Oil Pulling
There are so many things I wish I had known a loooong time ago, including how to eat a healthy diet, the benefits of essential oils, staying away from harmful chemicals, and my most recent find is oil pulling.
What is Oil Pulling: Oil Pulling is the swishing around of oil in the mouth to get rid of bacteria and toxins in your body. It dates back to 700 B.C and is one of the oldest health practices in the world.
How to Oil Pull: Put a tablespoon of organic, cold-pressed coconut oil in your mouth. Swish around for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, spit into trash can. Never spit into a sink as it can clog the sink and never swallow the oil as it has accumulated the toxins from your body. After, rinse your mouth with water.
How Oil Pulling works: The oil mixes with the saliva and pulls toxins from your body. Once the oil has reached a thick consistency (typically after 15-20 minutes which is why the time is important), it is spit out before the toxins are reabsorbed.
Oil Pulling Benefits:
- Whiter Teeth
- Healthier Gums
- Bad Breath Prevention
- Reduce Plaque and Gingivitis
- Reduces Inflammation in the Gums
- Reduces Cavities
- Clearer Skin
- Regulated Menstrual Cycles
- Improves Digestion
- Aids Weight Loss
- Promotes Better Sleep
- Helps Kidney and Liver Function
- Improves Diabetes
- Reduces Headaches
While this might sound or seem weird the first time you do this, I promise it will become routine!!! Cheers to healthier mouths and healthier bodies!!! We buy this coconut oil
(the best price is Costco for $15.99/container).
Sheryl
Posted at 07:06h, 24 OctoberThis is something I haven’t tried and keep meaning to. It’s nice to actually hear from someone who has actually done it rather than just the celebrity stories. Have you felt a difference?
Erika B.
Posted at 09:07h, 24 OctoberOkay…this is something I’ve been contemplating trying for months. I mean, I have the ingredient already…what am I waiting for?? Oh, I’m waiting until I don’t THROW UP IN MY MOUTH just THINKING about it. So seriously, is it not the grossest thing ever?!?!?!
Mel @ there is a higher hope
Posted at 09:29h, 24 OctoberThe idea of this sounds so awesome and I’d love to try it, but my gag reflex is so sensitive I think I’d have a hard time with it. 🙂 Just the thought of it makes me want to gag! LOL
Adrie | A Little Wife's Happy Life
Posted at 09:30h, 24 OctoberI’ve heard some people say that coconut oil isn’t the best oil to pull with- they’d recommend sesame oil (yuck) or olive oil. I’ve pulled with olive oil before, but, expensive and kind of time consuming, and I just never made it a habit. I did like how my teeth felt afterward, though- very smooth. =)
Mia @ MakeMeUpMia
Posted at 10:09h, 24 OctoberOk, I’ve wanted to try this for months now but I’m scared. I need to just go for it! Look at all those benefits!
Kara
Posted at 10:27h, 24 OctoberI haven’t been as consistent as I should be but I really do feel like it pulls the toxins out of my mouth. I can almost taste the nasty toxins by minute 17
Amy
Posted at 11:23h, 24 OctoberI’d heard the term oil pulling, but didn’t know quite what it was. Thanks for the tutorial! I came down with a cold on Monday, and started drinking herbal tea with coconut oil and taking elderberry syrup. And I got better within a few days. No cold medicine at all! I love natural remedies! 🙂
Dawn
Posted at 12:00h, 24 OctoberI couldn’t do the coconut oil…I gagged every time but I have done it with Sesame oil..not for quite a few months now though. Me and my inability to develop habits these days, lol.
Kelli {A Deeper Joy}
Posted at 12:20h, 24 OctoberSo I’ve heard conflicting arguments on oil pulling. I was so excited about it and did it once and then talked to my dentist about it. She and the hygienist said it’s a bunch of bologna and not true. I’m not sure what to believe. Then again, doctors may say that about EOs and I believe that they work 🙂
Angela
Posted at 12:38h, 24 OctoberI tried oil pulling once and had every intention of continuing… but didn’t for some reason. I asked my dentist about it and he had never even heard of it! I thought that was weird because I feel like I see it everywhere, but oh well. What kind of differences have you seen it make for you?
Suzanne
Posted at 14:17h, 24 OctoberI have never heard about this!! Thank you for sharing another one of your great, healthy habits!!
Jojo
Posted at 15:04h, 24 OctoberMy sister in law had mentioned this to me. She was doing it for whiter teeth. Now I’m definitely going to try it
Amber Mueller
Posted at 16:24h, 24 OctoberI am going to give this a try! I wonder if it would help with the detox symptoms related to a clean eating diet. I really struggle with harsh detox symptoms to the point where I give up because I feel so sick.
Camille
Posted at 17:30h, 24 OctoberI actually tried this a while ago after reading that it was a good home remedy for morning sickness. I’m not so sure about that since it kind of made me want to gag but I loved the way I felt after! My teeth and breath felt so clean all day. The hardest part was at the beginning, having to kind of chew up the oil to get it to turn liquid. You’re a trooper to being able to do it regularly!
