Reach reveals top dating turn offs in UK’s biggest oralcare survey

Forget flash glad-rags, handbags or glossy hair -if you want to make a good first impression on Valentine’s Day, just remember to brush your teeth. A recent YouGov survey into the nation’s top dating turn-offs, commissioned by Reach toothbrushes, reveals that smelly breath and stained teeth are the real passion killers.

Although we can spend hours making sure we look our best on a first date, the nationwide survey conducted amongst 2,558 people, showed that smell is the top factor in giving the worst first impression. 78% of respondents said that a date with awful body odour would be the number one turn-off and 77% claimed that bad breath would give them the worst first impression on a date. So although getting your nails done and finding the perfect little black dress are both important, all of that will go to waste if you don’t smell right!

And if you are heading off on a date from the office, don’t rely on your colleagues to tell you if you are suffering with bad breath as 82% of people confessed that they wouldn’t have the courage to let their co-workers know.

Tracey Cox, relationship expert and TV presenter, gives her own top tips for a successful date this Valentine’s Day:

Don’t be shy! Confidence is universally recognised as one of the most attractive qualities of all, and body language is the best way to convey confidence. Shy people look at the floor or stand very still, trying hard not to get noticed. Do the opposite: stand with your shoulders back, head held high and make eye contact and you will automatically be seen to have high self esteem.

Use your hands to gesticulate when you talk - and smile, smile smile! A smile is the quickest way to make someone like you, and the more you smile, the more friendly you will appear. Large smiles can also convey confidence, so make sure you have teeth to be proud of by having regular trips to the dentist and ensuring you follow a good oralcare routine.

Don’t use ‘closed’ body language. Closed body language is when people cross their legs and ‘fold’ in on themselves. It looks, and is, defensive and makes people appear unapproachable. ‘Open’ body language is when everything is relaxed and uncrossed. Sit across from a date with your arms tightly folded and you’re essentially saying you’re not open to their advances. Instead, sit with your hands casually on the table in front of you and you send warm, encouraging signals, they can’t help but respond to!

Don’t forget your toothbrush! That first kiss is crucial: it’s mother nature’s way of deciding if you both should reproduce! Saliva is like a biological business card: it holds all the information she needs to decide if you’d produce healthy children! Fate decides that part of the mating process - but you won’t even get as far as the first kiss if your breath smells bad.

If you’re going on a date straight after work, brush your teeth before you go. According to new research from Reach, there’s no point trying to flirt if your breath turns them off as soon as you open your mouth! And don’t forget to choose a brush with a tongue cleaner on the back - to get rid of the bad breath causing bacteria.

Do mirror their behaviour. Mirroring simply means ‘mimicking’ what the other person does. We naturally mirror someone’s body language to put ourselves on the same level as them. We like people who are like us and the more we act the same, the more like each other we feel. So if you want to bond with someone and they take a sip of their drink, you do the same; if they lean forward, you do the same. This instinctively makes the person feel that you are on the same level and in the same mood. But remember to mirror positive body language only and don’t do it immediately -allow about 50 seconds to pass before doing so. You want to attract them, not look like you’re taking the mickey!

Other findings from the research included
: When it comes to top turn-ons, only 26% of men are impressed by stylish hair on a first date, compared to over half (54%) who ranked fresh breath as the top factor to create the best first impression. So you can skip that expensive trip to the hairdressers, but don’t let "dirty talk" ruin your first date.

To ensure that you secure the all important second date, the survey showed that we need to brush up on our technique - with 52% of men claiming that they would not give a good night kiss to their date if she had bad breath.

Let Reach help you have a great Valentine’s Day with range of manual toothbrushes, for the easy cleaning of hard to reach places.