Stainless steel Neti pot review & comparison to the ceramic Neti pot

If you already know what a neti pot is you may want to just skip to the actual Jala neti pot review and comparison at the end of this article. For those of you who don't know or if you do and just want to read about my own story of how neti came into my life then keep reading.

So what is a "Jala Neti pot", you ask. Well, it's become one of my new best friends. I was given one in 2002 and told it would help with my post nasal drip or sinusitis problem. It is a method of nasal irrigation or nasal lavage that has been around for centuries and helps clear the sinuses, nasal passages, and even improve vision(I'll explain this one later).

It's a pretty simple concept. The neti pot looks like a little teapot. You prepare a salt water aka saline solution and heat to body temperature. Then, by placing the spout in one nostril and tilting the head with the spout staying in the upper nostril, begin pouring the saline solution. Gravity then takes the water inside and down to the lower nostril and out.

Well the first time I tried it, I heated the water too hot and the second time I put too much salt in the water so both times it was very uncomfortable. So my neti pot sat on the shelf for 3 years until this past January. With the encouragement of one of my yoga teachers, Kaoverii, I decided to give it another try.

This time I got better instructions from my teacher and the web on how to prepare the salt water solution for neti and I finally had success. WOW! What a difference. I was able to breathe through both nostrils with ease. Inhaling felt like I was tasting an exquisite dinner except I wasn't eating food, I was inhaling the vibrant air around me. I actually went around smelling things just for the shear pleasure of it. And to my surprise, no one had mentioned to me that it also cleaned the tear ducts. Using the neti pot seemed to also wash a milky grey layer off my eyes so that colors seemed more vibrant and vivid. And to top it all off, I found myself naturally wanting to breathe deeper and in turn I felt more relaxed and energized throughout the day.

After one month of daily use just once in the morning my post nasal drip became almost non-existent. I no longer have to check to make sure I have tissue with me before I go out the door and I don't feel the need to drink water with lemon all the time(which was my way of clearing out the back of my throat of mucous). It also put an end to my sometimes excessive nose picking (I confess :).

And when a wave of flu/cold hit, all my friends were sick for 10 days or more. I was free and clear by the third day and I never got congested. I just dealt with the fever and lightheadedness.

I quickly adopted my neti pot as an important part of my morning ritual alongside brushing my teeth. Also, like brushing my teeth, I can hardly stand having to go more than a few days without it. Thus was the case when I went on a yoga retreat in the Joshua Tree desert in California. Unfortunately, I didn't take my neti pot with me because it was ceramic and I was worried it would break while I traveled. After the third day I could hardly stand it anymore. My sinuses were so dry and full of dust and campfire soot I had to do something.

 

As you can see from the picture at left, I found a temporary solution. Yep, I just took a water bottle that had a pull-top. Worked like a charm. In fact, in some ways it was almost more effective but a more experienced yogi will probably tell you that there is a danger of getting water where it shouldn't go. This is why I'll add that you should only give a very light squeeze to the bottle. Because of the vacuum created in the bottle, one nice side effect is that it creates a bubbling in the nose when the bottle is trying to draw back in. This bubbling gently agitates the nasal passages to loosen and remove some of the more stubborn particles. I only needed about 2 oz. of water per side as opposed to 8 or more required of a neti pot. Lastly, I didn't have to do much in the way of heating the water because it was already warm enough from sitting out in the sun. If you've never done neti and are tempted to try the water bottle I highly urge you to get some proper instructions from a yoga teacher or at least read the instructions at the following website on how to use a neti pot. http://www.falconblanco.com/health/neti.htm

Once I decided to try the water bottle a few other brave souls wanted to learn neti too so I ended up giving a little class. I would have never thought I'd ever be teaching this as a class but it was so much fun. Here are some pictures of me demonstrating jala neti to the group while camping in the desert. This was absolutely great for our dried out campfire smoke clogged noses.

Unfortunately, the water bottle isn't as sanitary and there's also the question of getting plasticides in your nose so I only recommend it if you are getting desperate. This prompted me to begin a search for a better neti pot that I could take with me while traveling. This led me to eventually find the stainless steel neti pot pictured above.

Stainless Steel Jala Neti Pot Review

Not only is it a more durable neti pot but it has many other advantages in comparison to the ceramic neti pot you find in health food stores.

• First of all, the conical tip of the spout really makes a good seal in just about any nostril size. My ceramic one had a larger oval opening that was somewhat difficult to keep the seal with my small nostrils.
• The angle of the spout is a lot easier to line up with the nasal passage and doesn't require you to keep tilting your head up further and further as the water runs out.
• The neti pot holds 15 oz. of water, enough to give both nostrils a thorough flush without having to refill. (actually I'm able to get 16 oz. in it but you have to mindful to spill it over the rim when you first tilt. The ceramic one only holds 6 oz. of water and I found I had to fill it 4 times(2 per nostril). This is a hassle and also takes up more time which means getting up earlier to allow more time to do neti. Who wants to do that?
• It's real easy to mix your salt into the water right in the pot. The stainless steel won't break from clanking a spoon around in it and if you use warm water straight from the tap you don't even have to use another pot to heat your water. I personally use filtered water and heat it in the microwave so I have to use a glass or ceramic bowl to heat my water.
• It also came with much better neti pot instructions than any other neti pot I've seen. The company that makes them also makes an awesome neti pot instructional video and since I was also buying one as a gift I got the video free. I've read many different instructions on how to use a neti pot but after watching the video I found it much easier. Particularly the drying of the nose step. This is difficult to understand fully from a book. They even demonstrate stage 2 jala neti which is a much more effective complete nasal passage cleaning. The video makes it very simple to learn and adopt.
• Lastly, stainless steel is a lot easier to keep clean and sanitized.

UPDATE: Please check out the Jala Neti Library I was able to revive which gives a lot more information on the practice of Jala Neti(Nasal irrigation).