and we were not draining properly. I think with continued use we will finally get some significant relief which again we had not been getting just with saline rinses. We ordered 4 bottles online cause the health food stores were charging almost $8 per bottle.


**** Udated 03/26/10 ***

I just ordered seven more bottles today.

This stuff I thought was going to kill me when I first used it and had to use it very diluted. The key I learned is to use DISTILLED WATER not tap water!!! There must be a chemical reaction when Alkalol is mixed with tap water, possibly since tap water has chlorine (bleach) and flouride in it!


With the distilled water...no pain or burn at all. It was pleasant and soothing. The results have been amazing!!! If you have sinus problems, get this and the distilled water.

Sinus irrigation is rapidly gaining recognition from academic researchers and practicing physicians as a key tool in avoiding and treating sinus infections. (It is also necessary to control allergies and correct physical blockages.)

Saline solutions work well enough at prevention, and there are recipes for the solutions all over the internet. When you actually have a sinus infection, Alkalol can have a real impact. My personal experience is that infections clear much quicker when Alkalol is added to the sinus irrigation mix.

Key tip: start with a very small proportion of Alkalol in your saline solution, say 10%. Increase the strength to find where you are comfortable. Not only is this effective, it is very pleasant. You may end up using it routinely. Alkalol works well with any delivery system (neti pots, nasal douches, sprays) EXCEPT systems using the WaterPik pump. It gums up the pump.

This product is the best! I've been using 1/4 cup Alkalol to 1-3/4 cups saline (water with salt and baking soda) in my Neti Pot for over a year, usually twice a day. It really opens up the nasal passages if you're congested, and soothes them if they're irritated from allergens. If I feel a cold or sinus infection coming on I reduce the water by 1/4 cup and use 1/2 cup Alkalol. As a lifelong sufferer of chronic sinus problems, nothing has helped as much as this routine has!

One of my instructors is a D.C. and recommended this. It a great mucous buster. You can gargle with this if you have a sore throat and also if you have mucous build up "trapped" in your throat. It really does break up the mucous and it doesn't take long to do the job.

I use it at the beginning of a sore throat, and gargle about four times a day, and I feel better in two days. It is mild and doesn't smell or taste medicinal. It's even okay if some of it goes down your throat. It really soothes the cough. I flew from Florida to New Jersey to get this stuff, and I made sure I stocked up on it.

I'm a long term allergy sufferer and chronic sinus infections are the norm for me. I've had allergies since teenage years, have done every bit of everything possible including allergy shots, ENT doctors, MRI's, homeopathic, prescription, nose sprays and saline sprays. I've tried every combination, dosage and antibiotic. Many times.

For several years large volume saline wash was my prescription for some limited amount of relief, mainly the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Regular Kit 1 kit. It helps, but my sinuses are so swollen at times that the water doesn't all want to come out even when leaning forward, and as it trickles out throughout the day or night I get earaches from it running over the Eustachian tubes. The exhaustion, complete tiredness, groggy foggy mind that comes from it? All of that. Hopefully that's enough to give you an idea of my level of suffering from sinus and allergy problems.

On a personal recommendation I decided to try this product. It took me 2 or 3 bottles to figure out how it best worked for me. At first, it definitely wasn't hurting but I couldn't tell how much it was helping. Many people dilute it, and I found for me I'm best off to use it full strength. Rather than a whole bottle of saline, or this mixed with saline, using just an ounce or so of this, just enough to rinse from each side to the other, has been enough to bring me a new level of relief and decongestion. I choose to use the bottle that came with my NeilMed kit rather than the rinser that comes with this kit. Being someone who has to watch the BP, I also have to stay way from the decongestants and this has been a great alternative. I find this especially helpful to use an hour or two before bed and using far less liquid means I have much less issue with drainage at night like with the saline in a higher volume.

Not to get too explicit, but this is the first product that not only decongests my nose but also causes me to need to spit after I've used it.

When I used it mixed with saline, I had mediocre results. It had a good smell but really didn't get at decongesting me. At full strength I get the results I'd hoped for, but I doubt someone could start using this product full strength. It takes some time to get used to the momentary burn you get after it drains out-- a little bit like smelling salts or having a soda bubble back up into your nose. And that being said, I don't have "rebound issues" like you can with prescription saline sprays that cause you to get really congested again right after it runs out.

The smell of the product is very much like a menthol, and while it doesn't smell like Vicks "vapo-rub" it can have a similar effect on the nose, and "punches you right in the face" for a second or two after using it. But it works. It's not so bad to make me tear up or anything like that.

