I’ve been hearing about oil pulling for quite some time as a way to whiten teeth and detox the body. The thought of swishing oil around in my mouth for 20 minutes was a huge deterrent from me trying it out though. But I decided to revisit it after spending all day hanging out with Fran of HeyFranHey.com at The Naturalista Hair Show. After attending her Holistic Living workshop where she talked about the benefits of oil pulling, I thought I would give it a try. I had some organic coconut oil at home already so I decided to go for it.
What is Oil Pulling?
According to the wonderful folks at Wikipedia, in traditional Ayurveda, gargling treatments like oil pulling or swishing are used to treat imbalances. The phrase “oil pulling” was popularized in the early 1990s by one of the early adopters, Tummala Koteswara Rao in Bangalore, South India. Rao actively evangelized oil pulling as an ancient Ayurvedic practice. Practitioners of oil pulling claim it is capable of improving oral and systemic health, including a benefit in conditions such as headaches, migraines, diabetes mellitus, asthma, and acne, as well as whitening teeth. Its promoters claim it works by “pulling out” toxins, and thereby reducing inflammation.
Using Coconut for Oil Pulling
Traditionally, sesame oil was used for oil pulling, but recent endorsements by celebrities has resulted in increasing popularity of coconut oil based oil pulling in the Western world. I used Spectrum organic coconut oil that I purchased from my local Walmart store. Here’s a couple things to keep in mind. Coconut oil, in rare cases, can act as an antigenic agent that causes contact dermatitis. The oil should be spit into the garbage can, not the sink. Coconut oil if it solidifies can clog the pipes. Oops…guess I should’ve read up on that before I tried it the first time. I used a nice spoonful, just like pictured above. Fran suggested swishing for 20 minutes, so that was my goal. At first, I was going a little hard in the paint with the swishing action, but after I slowed down, it was much more comfortable.
How to Pass the Time
I would suggest oil pulling when you’ll be busying doing something else, either before bed or in the morning before work or school. I show in the morning usually, so I would brush my teeth first and then start oil pulling before getting in the shower. By the time, you lotion up, iron your clothes, get dressed, and do your makeup, 20 minutes will have flown by. I thought I wouldn’t make it past 5 minutes, and when I went to check the time, I’d gone over 20 minutes! Don’t judge my cracked screen either LOL
I’ll definitely be keeping this up for the next few weeks to see if I notice a difference, especially in the color of my teeth. I will be giving up coffee drinking, so hopefully it will have a noticeable whiting affect. Have you ever doing oil pulling? I’d love to hear about it.
TTYL, Jonna
Hi, I’m Jonna. Welcome to naturally-glam.com where I share how I balance my life as a mother, wife, and influencer.
Hey boo!! I’ve totally tried Coconut Oil pulling before, gosh took some getting used to. I don’t like keeping anything in my mouth for long so it was so hard for me to go the full 20 mins. I gave it up after about 2 or 3 days lol. BUT I definitely will be trying it again, because I know the benefits far outweigh the discomfort for the 20 mins.
I wish there was a better way to dispose of the oil when we’re done swishing and stuff too.
I am judging your cracked screen lol. Hmm never heard of this but I am so impatient I wonder if I would last
20 minutes does sound super long. Cant wait to see your results after a few weeks.
I was actually just telling hubby that I wanted to get back to it. I only did it for about a month or two, but I started to see slow changes in the whitening of my teeth and I think honestly my energy levels. I’ll get back to it and keep you posted 🙂
I still have yet to try this. I have coconut oil here too. Maybe I’ll see how it goes.
Very interesting, my Babe has been preaching about this to me for month. Mind you he hasn’t actually tried it but he keeps trying to talk me into it. I can’t get pass the thought of swishing oil around in my mouth.
I think I’ll have to build up to it. And for that long?
I thought I was going to have to build up to it, but doing other things while I was doing it made the time fly by a lot faster.
Wow, did it feel weird, the taste of the oil in your mouth? That is what makes me nervous about trying it, I have done some research in the past about the health benefits and it sounds good…Can you brush after if you choose or should it be done after brushing?
I just do not think I want the taste in my mouth.
I do it after brushing. From what I can see from what I looked up, it shouldn’t replace brushing. The coconut oil actually doesn’t have that much of a taste, it pretty much tastes like nothing really. A slight coconut taste.
I’ve done oil pulling. it wasn’t so bad and my teeth did whiten but I also had great skin results. now that I’m not pregnant, I think I should do it again. thanks for the reminder.
I’ve heard of oil pulling. I’ve never tried it. Twenty minutes seems like forever. My question is what does it taste like? I’m very sensitive to liquids. I may try it. I intrigued by the teeth whitening possibilities. Thanks for sharing your story.
My friend started pulling earlier this year and she loves it! I am going to give it a shot.
I’ve read lots about it but never tried it myself. I think I’d have a hard time keeping the oil in for 20 minutes. That’s a LONG time!
Oops, ready it wrong the first time and swallowed the darn oil as soon as I put it in my mouth smh :-/. Will try again. I guess the hardest part is swishing for 20 minutes! I’m a coffee-drinker and definitely want to see if this helps.