Let’s go back a couple centuries & talk about the best thing ever: oil pulling.
Oil pulling was initially introduced to me by my BF & partner, Erica. She also runs the blog, Fashionlush & posted about OP-ing here.
Anyway, we went out to dinner last Friday night ( chips & salsa, duh ) and she pretty much changed my whole life with her oil pulling stories. I was like a kid, staring with my mouth wide open for a few minutes, catching flies.
I mean…is this real life? Soooo cool.
Basically?
She said it’s been a realllll game-changer ( anything that whitens my teeth…I’m in ).
The benefits ( we’ll get to them later, don’t worry ) were killer…so…directions?
Thought so:
While we’re talking oil, let’s talk what kind of oil.
Some people use sesame seed oil, but I’m a die-hard coconut oil fan. ESP organic.
In my opinion, coconut oil is the way to go when it comes to oil pulling— but to each its own. Do what works for you. You know you better than I know you.
Personal favorite: extra virgin, cold pressed organic coconut oil.
Note: the whole process takes 20 minutes…yes, 20 minutes ( I know- I could write a novel in 20 minutes— such a long time! ). So today I may or may not have been walking around my house, cleaning, cooking, texting…all while oil pulling…#multitasking. Fun times, right?
Ok, now let’s get down to why the F you should oil pull:
+ So. WTF is oil pulling?
Fashionlush: Oil Pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that has recently become the craze among holistic-lovers everywhere ( including myself ). Basically, you swish either organic sesame oil or organic cold pressed coconut oil ( room temperature ) in your mouth for twenty minutes. During this time the oil, which has a “sticky-ness” to, it travels around your mouth/ up into pockets your toothbrush can’t reach & pulls out the bacteria & disgusting toxins. Rejoice!
+ Noticed any positive changes?
FL: So far, I have noticed my teeth are a lot whiter… which may sound like NBD to most of you, but for me it’s HUGE. I have never had any luck w/ those annoying white strips that always leave my teeth soooo sensitive ( literally, I won’t be able to drink a cold glass of water for at least three days!! ), so that was pretty exciting for me. I’ve also noticed less sensitivity, my jaw is doing really well ( I’ve got some seriously bad TMJ ), & my skin is looking great– which I am 100% contributing to the oil pulling.
+ Anything we have to/need to/must know?
FL: Two things you must know about oil pulling:
1.} Please, please, please do NOT swallow the coconut oil!! After about five minutes of swishing the liquid it will fill up with the nasty bacteria/toxins you’re trying to get rid of it. Ingesting the old oil just puts the toxins back into the body. Big no, no.
If there’s too much in your mouth & it’s drifting towards the back of your throat…spit some out.
2.} When you’re done- do NOT spit it into your sink!! The liquid will solidify again & this can mess up your pipes big time.
+ Benefits? Spill um.
FL: Well to start…
++ Healthier gums/ teeth/ mouth.
++ Helps to clear up sinus issues.
++ If you’ve got strep, oil pulling will help clearing the strep bacteria ASAP.
++ Helps w/ skin issues— side note on this one: my friend started oil pulling & for the first time in a LONG time she has gotten rid of her awful plaque psoriasis on her scalp. Nothing else ever helped her till now. Props to OP.
++ Can help cure a hangover << tried it, works!
++ Overall detoxification.
&…. well the benefits are really endless, find more here.
Umm, k, sold— I’m gonna go pull some more oil.
Swoosh, swoosh.
X L
{ White measuring spoons found here }
I’m in. I use coconut oil for dry hair days ever since I joined the no-poo-shampoo community.
How often should one do it? One a week or less/more?
I love coconut, so I figured I would try this. I have been doing it daily for 2 weeks, first thing in the morning, before my husband gets up (so I don’t have to talk). I chew and melt the chunk of coconut in my mouth like candy, then I go about my morning routing for 20 minutes. NP. Spit into a used bread bag, rinse with water. I am 64 years old, not dead yet, but have always been taught to take good care of my teeth. I have noticed my teeth are getting whiter. I can’t wait to see my dentist on May 5 fo her to tell me about other improvements in my oral health!
yes! thank you so much for doing a post on this. I have been so curious a about this!
