06 July 2014

My Oil-Pulling Routine

Have you ever heard about oil pulling? It's an ancient Indian tradition (and form of meditation) that has been making its way through the blogosphere and pinterest boards for quite some time for it's DIY beauty quality and health benefits. Basically oil pulling is taking a small spoon of coconut oil and swishing it around your mouth for about twenty minutes, giving your mouth an intense and effective cleaning. I've always had a lot of interest in oral health and I do my best to keep my mouth and teeth as clean as possible, so after reading about all the benefits oil pulling can provide, I decided to give it a try.

First, some reasons to try oil pulling:

  • Brighter, whiter teeth
  • Healthier gums
  • Bad breath prevention
  • Increased energy
  • Clearer mind
  • Decreased headaches
  • Clearer sinuses 
  • Alleviated allergies
  • Better sleep
  • Clearer skin
Okay, so first let me say that while I did notice that my teeth were a bit whiter and my garlic breath was gone from lunch, I can't say that the last few items on the list came up for me. But hey, a lot of people swear by oil pulling and I don't do it daily, so maybe there's some truth to it?

Essentially, the oil acts as a cleanser and it helps remove bacterias that are fat soluble that toothpaste cannot effectively remove. It "pulls" out the bacteria and debris from your teeth and gums. 

So I thought for today I would share my oil-pulling routine and encourage some of you who like to take DIY beauty risks into trying this out. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I really do find the process relaxing, and I love how clean my teeth feel afterwards.

First, your supplies. You'll need organic coconut oil, a spoon, a bit of water and salt, and your toothbrush and some toothpaste. 

Oil-pulling is best done in the morning on an empty stomach. I rarely follow this rule because I like to eat first thing in the morning, but technically, that is how it should be done.

Take a small amount of coconut oil and put it in your mouth. You'll be swishing for about twenty minutes, so I would advice against any amount bigger than this because the oil will begin to collect saliva and expand in your mouth. 

And don't feel the need to "swish" for twenty minutes. Sometimes I just move the oil into different parts of my mouth and let it sit there so my jaw can relax a bit. 

Watch some Portlandia.

After about twenty minutes (or as long as you'd like to do it, really), spit out the oil in the trash (not good for drains). Do not swallow the oil. It has just spent the past twenty minutes collecting bacteria from your mouth, the last thing you want to do is then swallow it into your body. 

Then take a bit of water, pour some salt in, and swish that around in your mouth for a minute. I usually do this step right after I spit out the coconut oil, so I have never noticed any unpleasant, greasy feelings in my mouth. The salt water helps to break that up. 

Finally, go into the bathroom and brush your teeth as usual. 

When you're done brushing, your teeth should feel clean and dentist-new!

Have you ever tried oil-pulling? Do you think you might now? Let me know!


  1. oil pulling always seemed like some complicated and mysterious process to me - something I might someday try (a halfhearted goal, really) but it doesn't seem that bad now that you've broken it down ;) so I'll try it soon, thanks lady!

    1. Do it! I thought it would be really weird and gross at first as well, but it's harmless)

  2. I've heard this before but the idea totally squicks me out. I've got to give it a go at some point though!

  3. I've been seeing this on a few blogs and feeds lately am am interested in trying myself. Do you think you could post an update after some time about whether you found it working or was indeed useful? I'd love to know!

    1. Absolutely I can! I will say that I have been keeping up with it for about a month and the general cleanliness of my mouth has really been improved. But I will write an update in a bit about the whiteness of my teeth!!! :D

  4. this is my second time hearing about oil pulling and at first i just didn't get it, but it really does seem like a natural teeth whitener and i love that it absorbs the bacteria! i'm interested to try it, and maybe once i get settled into my new place i'll get some :) i also want to start making my own cleaning products so this will be in line with that!

  5. I haven't tried oil pulling yet. I'm still meticulously researching if all the facts are true. Some even put activated charcoal into the oil then swishes. They call it Back Oil pulling! LOL I just can't imagine myself swishing oil for about 20minutes. Maybe I'll try first or less than 5minutes and see how it will work out.


  6. That's so excellent thing to know about oil pulling.

  7. This kind of content really gives a lot of benefits to our oral health. This gives some perspectives on how to prevent different diseases that causing from a bacteria's that we get from our daily activities. Good thing that there are some treatment alternatives like this.

  8. Oil pulling is scientifically proven to provide various health benefits...


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