Oil Pulling

[athenatree]

Has anyone here tried oil pulling? It's where you swish oil around your mouth for 20 or so minutes in order to help with dental ailments, parasites, it's even claimed to brighten teeth. I've been meaning to try it, but find the thought of swishing oil for 20 minutes to be an unpleasant one. I would love to hear any tips or advice, is it something you can get used to?

 

[chocobun]

What kind of oil are you supposed to use exactly? It sounds like an unpleasant experience. Before doing such a thing, I'd probably consult my dentist first and ask him if it's truly an effective method. I imagine the first time it would feel awful, but after a while you'd eventually adjust to it. Oil has a very slimy and slippery texture, and I certainly wouldn't want my mouth to smell like that.

 

[Lena Christine]

I just did some quick research on this since I have never even heard of it before. It looks like sesame and sunflower oil are the two recommended choices and you are only suppose to use about a tablespoon each time. Also, many sources say it should be done on an empty stomach.

It appears a limited number of scientific studies have in fact been conducted on this practice and have shown that the amount of certain bacteria in the mouth was decreased when the practice is performed daily.

Interesting concept, but I"m not sure I can handle doing that on a daily basis without gagging every time. If anyway tries it though, I would love to hear how it goes.

 

[hatteubanal]

Even if there is scientific evidence or proof that oil pulling does work, I would not dare try it. Like chocobun and Lena Christine said, it will most likely be an unpleasant experience. Has anyone ever tried it though?

 

[Jesserotica]

Why do people think it would be unpleasant? I don't get that. I've oil pulled every day for 3-4 years now. Each morning I have a glass of water and then do my oil pull, usually while checking my emails. It gives you a lovely feeling of well-being and relaxation and helps wake your body up from sleep. There is absolutely nothing unpleasant about it--quite the opposite. It's one of the highlights of my day.

 

[Quirky Jessi]

Why do people think it would be unpleasant? I don't get that. I've oil pulled every day for 3-4 years now. Each morning I have a glass of water and then do my oil pull, usually while checking my emails. It gives you a lovely feeling of well-being and relaxation and helps wake your body up from sleep. There is absolutely nothing unpleasant about it--quite the opposite. It's one of the highlights of my day.

Um, because oil tastes disgusting? lol It feels bleh and it's not pleasant to have in your mouth. And it's especially not pleasant to have anything in your mouth for an extended amount of time, so it makes sense why people would hesitate. I'm sure you get used to it after a while and that's why there's a calming effect for you, but it's certainly not how it would start out for most people.

 

[Parker]

I'm with most people on this thread. This is something that I would not do. I do rinse my mouth with a hydrogen peroxide solution. It's only a teaspoon of peroxide in an glass of water. It doesn't taste good either, but it's only a quick rinse so it's tolerable. Plus it whitens my teeth.

 

[Jesserotica]

Um, because oil tastes disgusting? lol It feels bleh and it's not pleasant to have in your mouth. And it's especially not pleasant to have anything in your mouth for an extended amount of time, so it makes sense why people would hesitate. I'm sure you get used to it after a while and that's why there's a calming effect for you, but it's certainly not how it would start out for most people.

You really think coconut oil tastes disgusting? It barely has any taste at all, just a faint taste of coconut. I guess if you think coconut is disgusting you wouldn't like it. But coconut is used in many treats so I don't understand why it would be disgusting, even to the average person.

 

[iluvmario]

I tried oil pulling before. I had done some research and it is supposed to cure all kinds of ailments and whiten your teeth. I didn't try it long enough to notice a difference but it really was not so bad.

 

[Quirky Jessi]

You really think coconut oil tastes disgusting? It barely has any taste at all, just a faint taste of coconut. I guess if you think coconut is disgusting you wouldn't like it. But coconut is used in many treats so I don't understand why it would be disgusting, even to the average person.

Well personally, yes, I don't like the taste of coconut, so I'm not going to like that oil especially.

I was thinking about oils in general, though. The texture is awful.

 

[jenb128]

Why do people think it would be unpleasant? I don't get that. I've oil pulled every day for 3-4 years now. Each morning I have a glass of water and then do my oil pull, usually while checking my emails. It gives you a lovely feeling of well-being and relaxation and helps wake your body up from sleep. There is absolutely nothing unpleasant about it--quite the opposite. It's one of the highlights of my day.

For me, the initial turn off was the thought of doing it for 20 minutes or so. If doing it for just a minute or two would help, I'd have tried it when I first read about it awhile ago. I've had issues with my teeth for years (even with a dentist's help). I recently decided to give it a try and started doing it with coconut oil, because I love coconut. I haven't seen any results yet (maybe because it hasn't been very long), but it's not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Going a full twenty minutes with one mouthful of oil is tough, but I just spit out the oil and "refresh" about halfway through.

 

[sarahp]

I was wondering myself about what type of oil you are talking about. I at first thought you meant something like motor oil which would certainly be extremely uncomfortable for 20 minutes. Other oils like sunflower or something would be much more tolerable, yet I still don't know if I could do that for a total of 20 minutes. Has anyone ever heard of this before and actually tried it? I am going to have to try and do some research into this because I am always looking for ways to improve my beauty life and make things that much easier.