Sounds great! How frequently do you do this?
Everyday! : )
What brand of oil did you use? I would love the benefits of better skin, teeth whitening, and everything else listed!
I want to do this so badly! But I’ve heard that this can cause fillings to fall out. True or False???
I started doing oil pulling last week and I love it! My teeth feel clean all day long.
How interesting! But seriously, 20 minutes of swishing? The benefits look worth it! Love finding holistic healing and wellness ideas wherever I can! Thanks <3
Do you melt the coconut oil before putting it into your mouth?
No. It’s room temp. After a few squishes it turns into sort of a liquid.
LOVE oil pulling! One major thing you forgot to mention is it’s best to do it right when you get up in the morning, every morning! Before you brush your teeth, before your coffee, water ect. That is when your mouth is full of the most toxins! I literally keep my oil right next to my bed so I can put a spoonful in right away and start swishing! I’ve been waiting for you to do a post on this! Love!
Thank you for this- will add this to the post!! X
It doesn’t sound especially pleasant, but I’m in! I’ve heard of it through yoga studios before, but this is the best overview I’ve read. Thanks for sharing!
xo,
Rachel
Suppose Anything Goes
how do you have the patience to do it for 20min? does your mouth get tired?
Yes. But it’s worth it. It’s kind of therapeutic too!
Do you brush your teeth afterwards? It seems like you should rinse your mouth or brush afterwards? Let me know! I like the idea but I’m scared about the oil in my mouth!!
Yes!! I brush after and have some water : ).
I’m a nursing mom and I love the idea of spitting out toxins! Thank you for sharing….
Soooo cool for nursing moms. The best!
Really nice article! I am going to do this tomorrow morning. You have motivated me!
Yay! You’ll love it!
I love oil pulling! It’s amazing!
Where did you get those adorable measuring spoons? LOVE!
The link is above at the very end of the post : ) (( before the gold striped pic )). x
CONSIDER ME AMAZED! Loving this. Cannot wait to try!
It’s so good it hurts!
FFF. Why did you show me those measuring spoons, NEED.
I know, right? They’re so fun! : )
Umm… Stupid question… If I can’t spit it out in the sink, where the heck do I spit the oil out so I don’t ruin any pipes?!?
I spit it in a trash can ; ). X
My friend just send my an e-mail about this, and now I see you’re post so I must try! What was it like for you to oil-pull? Do you feel it was beneficial? 🙂 thanks for sharing also-love your blog 🙂
I loved it and my teeth felt SO, so clean! Glad you like the blog babe! X
I LOVE this post!!! I have been oil pulling for a while now, but had never tried coconut oil until a few weeks ago – I won’t go back to any other oil. And I really do see all of the benefits she talked about. Definitely a health and beauty tip for everyone to be doing!
Yay! You sound like you’re a professional oil puller…I’m so becoming one too ; ).
ok i love you and i love coconut oil but swishing it around is kind of gross, especially once it gets warm and mixes with your spit. i did 2 minutes but started gagging. does it just take practice? maybe next time i’ll try some peppermint oil…
It is kind of gross…but SO worth it. Give it another try! X
tried a little less the second time and lasted 10 min! thanks girl
BECAUSE OF THIS – I am oil pulling right now, LOL!!!
PS: I still haven’t gotten your book yet! 🙁
Yay!!! Love it. Book should be there by next Wednesday- email me when you get it : )!! X
wow, is it possible that my teeth are already whiter!?
Coconut oil has endless uses. This one sounds amazing. I’m heading to my kitchen now to give this a try.
Thanks for sharing!