On the downside, the bottles aren't that big. If you plan to completely replace your saline routine like I have (mostly), it can get to be a little expensive. As well, if you travel you'll have to check it since it's already liquid, whereas the saline packets travel well but require clean water at your destination. On the other hand, even a bottle a week is still in the general vicinity of a prescription nose spray.

So in summary: This product is now my product of choice. It took me 2-3 bottles to figure out how it was most effective for me, and other than cost, I have yet to discover any downsides. I can't call it a miracle like others, but it does help me stay functional and "non-funky" in the nose department. I waited more than a month before writing my review to give adequate opinion time.

I have to duplicate my review as this product is sold under more than one link.

A teaspoon(5 mL) of Alkalol added to 8oz Sinus Rinse does help with the decongestant effect. My reservation is that it does contain aluminum. Potassium Alum is a compound of aluminum, as can readily be verified on Wikipedia. Perhaps it's not much and the link between aluminum and Alzheimer's is controversial. Still I prefer to avoid products with aluminum.

My title says it all. Give it a try Today. I mix ALKLOL WITH an Ayr packet, add Sea Salt and a little Baking Soda then put it the mix in an AYR Irrigate bottle and it really works for me. Then for on the go relief I put any leftover in an old AYR spray bottle and use that in addition to AYR nasal spray.

First let me say, I like this product. I use a diluted Alkalol solution as a nasal wash just about every night to help me breathe clearly as I go to sleep. It's also useful at other times during the winter months.

Comments and tips:

1. I use this with the 8 oz plastic applicator bottle from the Simply Saline Sinus Wash kit. After a few months, the plastic applicator bottle became noticeably more flexible and flimsy. The Alkalol solution is definitely changing the composition of the plastic - apparently dissolving it to some extent.
2. I have experimented with various concentrations and have found that high concentrations are just too drying (alcohol is one of the ingredients). Personally, I'm not overly irritated by a full strength solution - it just leaves my nasal passages too dry. Consequently, I prefer solutions of 25% to 50% Alkalol with distilled water and salt. Alternately, one might wash with 100% Alkalol but follow that up with a saline only wash.
3. I buy gallon bottles of distilled water and add sixteen

Add some of this to your neti pot to help really get the 'gunk' out of clogged, congested noses. I have severe 'sinus problems', and my worsening health, precludes the possibility of any more 'corrective' surgical procedures at this time. ALKALOL in conjunction with some other measures (neti-pot, breath right strips, grossan nasal gel etc) has at least relieved my suffering somewhat, and helped improve the quality of my sleep.

This product could put every other cold, flu, allergy product out of business!

My surgeon prescribed Alkalol for immediate use after sinus surgery. I've been using it ever since... some fifteen years... as needed. It provides immediate relief of sinus symptoms. And having used probably every allergy and cold product known to man, this one is my top choice. I have no worries about side effects or addiction. I can use it 2-3 times a day and then stop short without a rebound of the problem. I no longer call a doctor for antibiotics when I get a sinus infection. Just start using Alkalol for a couple of days. Clears it right up (and I don't get those nasty antibiotic side-effects!)

I'd never have heard of it if not for the surgeon and everyone I've recommended it to (which is everyone!) has never heard of it. This company and product should be a household word! It has the "better mousetrap." People need to hear about it! They definitely need to hype up their marketing - tho I hope they don't jack their prices up to do so.

My only gripe is that I have always had to special order Alkalol at local pharmacy counters and had to wait a couple of days for it to arrive. So I ordered two bottles at a time which usually lasts my husband and I about a year. But seeing the price here on Amazon!? Hey, I pay $2-4 a bottle depending on the pharmacy and how much profit they decide to tack on. I may use Amazon to send Alkalol to suffering out of town friends but think I'll stick with local pharmacies for now - better prices and no s/h costs.

I've been using a Neti Pot with a regular saline solution for quite a few years because of the ruthless and dry winters around Chicago. A friend introduced me to Alkalol, and the first few times were a little painful because I simply used too much Alkalol. However, after learning how to mix it with regular saline and use it fairly parsimoniously, the effect granted is much more efficient than a simple saline solution. It's a very liberating feeling to have in your sinuses and it also gives you both a great feeling of freshness and regenerated sinuses to start the day. The only downside is that once you start to use Alkalol, saline solutions do feel pretty "underpowered" or unrefreshing.

This product was recommended to my by an ENT after numerous visits and tests. I have chronic sinus problems and had tried all kinds of sprays, medications, nasal washes and various combinations of all of the above over many years and especially the last few months, when i was determined to find something that worked. There was a drastic good change in my sinus problems almost immediately after the first use. We will see over time as it has only been a few days, but the results have been so far much better than anything I have tried.

