oil pulling

I first learned about oil pulling when my friends who run Paleo Kitchen Stories shared this post by Fashion Lush.  Prior to this, coconut oil was something I used to make paleo baked goods, but other than that I never thought to use it otherwise.  Since I buy into easy things that promote self-improvement I decided to give it a shot and so far I can't complain.

Let me start off by saying I had no expectations.  Heck I didn't bother to do more research on what it's proven to do, but if you are curious check out this post by Patrice of Afrobella.  She goes into more depth about the history, where it originates from etc, but for me this was a pure test and learn approach.  This is something that we keep in our cupboard so why not try it?

So how do you oil pull and what do you need?

While some people recommend coconut oil, I've heard that you can use any oil such as sesame seed, sunflower seed, etc.   Honestly, it's whatever you can tolerate the taste of most.  You're swishing oil in your mouth which takes some getting used to so find one that works for you and is easy to adapt to.

Once you've found your oil of choice, measure out a teaspoon and swish in your mouth for 15 - 20 minutes.  Some places say 10, some say 15 and others say you don't see the full benefits unless you give it 20 - so I choose to go to the extra mile.  Spit out oil into a trash can (do not spit down your sink or drain because if your pipes are anything like ours it can cause plumbing issues), rinse your mouth with warm water and give your teeth a good brushing.

20 minutes? Are you for real?

The best time for me to oil pull is in the morning right when I start to get ready for the day.  Why?  Because those are the only 20 minutes in the day that I get to myself where I don't have to mutter a word to anybody.  I shower, get dressed, pluck my eyebrows, do my hair, start my makeup, etc - all to pass the 20 minutes.  And honestly, it makes the time go by much faster when I'm pre-occupied and multi-tasking.

Does it work?

Long story short, I relate it to saying bed time prayers.  If you know that bedtime prayers will win you extra chances of going to heaven, wouldn't you pray every night since it's such a small thing compared to everything else you do in your day to day?  Does it work?  In my head I believe it does.  I'm prone to illnesses and absorb every germ like a sponge, but when Liam and Matt caught a bad cold I didn't get it - which is extremely rare for me.  My mouth overall feels a lot healthier and my teeth are noticeably whiter.  I also no longer have that disgusting feeling of potentially having bad breath which I think is an added perk.

Would I recommend it?

Why not?  It doesn't hurt to try it and like I said, if you go into it not having any expectations - you might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.