I love oil pulling with coconut oil! Takes some getting used to at first, but it’s awesome. Did a post on it last year: http://www.londonlikethecity.com/2013/04/26/oil-pulling-with-coconut-oil/
I love the Ayurvedic philosophy, and I’ve been meaning to try this for so long, but have been too chicken to actually do it. I’m afraid I’ll get super grossed out and want to barf, or will accidentally swallow the oil. Obviously these are stupid thoughts and I should just do it! I actually have a lot of enamel issues with my teeth, so maybe this will help.
It will totally help!! Erica says she’s never swallowed the oil before ; ).
I started this week, but only did it once so far. Can’t wait to do it regularly and see results!
Keep me updated & LMK what you think after a couple of weeks babe. x.
I tried this once and I need to get back doing it! Thanks for the motivation.
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
i’ve got to start this! i’ve done it once before when i had a canker sore but never heard about all these benefits. thanks for sharing!
I always wanted to try although I have read reports that oil pulling can ruin dental work. The constant sucking of the oil could potentially loosen cavities and crown moldings…is this true?
Will definitely have to give this a try! Coconut oil is wonderful!
http://lifeandcity.tumblr.com
Will definitely have to give this a try! Coconut oil is so wonderful!
http://lifeandcity.tumblr.com
I have heard of this before but never gave it a go. Until now! Gonna wait until after my breakfast though 🙂
I am now obsessed with coconut oil! For my hair, skin etc. I am dying. SO in love, and I was so excited to hear about this oil pulling gig, problem being though that I can’t stand the taste of coconut, had to spit it out in like 15 seconds, was so devastated!? Is there anything you could add to the oil to make the taste improve? Wish, wish, wish, I could handle it!
Try a different kind of oil…maybe sesame seed? Or add a little cinnamon oil to the coconut oil!
I will so give this a try!
Whenever I oil pull I will use Dr. Bronner’s spearmint afterwards to brush my teeth with. This way I am not using any chemical crap after I just got rid of the toxins 🙂 (Or Weleda salt toothpaste)
LOVE it!!!!
Oil pulling in this very moment! Excited to see the benefits of it 🙂
This is amazing!! I am going to try it today!!! Thank you for sharing!
This is so interesting! Are there similar benefits to doing it for a shorter amount of time?
I’ve got to try this. I have been reading about it…and thinking about it for quite a while, but now that I have read your post, girl, I am in! Thank you for the great post and information.
Thank you for posting a detailed, easy to read blog post about oil pulling! I’ve been wanting to try this once I heard about it, but some websites just had too much information that made me lose interest in actually trying it!
Excited that I’ll be getting organic coconut oil in the mail soon.
SusanLoves…
I am trying this today! Thank you…
My friend is skeptical, can you share a couple more details? She has plaque psoriasis and wants to know what type of oil that friend used and how long until she saw results.
You’ve piqued my interest. I’ll have to invest in MORE coconut oil. The horror!
I’m curious though… maybe i’m a naive dum-dum but how is this a phallic post? I didn’t see any mention of wieners anywhere. 😉
Thank you for this post! I just tried oil pulling for the first time this morning and my mouth feels great!
Trying it now! Seven minutes to go! Lol the benefits sold me!
How long until you notice your teeth becoming whiter?? Love this!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Really wondering on helping scalp psoriasis? I have had scalp psoriasis for a couple years now and nothing is working. I am wondering how long your friend did this before she started seeing results with her scalp psoriasis? Thanks
I have been doing this for almost a week now- I love it! I do wonder though, I feel like I generate a lot of saliva while doing this. Is this natural? Will this reduce the effectiveness of the oil-pulling? Should I up the amount of coconut oil I use (I’m only using a teaspoon, like you recommend)?
I started oil pulling last Monday, so today would be day 5. I am in LOVE with it. I put the coconut oil (delicious, by the way) in before I step into the shower. By the time I get out, I have maybe 5 more minutes to go. It has incorporated into my morning routine smoothly. For me, my teeth are whiter, my mouth feels so clean (love that so much), and I have noted immediate (kinda yucky) sinus drainage even on the first day!! I plan on continuing with this. Also, an added benefit to me at least, afterward my mouth is soooo dry, so it helps push me into drinking more water throughout the day.
