Opinion Queen

On one of his recent shows, Dr Oz mentioned a new line of Neti Pots and Nasal Irrigation Products called Waterpik SinuSense (here is the recap in case you missed it: Dr Oz: Sinus Infections).  There are four products in Waterpik’s SinuSense line: the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator, the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot, the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle and the WaterPik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle.  For those of you who are not yet familiar with Nasal Irrigators or Neti Pots – they are life changing.  It is an all natural and medicine-free way to prevent sinus infections, clear up allergies and it can even fight off colds.  The concept is that you pour water in through one nostril, and it comes out the other nostril, rinsing out allergens, debris that you breathe in during the day, and congestion from colds that can cause sinus problems.  But with four different Waterpik SinuSense products to pick from, how do you know which is best for you?  Well luckily, Waterpik sent me all four products to test out so that I could tell you the difference between all four models!

Waterpik SinuSense Water Pulsator Review

My husband is talented in many areas, but pouring water up his nose is definitely not one of them!  That being said, the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator was by far the easiest for him to use.  Here is how you use it:

How to Use the Waterpik SinuSense Water Pulsator:

1. You pour a package of saline solution into the water reservoir, along with 8 ounces of warm distilled water, and screw it back onto the top of the Water Pulsator.

2.  Lean forward over the sink (or in my husband’s case, he does it in the shower stall before he takes a shower).  Note: if you do it in the shower, make sure that the water is not running because an electronic device plus running water is never a good idea.

3.  While leaning forward, place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator into your left nostril.  Make sure that throughout the rest of this process that you breathe only through your mouth.

4.  Now comes the most interesting part about the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator, you can pull on what they call the FlowControl Trigger (the blue trigger shown in the photo below) to control how fast or slow the water goes through your nasal passages.  This is what made this process easier for my husband I think, in addition to the fact that you do not pour the water through your nose but rather the machine basically pumps the water through your nasal passage for you.

5.  After around 10 seconds, repeat steps 3 and 4 but this time place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator into your right nostril.

Waterpik SinuSense Neti Pot Review

The WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot has improved upon the classic Neti Pot design by placing what they call a One-Touch FlowControl vent on the handle of the neti pot.  This means that you can have some control over how quickly or slowly the water flows through your nose.

How to Use the Waterpik SinuSense Neti Pot:

1.  You pour a package of saline solution into the Neti Pot, along with 8 ounces of warm distilled water, and shake it up to make sure it is mixed together.

2.  Next, lean forward over the sink, or in the shower.

3.  While leaning forward, tilt your head to the right and place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot into your left nostril.  Make sure that throughout the rest of this process that you breathe only through your mouth.

4.  Now as the water pours through your nose, you can control the water flow by moving your thumb to cover the hole on the top of the handle.

5.  After the Neti Pot is half full, repeat steps 3 and 4 but this time tilt your head to the left and place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot into your right nostril.

Waterpik SinuSense Neti Bottle Review

There are two main differences between the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle and the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot.  One is the shape of course, and the second is the way that you control the flow of water.  With the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle, you control the water flow with a special FlowControl Valve on the top of the bottle, and with the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot you slide your thumb over a hole on the top of the handle to control the water flow.  I honestly enjoyed both designs, but if I had to pick my favorite between the two, then it would probably be the classic WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot because I find it slightly easier to hold the handle of the original design rather than the body of the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle.  Of course, the steps are basically the same, but to be 100% clear, here is how I used the Neti Bottle:

How to Use the Waterpik SinuSense Neti Bottle:

1.  You pour a package of saline solution into the Neti Bottle, along with 8 ounces of warm distilled water, and shake it up to make sure it is mixed together.

2.  Next, lean forward over the sink, or in the shower.

3.  While leaning forward, tilt your head to the right and place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle into your left nostril.  Make sure that throughout the rest of this process that you breathe only through your mouth.

4.  Now as the water pours through your nose, you can control the water flow by pressing the FlowControl Valve on the top of the Neti Bottle.

5.  After the Neti Bottle is half full, repeat steps 3 and 4 but this time tilt your head to the left and place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle into your right nostril.

Waterpik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle Review

The WaterPik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle is basically like a non-battery operated version of the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator.  So rather than using gravity to push the water through your nasal passage like the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle and the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot do, you force the water through your nose by squeezing the water bottle which forces the water to go up through one nostril and out the other.

How to Use the Waterpik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle:

1.  You pour a package of saline solution into the Squeeze Bottle, along with 8 ounces of warm distilled water, and shake it up to make sure it is mixed together.

2.  Next, lean forward over the sink, or in the shower.

3.  While leaning forward, place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle into your left nostril.  Make sure that throughout the rest of this process that you breathe only through your mouth.

4.  Now as you squeeze the bottle, the water will flow up one nostril and come out the other, because there is a special FlowControl Valve that only lets water out (and not back in).

5.  After the Squeeze Bottle is half full, repeat steps 3 and 4 but this time tilt your head to the left and place the tip of the WaterPik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle into your right nostril.

I know what you are thinking at this point (“ok, so now I know how to use the four Waterpik SinuSense products, but how do I decide which one to buy?”).  Well here is what I suggest.  If you are new to the world of Nasal Irrigation or have had trouble with Neti Pots in the past, I would highly recommend checking out the WaterPik SinuSense Water Pulsator and if that is out of your price range, then a close second would be the WaterPik SinuSense Squeeze Bottle.  If you have used Neti Pots before and are just looking for a new and improved model, I absolutely adore the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot.  The WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle is also wonderful, but I think it might work better for people with larger hands than mine.  If you prefer holding onto a handle: go with the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Pot.  If you prefer holding onto the body of the device: go with the WaterPik SinuSense Neti Bottle.

For more information about WaterPik, visit the WaterPik Website.