Oil Pulling 101

Hello everyone! I thought I'd write a short and sweet post today on what I've been doing for the past month or so... Oil Pulling!

What is Oil Pulling?

Oil pulling is the act of swishing oil around your mouth to draw out bacteria and toxins to improve overall health. Although oil pulling originates from traditional Ayurvedic practices, it is becoming seemingly more popular, and many people have raved about the beneficial properties of oil pulling over social media. I have had great results from oil pulling so far, so I'm glad to say that oil pulling has now become a regular, daily activity for me :) Just to clear things up too, oil pulling should not replace your daily oral care routine (brushing, flossing etc).

How does it work?

Most bacteria in your mouth are coated with a oil-based membrane. Swishing oil around your mouth and in between your teeth will draw out this bacteria. If you have fillings, do not fear, oils are not powerful enough to damage fillings of any sort. It basically draws out toxins and bacteria that can lead to plague build-up and later other oral health problems like bad breath, cavities, gum disease and inflammation, stained teeth and tooth decay.

What does it do?

-whitens teeth

-detoxifies body

-improves dental health

-better breath

-strengthens gums

-relieves headaches/migranes

-can cure digestive issues

-improve skin (eczema, acne)

How do I oil pull?

Step One: Fill one tablespoon with the oil of your choice. Coconut oil is the most beneficial and tasteless, but other common oils are sesame and sunflower oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so just scrape your spoon against the oil to fill your tablespoon. For beginners, I would recommend starting with one teaspoon of oil. One tablespoon might not seem like much, but as it draw out toxins, your saliva will accumulate in your mouth from the pulling (which is a good thing, saliva contains the toxins) and the end result will be at least double the amount you started with.

Step Two: Put the oil in your mouth and softly swish it around. Coconut oil will start off solid, but if you chew it, it will melt into a liquid. If you don't like the texture of chewing coconut oil you could microwave it, but it is not recommended because it can take away some beneficial properties. Do not gargle it, but treat it like you would to mouthwash. Draw it back and forth through your teeth and swish it from side to side. You're trying to do this for 20 minutes to get the most out of your oil pulling, but if it's your first time try going for 10 minutes. If your cheeks and mouth are sore, you have swished too hard, it should be a relaxing activity, not an exhausting one :) It's great to multitask while you do this, I normally just go on my laptop and complete some homework.

Step Three: After 20 or so minutes, spit your oil out into the rubbish bin. You must do this because oils can easily clog up sinks, especially coconut oil because it solidifies. Do not swallow the oil! It is full of toxins and bacteria and you wouldn't want to consume that. Spit it out, and notice the difference in the whiteness of your teeth! Aim to oil pull once a day.

I hope you enjoyed this post and give oil pulling a try :)

Bye for now,