Yay for oil pulling!!!
Amazing post and I am def starting oil pulling ASAP !! I would love a post on your morning and/or nightly routine for wellness (lemon water, OP, etc) and the products that you use on a daily basis. I’m slowly transitioning into a more natural lifestyle and want to switch out as much chemical products as possible 🙂 thanks
So does it make the fillings fall out? I want to try it!
Lauryn,
I have been doing thins for over two weeks, and I haven’t really seen any results…am I doing it wrong? I swish a tsp. of oil for 20 minutes. I totally get the therapeutic part- I get to zen for 20 minutes, but I haven’t noticed anything else? Could I be missing something??
Thanks!
i just started this today!! i hope i got the right kind though its organic spectrum coconut oil unrefined but it isnt virgin?
Very good content. I think spitting it out in the drainage is not a good idea. You better find a jar or a bottle to spit it out. Oil’s are not good for sinks.
I have been doing op for about 5 weeks and just love it. I use coconut oil and yes it took me about a week to work up to 20 minutes and now I just do it first thing in the morning when I’m getting dressed and ready for work. My teeth are white and cleaner and feel wonderful all day. My skin is glowing and the blackheads I use to get all over my nose are gone. My sinuses are clear and I haven’t had a sinus headache since I started op. I’m sleeping better and my husband says I’m not snoring as much…:) I’ve also noticed the brown spots on my hands and arms are disappearing – another plus!!!! I will never stop doing this because I feel great!!!!!!
I have been op for about 5 weeks and just LOVE IT!!!! My teeth have never felt cleaner and my breath is always sweet! My skin is glowing and has never looked better! I’m sleeping better and my brown spots on my hands are disappearing. I have more energy and feel great! I use organic coldpressed coconut oil and the first week I started it took me a whole week to work up to 20 minutes but now its just another thing I do first thing in the morning while I’m getting ready for work. Another thing I did notice the first week was I did feel flu like symptoms the first couple days, but I’m sure that was the toxins coming out so don’t give up if that’s what you feel.
i SO agree!! it has changed my life!! but oil-pulling is just the beginning!
there are SO much other Life-Changing ways to use coconut oil. read more: http://amandafrances.com/cococrazy
i SO agree!! it has changed my life!! but oil-pulling is just the beginning!
there are SO many other Life-Changing ways to use coconut oil. read more: http://amandafrances.com/cococrazy
So far it’s great. My daughters started this first. I noticed sinus are clear and my bad breathe is literal gone over night. yes my teeth are whiter and I have deep gum tissue pockets where bacteria can hide. So I believe that this is a plus for me
Did you ever experience detox headaches? I’ve been oil pulling for a week now and the past couple of days I have had the worst headaches and neck/body pains. I took to Google and I guess they’re a part of the “detox” process?? Any experience with this, and if so do you know of a way to relieve the pain? Articles say you just have to fight through it…
That does seem like a long time to have something in your mouth but if it is as good as everyone is saying it is then I might as well give it a try.
I have bridgework which was done over 20 years ago, before the teeth-whitening craze. Most teeth whiteners don’t work on bridgework; do you know if this would? I have two 2-piece bridges in the front of my mouth, plus a crown on my front tooth. This equals 5 ‘fake’ teeth in front, which I would LOVE to be able to whiten. Thanks!
I had heard about this a while ago, but was too weirded out to try…you’re post convinced me though and I popped some coconut oil before I’d even finished reading!
Hi there i have just launched a coconut oil pulling store. I would love to get involved with your blog and offer some discounts to your readers or a competition etc. We have 1 million followers to push to so it could be a good opportunity http://www.cocodiamondz.com/ or @amnediel
Hi there i have just launched a coconut oil pulling site please check it out http://www.cocodiamondz.com/ it has lots of information and the largest range of oil pulling products online. Thank you very much
From a post above Lauren said it will cause fillings to fall out. I’m not sure how it can do this, but is it true?