Beauties! Have you heard the fuss lately around oil pulling?
It seems all the “whose who” of the wellness industry are all into it, and if they’re are doing it then there’s a good chance it probably works. When it comes to improving your health and wellbeing, life is one big self-experiment right? In our household that is certainly a mantra. And so the oil-pulling journey began…
I’ve always had a strong fascination for Eastern medicine, especially the realms of Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine. For me personally, medicinal practices that have a few thousand year history should have a complimentary place in the Western world. I knew if oil pulling originated in one of those two realms, there’s a good chance it is well founded, and well, it probably works.
Oil pulling bears its roots in Ayurvedic medicine and long before there was toothpaste or toothbrushes, it was used as a natural method of detoxification and oral hygiene. According to our friends at Food Matters TV reputed benefits of oil pulling range from correcting hormonal imbalances, improving sleep, eliminating bad breath and my favourite reducing morning ‘brain fog’.
I’m sure you are probably curious to know how you do it?
- Take a good heaped teaspoon of unrefined oil such as sesame, coconut or
Ideally take 10-20mins out without being distracted to swirl the oil around your mouth, ensure you breathe through your nose (if you can) and DON’T swallow. - Spit out the pulled oil in the toilet or sink and flush with water — it should be a milky, watery substance and it will probably feel a little mucousy. This means that the oil is pulled and you did it for long enough. If your mouth feels oily after, or the oil was clear, then you didn’t pull long enough.
- Rinse your mouth with a salty water solution made from a quality Himalayan or Celtic sea salt.
- If you are feeling extra bold, you can add in tongue scraping – also an ancient Ayurvedic practise.
- ALWAYS brush your teeth to remove any additional bad bacteria and brush away any nasties that might have been loosened by the oil
- You can repeat this practise several times a day, as you normally would brush your teeth.
So after a couple of months, how has it transformed my morning routine?
• Well, I must confess I’m not quite there with a morning meditation practice, so oil pulling definitely is a step towards that. Ironically, because you can’t speak with the oil in your mouth, it forces you into silence for 10-20mins. All you can do is take slow deep breaths through your nose, in between the swishing and swirling. The nasal breathing is another practice I’m working on, so that’s an added bonus.
• My sinuses clear much quicker in the morning
• My teeth are noticably whiter
• I’m removing all the bad bacteria from my mouth before I put food in it which will hopefully help my long-term oral hygiene
Whilst science isn’t quite on the side of ancient medicine, I believe the proof is in the pudding. There are a handful of studies floating around but at the end of the day, it won’t reverse the effects of a diet that is high in sugars or poor oral hygiene habits.
I will always be a proponent of something does more good than harm, and even if the oral results are minimal for some, the knock on effect of 10-20mins spent in silence at the start of the day should never be frowned upon.
Dare to give it a go and tell us your results or if you are a seasoned pro, we’d love to know any long term benefits you have experienced.
For an extra special treat, our friends at Ground Organics have created a mint infused Organic coconut oil especially for oil pulling! Check it out here.
Because every woman has a beauty regime of some shape or form, we thought it might be fun to dive into a few different things that we do each day. Stay tuned for more information on morning rituals in the coming weeks!
