Does Oil Pulling Work?

Have you tried oil pulling? Does oil pulling work? I have read a lot about this practice but haven’t tried it until now. Maybe you’ve never heard of oil pulling. If that’s so, let me explain what it is.

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic technique that touts benefits such as whitening teeth, removing toxins from the body and improving the look of skin. The act of oil pulling also helps to strengthen the jaw.

How To Oil Pull:

1. In the morning, before eating, drinking or brushing your teeth, put one tablespoon of organic, cold-pressed coconut oil, sesame oil or olive oil in your mouth.

2. Swish the oil in your mouth for 20 minutes, pulling it through your teeth. Do NOT swallow the oil.

3. Spit the oil out after 20 minutes and brush your teeth as normal.

My Oil Pulling Experiment–Day One

I chose to use coconut oil for oil pulling. When I woke up I went to the kitchen and scooped a tablespoon of coconut oil from the jar. Since the house was cold last night, the oil was solid. I put the tablespoon of oil in my mouth and almost immediately spit it back out. I have used coconut oil in the past to help with sugar cravings and getting just a teaspoon of oil down makes me feel a little queasy. I thought since I didn’t have to swallow the oil this time, it wouldn’t bother me. But, no. A tablespoon of coconut oil is too much for me to handle. I put half of the oil back in my mouth and continued on.

I set the timer for five minutes, because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t make it longer than that. I settled my gag reflex while the oil melted in the mouth and then I started swishing. I fed the pets, unloaded the dishwasher and took out what I needed to make breakfast while I swished.

After about the first minute, I was no longer on the verge of gagging. About three-and-a-half minutes into the oil pulling my tongue and jaw started to ache a little. By the time the five minutes was up, I was comfortably swishing the oil around in my mouth.

When the timer alerted me that this oil pulling session was over, I spit the oil in the sink, rinsed it down with hot water (oil that hardens when cold can clog your drain) and rinsed my mouth a few times with hot water. I didn’t follow up with brushing my teeth because I never brush my teeth before eating breakfast.

So far I feel no negative or positive effects from my first oil pulling. I will continue to add time to my sessions until I am oil pulling for 20 minutes at a time. My plan is to track this experiment for 6 weeks, which should be enough time to see any benefits. I’ll keep you posted!

Do you have experience with oil pulling? What benefits do you get from oil pulling?