If you keep up with websites like Mindbodygreen, or Natural News chances are you have come across an article about ‘Oil Pulling’
Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic practice used to improve your oral health. It can be used to whiten teeth, improve gum health, get rid of chronic bad breath by reducing bacteria and plaque in your mouth. Sometimes brushing just doesn’t cut it! If you’re dental insurance is like mine, you might only be covered for a cleaning once every 6 months. Oil pulling is a great way to keep up on your oral health in between visits.
Oil Pulling is super simple and inexpensive.
What you need:
Oil
Spoon
Patience
I personally use coconut oil. I buy it from Amazon and love this brand because it’s organic, inexpensive and is multipurpose.
I’m going to go out on a whim and assume that we all know the benefits of coconut oil? I use it for so many different things! If you’re interested, I would be more than happy to do an entire post on more ways that I use coconut oil and what Ayurvedic medicine is!
Okay now time for the good stuff…
How-To Oil Pull:
I usually do this first thing in the morning, before I brush my teeth or drink anything (Coffee, you must wait!)
I take my spoon and dip it into the oil – taking a healthy amount and dropping it into my mouth.
I set the timer on my phone for about 20 minutes. I started at 10 minutes and slowly worked my way up to 20 minutes.
You can gently swish and swoosh the oil in your mouth for the first few minutes but be careful – this is not listerine people- your jaw and cheeks will not be happy. Make sure to not swallow any of the oil either. Chances are it’s full of bacteria. Yumm.
Once your timer goes off you can spit the oil into the trash. DO NOT USE THE SINK. Coconut oil does harden when exposed to different temps and it can clog your drain. (Pro tip from my dad)
Rinse and brush your teeth as normal. You can also use warm salt water for that extra clean feeling!
I know that I made it sound super easy and painless but when you’re me, those two things do not exist.
My mom was a dental hygienist for about 20 years and when I called her to tell her about this, her response was ‘it sounds messy.’
My mom is always right.
Like I had mentioned before, I started with setting my time for 10 minutes. I mean, anyone can do anything for 10 minutes right? Wrong. So wrong.
Day 1: Started gagging 6 minutes in.
Day 2: Oil hardened over night and I had to shovel it out of the jar and microwave it to soften.
Day 3: I spit the oil into the sink two days prior causing my sink to clog.
Day 4: Woke up late and didn’t have time.
Day 5: Gagged after 13 minutes.
Day 6: I had to sneeze. I realized this was not going to be good. I shut my eyes and tried to breath through my nose but #allergies. I clenched my mouth shut and prayed for it to be just a cute little sneeze. Instead, I got big bertha. Coconut oil didn’t just come out of my mouth but also out of my nose. COCONUT OIL WAS EVERYWHERE. The walls, my computer, my dog, my phone. This is not okay.
Day 7: Still traumatized from day 6, I skip this day.
Day 8: I lasted an entire 20 minutes. No gagging, no sneezing, no clogged drains, no microwaves. My dog is still pissed at me though.
Day 9: Easy. 20 minutes.
Day 10: I didn’t even think about the oil that’s been in my mouth for 20 minutes. Did my timer go off?
After doing some additional research on oil pulling before publishing this – I like to double-triple check my facts- I read that it’s only necessary to do 3-4 days a week. Whew!
I have noticed that my teeth are noticeably whiter and my mouth feels overall healthier! This is definitely something that I want to incorporate into my routine! Plus those 20 minutes of quiet time first thing in the morning are nice.
Hope you enjoyed this post!
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