Let’s get real. I work for Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, which also happens to make a little brand called Crest. I love Crest and have been a loyal user since college when P&G hired me. But, as much as I love the results of our White Strips, my sensitive teeth can’t handle using them often. Therefore, a few weeks ago when I saw a Well + Good NYC article on Twitter claiming whiter teeth using an all natural method I clicked right through.
But, after reading the first line, I was immediately a skeptic.
You are trying to tell me that putting a tablespoon of either coconut, sesame or olive oil in my mouth and swishing it around for 20 minutes will result in whiter teeth and rid my body and mouth of toxins?
Year right. For three weeks I laughed about the topic with friends both in Geneva and New York City. My Geneva friends had no idea what this trend was and thought I was insane. My NYC friends had all heard of it but similar to me thought it was too good to be true or would result in gag reflexes.
After an indulgent ski weekend filled with wine and cheese induced night sweats, I woke up Monday morning ready to start the week fresh. I sipped warm lemon water after an invigorating run all before the early hour of 7am. As I left the kitchen I noticed the olive oil bottle, sitting out from the previous night’s dinner.
Oh what the hell. I have a whole bottle of olive oil sitting right here. Why not give this health fad a try? I do have a health blog after all.
Three days later I’m beyond hooked! So now that you’ve heard my long winded story about how I put the first tablespoon of olive oil in my mouth, let’s get down to business. Why should you try oil pulling? What is oil pulling? Will I gag?
What is oil pulling? Oil pulling should really be called oil swishing as it is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy that involves swishing oil in the mouth, similar to the way one would swish mouthwash. Many claim that the act of swishing a tablespoon of oil for up to 20 minutes extracts or pulls out toxins by absorbing products of food and bacteria in the oral cavities, especially in hard to reach areas such as between teeth crevices.
What type of oil should I use? Traditionally coconut oil is the most popular, due in part to it’s flavor, but sesame and olive oil can also be used.
What are the benefits? Every article I read sites different benefits but the most consistent benefits cited are decrease in gum inflammation, whiter teeth, reduce tartar, fresher breath, clearer skin, stronger teeth, decrease in headaches, reduces insomnia, and supports your bodies detoxification.
Do I really have to swish for 20 minutes? In order to see the most benefits, many articles claim that 10 to 20 minutes is the optimal amount of time, ensuring not to swish longer than this. If 10 minutes intimidates you, try swishing during your morning routine so your mind is on showering, blow drying your hair, reading the news or making breakfast versus swishing oil.
When should I oil pull? In order to see the full benefits, it is recommended that you oil pull immediately upon waking up.
But won’t I have oil residue in my mouth? After spitting the oil into a trash can or bag you should rinse your mouth with warm water or salt water. Then, it is recommended that you practice your regular dental hygiene routine including brushing your teeth, flossing and using mouthwash. Never spit the oil into your sink as it can clog your drain!
How much do I use? 1 tablespoon
Will I gag? Who knows how you’ll react the first time but based on experience I recommend ensuring that you do not use too much oil and setting your timer so you make a game of seeing how long you can swish the oil. Make sure you do not swallow the oil! If you do have to spit it out after just a few minutes you can choose to start over. The first day I lasted less than 5 minutes. The next day I swished while blow drying my hair and lasted 8 minutes. Today I found that swishing while showering is the best option as I was able to swish for 10 minutes and barely noticed the swishing since I was focused on showering.
When will I start to see results? I started to see results from oil pulling immediately. My teeth and mouth felt more fresh than normal after the first day and by day three I’ve noticed a significant reduction in the amount of plaque between my teeth and I have been sleeping better these three nights than I have in months.
In case you’re still not convinced to grab the olive oil from your pantry, check out these other articles and blog posts about oil pulling.
Oil Pulling: New Yorkers Trade Listerine for This Ayurvedic Detox Method
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess?
How to Oil Pull – Video by Holistic Habits
Oil Pulling 101 – Stripes & Sequins
Want a New Hobby? Try Oil Pulling.
Your turn – Are you going to give it a try or have you already? Thoughts?
Very interesting. It’s hard not to try it since we all have oil in our pantries! How much do you use? 1 tbsp?
1 tbsp! 🙂 I just updated the post to make that point more clear.
so errr uhhh where do you spit if you can’t spit in the sink?
I spit it in my trash can. 🙂
I’ve heard that you shouldn’t use olive oil because it can stain your teeth. Who knows though. I have been using coconut oil for a few days, and the 20 minutes gets easier! My teeth feel very clean!!!
Thanks for the heads up Laura! I’ll buy coconut oil this weekend!
I never heard of this until I saw your Instagram posts this week. Sounds crazy! But also intriguing…I’ll give it a try!
The way I see it Kathy, what do we have to lose? 🙂 Hope you like it!
I’ve tried this for the past two days and right away I notice that visually my teeth look cleaner – like I have just been to the dentist or something. Im at about the same as you – five minutes on day 1, about 7 minutes thos morning. Will try doing it while I shower tomorrow… Thanks for the tip!
I started doing this about 2 weeks ago! However, I have only been doing it 3 x a week because I sort of keep forgetting – I NEED TO MAKE IT MORE OF A ROUTINE though – It will happen 🙂
If you keep the oil somewhere in plain sight I bet that will help!
Sounds interesting, I’ve heard of this for a while, but still not given it a go! Good idea to do it in the shower 🙂
Wow this is very interesting, I would never have even thought doing something like that would be good for you! 10 minutes is a loooong time though. I might try it with coconut oil as I can pretty much eat that out the jar anyway!
Tess I bet you’ll love it with coconut oil! It’s suggested to warm it first so it’s no longer a solid.
This sounds pretty gross to me, but I have noticed since living in the UK my teeth have yellowed and scummed up significantly (I blame all the limescale in the water here in London) and so I am keen to try anything that might help them feel cleaner and fresher – especially a natural method. I’ve got a spare bottle of oil which I will pop into my shower and give it a go! Very interesting!
Leah I’ve dealt with the same since moving to Europe and nothing else was helping! I hope you like it!! 🙂
thanks for the helpful post! Do you know if you have to do it everyday consistently to get results or would it be ok to do it a couple times /week?
Most posts I’ve read recommend doing it daily to see best results.
thanks for including my post 🙂
Thanks for being awesome 🙂
OK i’ve been considering this since I saw you mention it on Instagram but reading this — I am convinced I need to try it!
You have nothing to lose 🙂
A friend and I read about this recently and she pulled up the Snopes article. Seems it won’t hurt anything, but probably won’t do anything either.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/oilpulling.asp
I have heard that it can make metal fillings loose up. Have you read or heard anything about that?
Jen that’s a great question but I don’t have the answer as I haven’t seen it in any of the posts? Maybe ask your dentist?