I have probably tried and tested every brand of mouthwash in a bid to find one that offers a strong and minty taste, which unfortunately, toothpastes alone are unable to deliver. I have to admit that I go through far too much of the stuff and that's not because I'm a smoker or have bad breath, but simply due to the fact that I love a clean and fresh taste in my mouth.

Over the years I have found myself liking a few brands and repeatedly purchased one belonging to Tesco due to the reasonable price. However, I am increasingly becoming frustrated with Tesco as for the last few months their shelves for certain products have remained empty and as a consequence, I have not been able to repurchase their mouthwash. Consequently, I have once again been trying other brands with this review discussing Listerine Coolmint, which belongs to Johnson and Johnson Ltd and is marketed as an antibacterial mouthwash.

My purchase was of a 250ml bottle as it was on special offer and at the back of my mind I could recall having purchased this brand many years ago, but had stopped buying for a reason that I could not remember. I favoured the fact that the lid was securely protected with a transparent seal so I had the assurance that nobody had tampered with the product. Despite the directions advising to squeeze the lid whilst turning I initially struggled to remove it, which subsequently, hurt my poor fingers.

The vivid blue coloured mouthwash emits an extremely strong smell of minty alcohol, which I found considerably breathtaking. I'm normally a fan of extra strength mouthwashes and toothpastes, but the powerful aroma caused my nose to burn and my eyes to water and I must admit that I was a little surprised, particularly as this product is described as "coolmint". Whilst some brands of mouthwash provide markings on the inside of the lid to enable the liquid to be measured Listermint have failed to include this. Consequently, the suggestion is to use 4 x 5ml teaspoons to dispense the recommended 20ml of liquid into a glass. I tried this once or twice, but unfortunately, have limited time in the mornings, so the remainder of the bottle was used through guesswork.

The moment I poured the liquid into my mouth I felt as if I had set fire to my tongue and gums and the vivid memories of using the product in the past came flooding back. This is hot, hot, hot and initially made me squirm, but I persevered in swishing the minty liquid around my mouth for the recommended thirty seconds and was so thankful when it was time to spit it out! I normally rinse my mouth with cold water after using mouthwashes and as this intensifies the taste I decided against it on the occasions that I used Listerine.

I am so glad that I opted to purchase a 250ml bottle as opposed to one of the larger sizes and as I cannot abide waste I continued to use the product, but it was necessary to dilute the liquid as I simply couldn't cope with the burning sensation. On a positive note, the mouthwash definitely left my mouth feeling clean and fresh for a good few hours after using, but it contains too much alcohol for my liking. Obviously, it is impossible for me to evidence the claim that the product reduces plaque by up to 56%. The mouthwash should be used within 12 months of opening and the bottle can be recycled once empty. It should not be used by children under the age of 12 years although I feel the bottle should carry an over 18's warning!

I am surprised that I couldn't tolerate this mouthwash, particularly as I normally favour a burning sensation, but it was simply too much for me and I'm not sure how Listermint can name this flavour as "cool". This is definitely an effective mouthwash, but for the reasons discussed above, it receives only 3 stars from me and it's not something I will repurchase.

I have checked the Tesco website and would advise that until 12 March you can purchase the 250 ml bottle for £1.10 after which it will return to its normal price of £2.20. The 500 ml bottle is listed at £3.

I hope you found my review useful and thanks for reading.