Real strong and not for the weak, I need to dilute it with warm water,but it works very well squeekey clean

I bought 3 bottles of this stuff a year or so ago, and found it too strong to use. It sat in my closet until I recently started using it after my antibiotics became less effective. I mix this at about a 40%alkalol/60%warm water solution. It opens up my nasal passages as good as afrin, and has no rebound effect. I will probably be using this product for quite some time. I am one that has the absolute worst allergy and sinus problems. Antibiotics have worked great in the best but are not sustainable......


UPDATE: This product has completely healed my sinus's. I use it in the morning and night, and have no more infections or congestion. Make no mistake about it either, I had some of the worst sinus problems that existed.

Yes this stuff is strong, I felt it even in my brain. Remember though to use purified or distilled water with this. I was lazy and used regular tap water, then I heard stories about people in Louisiana having died using Neti's with tap water because a parasite in the tap water had gotten into their brains causing tissue death.
I don't know if I would purchase this again because it stings too much. I'm thinking about using pure Peppermint oil in my water instead.

I have chronic sinusitis and severe seasonal allergies to birch, oak and pine pollen (all plentiful in my area). I've tried a number of drug combinations over the years including singulair, claritin, allegra, nasonex, mucinex, flonase (and several others), eating local honey, you name it, I've tried it. My preference - especially for anything used 'long-term' - is for natural/homeopathic remedies over pharmaceutical, which led me to try Alkalol.

It was less messy than expected, but just as uncomfortable as I imagined until I figured out how to keep my throat closed. In accordance with the directions, I began with the lowest concentration (20% solvent to 80% distilled water). I had no burning sensation at all with the 20/80 mix. I was able to work up to 50/50 before the menthol began to feel too intense. That said, I recommend each person work up the maximum level they can tolerate, as the results from a 50/50 mix as opposed to the 20/80 mix was impressive.

I found the delivery vessel to be compact and more practical to store than a pot. Because it is smaller, I found it less messy and easier to use (no special angle, just put in in your nose and lean forward. Gravity does the rest).

Overall I am very pleased with Alkalol and plan to use it regularly from now on!

I have suffered from chronic sinus infections for the past 8 years and feel like I've tried everything on the market for sinus infections. For several months, I irrigated with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, salt, and apple cider vinegar, which worked wonders. Unfortunately, sinus membranes are sensitive things, and the H2O2 solution eventually started causing inflammation when I'd use it...which is the last thing you want when trying to drain your sinuses.

I've now been using Alkalol for several months, and I love it! It works nearly as well as the peroxide, but it's far less damaging to the sinus membranes. Initially I diluted it 1:2 alkalol and distilled water (using regular tap water causes the solution to sting but distilled does not) and have since worked my way up to using it full-strength, no dilution whatsoever. I microwave the Alkalol for a few seconds to warm it up to body temperature before pouring it in a little squeeze bottle. Then I lie on my back on my bed, letting my head drop over the side, and pour a small amount of Alkalol into each nostril. Depending on how much inflammation is present, some days it stings, while other days I barely feel it. Most of the time I follow this by rinsing with my sinus irrigation machine. The combination of the two is the most effective remedy I've found for sinus infections.

I'm crossing my fingers they never stop making this item.

I got this to use during my first pregnancy and it was AWESOME. For someone like me, who suffers from alot of sinus problems and headaches, not being able to take any decongestants or other such meds during my pregnancy was hard. This was worth the slight pain of rinsing out your sinuses. Worth every second! The relief was immense. I stock this in my medicine cabinet at all times now.

I've been battling chronic sinus drainage for almost a year. I stumbled upon this amazing product and after only 5 uses I am experiencing amazing results. I use a neti pot, and recommend that you dilute as little as possible. In other words, the stronger the better. Yes, it burns, but only momentarily. I use a 60/40 ratio of Alkalol to warm water.

The bottle as illustrated is about twice as large as the normal Alkalol bottle and the price per oz calculates to be 32 oz. (.029 x 32 = 9.29). However the description says 16 oz which is the usual size I have found at pharmacies.

Can anyone solve this issue?

I purchased Alkalol in hopes that it would sooth my nasal passages and sinuses. I burns way too much to use in my nose. It was actually quite excruciating. The best I could do is add maybe a tablespoonful to my usual nasal irrigation solution.

Anything called Alka-LOL has to be good! Luckily this might be good for other reasons too.