Amanda
Posted at 20:36h, 24 OctoberI so badly wanted to be an oil puller, and I gave it two gos, but I just can’t. Both times made me gag so bad that now just the smell of coconut oil makes me feel sick. 🙁
Megan
Posted at 00:05h, 25 OctoberI’ve heard of this before, as an ayurvedic practice, but I balk at the 20-minute thing. Then again, if it’s that good for you, 20 minutes isn’t that long! 🙂
Elisha
Posted at 10:09h, 25 OctoberI saw this done on Good Morning America once and i almost gagged watching her. I give props to anyone who could swish for 20 minutes. I don’t think I could go the full 20 as I would get tired and be ready to move on to something else.
Heather
Posted at 15:48h, 25 OctoberI’ve been doing this for years with sesame oil and really notice a difference, especially in my sinuses!
Amanda
Posted at 21:16h, 25 OctoberI’ve heard of this! But it does sound weird. I’m definitely intrigued, though.
Emily @ EatLoveProcreate
Posted at 19:19h, 26 OctoberI had never heard of this. You are such a wealth of knowledge! I don’t think coconut oil can be bad for anything, so worth a try!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
Posted at 20:52h, 26 OctoberI’ve been doing oil pulling for about half a year now. I love it and I have definitely seen benefits – WHITE teeth being the most obvious!
Awesome stuff – thanks for sharing.
Wishing you a lovely week.
xoxo
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
Posted at 20:53h, 26 OctoberBy the way, I use the exact SAME coconut oil too!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
Posted at 17:17h, 30 OctoberThanks for linking this post up to the #SHINEbloghop Caroline!
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo
jennifer prod
Posted at 09:02h, 27 Octoberoil pulling? i’ve never heard of it, but it sounds like something i should be doing!!
Laura @ Making Baby Provence
Posted at 15:01h, 27 OctoberThree questions:
1. How does it taste?
2. How often do you do it? (I thought I saw that the first time I read the entry, but for the life of me, I cannot find it on here.)
3. Isn’t it hard to swish for that long? I’m afraid I would start swallowing.
I’m highly intrigued by this, though!
emma
Posted at 09:18h, 28 OctoberHi from ICLW! Have you noticed any differences since you started oil pulling? I have heard of it before, but have been on the fence about trying it.
Rhonda
Posted at 11:13h, 28 OctoberI’d heard about this before but never knew what it was until now!
Alexis
Posted at 11:29h, 28 OctoberI’ve been wanting to try this for a while now. Like someone else said, I’d afraid i’ll either gag or swallow the oil!
Cindy Hasko
Posted at 08:37h, 30 OctoberGreat post!!! I will have to try this. I am so into eating healthy, staying away from bad chemicals, etc. I read up on these things all of the time. My husband thinks I’m nuts, but I read every ingredient that I put into my toddler son and my body. I am going to try Essential Oils in a couple months and I will definitely try this oil pulling. Cannot wait. If you have any other helpful tips regarding Coconut Oil, I would love to hear. I have read a few benefits. I know there is a lot you can do with Coconut Oil. I love to hear about stuff like this!! Right up my alley! I actually have you on my Instagram too. You always post nice pics. Anyway, Great post! Thanks for sharing!! Cindy from http://www.inspirememama.com
Debbie
Posted at 06:03h, 02 NovemberI have never heard of oil pulling before and although the thought of swishing any kind of oil in my mouth for twenty minutes doesn’t exactly get me excited, if there are health benefits from doing it then I’m definitely curious and will be looking more into it.
Thank you for what I found to be an interesting post.
Popped over from the #SHINEbloghop.
C
Posted at 10:38h, 06 NovemberI want to try this! But 20 minutes swishing sounds like a long time! I don’t know if my swishing muscles could keep that up, lol. I do believe in the benefits however, I know a couple of people who do this. I do have a couple questions though – how often do you do this? Also, do you brush your teeth with toothpaste after or just rinse with water? Should you brush your teeth before?
Cindy Hasko
Posted at 00:55h, 19 Novemberhi caroline ~ i finally got coconut oil recently & have been using it in the smoothies i make for my son & i. also, i’ve been using it as a moisturizer on my face. i love it!! i’m going to start oil pulling this week. i bought the same coconut oil from costco 🙂
Sarah J
Posted at 00:01h, 29 NovemberThis looks interesting! I’ve read a little bit on it but not enough to be convinced to try it. That list of benefits has just about convinced me although i am kind of worried that I won’t last the twenty minutes with my super strong gag reflex :/ also, on another general note, I’ve been poking around on your blog all evening and have really enjoyed everything especially your health posts! I must say your health posts are written in a very non-judgemental and open manner which I appreciate SO much. I love reading your experiences and thoughts without feeling like I’m being judged or doing something wrong (a theme that can be prominent in health posts!) thank you for writing with honesty and openness!