Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic method for detox and rejuvenation. It’s a simple practice, with quite remarkable results. Oil pulling is actually a quite simple and inexpensive daily habit to work into your life. The process of oil pulling starts with taking about a tablespoon of oil into your mouth and swirling it around in between your teeth.
Why oil pulling?
Your mouth is the home to millions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other toxins, the oil acts like a cleanser, pulling out the nasties before they get a chance to spread throughout your body. This frees up your immune system, reduces stress and aids well-being.
Benefits
- Detoxifies the body
- Whitens teeth
- Promotes oral hygiene
- Helps with bad breath
- Reduces and prevents plaque build up
- Stops bleeding gums
- Soothes sensitive teeth
- Lowers inflammation
How to do it: Step by step
1. Use a tongue scraper to remove any excess debris from the tongue.
2. Use floss to remove any debris from in between the teeth.
3. Choose your oil. I only use coconut oil, but sesame, or sunflower oil will work too.
4. (Optional) Choose an essential oil you would like to add to the base oil, making sure it’s an essential oil you can use orally. I love peppermint.
5. Prepare a tablespoon or less of the base oil with one or two drops of any essential oil you are adding.
6. Make sure you are near a trashcan or other appropriate place to spit out the oil. As an alternative, grab a cup if you will be sitting far away from those locations.
7. Swirl the oil around the front and back of the mouth, over the tongue, and toward the back of the throat without swallowing. To maximize dental health, it is recommended to pull the oil in and out from between the teeth and around the gums as well.
8. Swish the oil continuously for 5 to 20 minutes, depending on your comfort level. Beginners may start at 5 minutes and work their way up to 20 minutes.
9. Do not swallow the oil. Ew, gross!
10. At the end, spit the oil into a trashcan. Note the color — a milky-white color indicates success at collecting and ridding your body of toxins and bacteria!
11. Sprinkle a dash of sea salt into warm water and gargle with it to clean out any stray bacteria or residue.
12. Brush your teeth
I’ll be honest, it’s a weird concept and it will take some time getting use to it. I can’t use any oil except coconut because the others taste gross to me. Find what works best for you. I really enjoy coconut oil with peppermint oil or onguard (for you DoTerra lovers). You may not be able to do more than 5 minutes, and that’s okay! It’s a process, enjoy it. 🙂
