Oil pulling is a natural remedy that has been used for centuries to improve dental health and whiten teeth.
Oil pulling has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine, which is a natural healing system with its roots in ancient India. Used as a natural remedy for dental health and health of the gums, oil pulling is a really simple way of doing oral detox. Plus, it’s entirely safe and has none of the negative side effects that whitening strips or other treatments can involve.
Benefits of Oil Pulling
Basically, oil pulling involves swishing oil around in your mouth (I’ll explain the full instructions later). When oil pulling, the oil “pulls” the dirt and toxins out of your mouth. According to Dr. Axe, oil pulling has been attributed with all of the following benefits:
- Treating tooth decay
- Preventing bad breath
- Healing for bleeding gums
- Reducing inflammation
- Whitening teeth
- Soothing throat dryness
- Preventing (or even healing) cavities
- Healing cracked lips
- Boosting the immune system
- Improving acne
- Strengthening gums and jaws
If you use coconut oil for oil pulling (which is what I’ve used and recommend), it is a highly absorbable oil, and so it’s possible you could also experience some of the many health benefits of coconut oil, as well.
I am a beginner at oil pulling, but I have loved the incredibly clean feeling of my mouth, and if it’s not my imagination I am pretty sure it’s made my teeth look whiter after just a few days of pulling! If you read others’ testimonials about their experiences with oil pulling, you’ll see that people truly rave about its effectiveness.
What kind of oil should I use?
You can use any vegetable-based oil, including olive oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil. I personally like coconut the best.
If you’re using coconut oil, the most ideal kind to use would be organic virgin coconut oil. This is coconut oil in its purest, least processed form. Virgin coconut oil will have a light coconut flavor (which I love, but it’s not for everybody). I recommend Nutiva brand coconut oil for its high quality and because they source sustainably farmed coconuts. Nutiva’s organic virgin coconut oil is available on Amazon:
Organic refined coconut oil is a great choice for people who would prefer a coconut oil that is flavorless. Refined coconut oil that has been cold-pressed is still chemical-free and has been refined through a totally natural process. Again, I recommend Nutiva coconut oil:
How to Do Oil Pulling
It’s really easy! You want to do your oil pulling first thing in the morning when you get up for maximum effectiveness. Do it before you eat or drink anything. I like to do it while taking a shower or getting ready.
1. Put 2-3 teaspoons of oil in your mouth. (If you’re using coconut oil, it’s ok to put it in your mouth solid! It will melt right away.)
2. Swish the oil around for 10-20 minutes. If you can’t make it the full 20 minutes the first time, that’s ok! Work your way up to it if you need to.
3. Spit the oil out in the trash. Don’t swallow any of it, because if it did it’s job it now has the toxins and gross stuff in it that you don’t want to keep in your body. Also don’t spit it in the sink, because it could clog your pipes.
4. Rinse your mouth out with water, and/or brush your teeth. And enjoy the super clean feel of your mouth!
5. Repeat a few times a week, or daily. Really you can do it as often as you want, but the more you do it, the better results you’ll have.
You will hopefully begin to see your teeth looking whiter within a week or so! I’ve read that within a month’s time of oil pulling a few times a week, many people experience significantly improved dental health.
2 comments
This is great information! Thanks so much for sharing a step-by-step run down and what kind of coconut oil you use. Great stuff!
Hi Amanda, thanks so much for reading and for the feedback! So glad you found it helpful. 🙂