Have You Tried Oil Pulling?

Have you given oil pulling a go? Let’s talk about oil pulling and oral hygiene.

Oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil in your mouth for five to 20 minutes each day. There are a number of purported benefits from better breath to better overall health. All of the evidence I’ve read about oil pulling has been anecdotal, and I shared a few of the oil pulling stories I’ve found below. I’d love to hear about your own experiences with this practice, too!

Liz Thompson at our sister site Feelgood Style recently gave coconut oil pulling a go, and it got me thinking about the whole oil pulling craze in general. How effective is oil pulling?

Oil Pulling Anecdotes

I’ve come across mixed reviews of oil pulling in general.

Leslie Schipper recommends 20 minutes of oil pulling with coconut, sesame, or olive oil each morning saying that she’s seen some great benefits since starting this practice. She says that oil pulling has given her whiter teeth, better breath, and an increase in energy.

Other reviews of oil pulling haven’t been as positive. Liz at Feelgood style decided that it was a little bit unpleasant and that it wasn’t for her.

The hosts of one of my favorite podcasts – Oh No Ross and Carrie – tried oil pulling, and they made it sound like it wasn’t harmful but also like it wasn’t super helpful. And Carrie’s description of letting solid-at-room-temp coconut oil melt in her mouth sounded pretty terrible. Sesame or olive oil might be a little bit easier on the senses, though.

From what I was able to find on oil pulling, it sounds like we’d need more research before saying that it’s definitely a beneficial practice. If you do want to give it a go and read some of the potential benefits, Talancia Pea at Sustainablog shared some interesting information along with a basic oil pulling how-to.

I haven’t given oil pulling a try yet, mostly because I have a toddler to chase. Finding myself with twenty spare minutes just doesn’t happen very often. Do you practice oil pulling regularly? Do you do it for the full 20 minutes, or could I get by with five minutes of swishing instead? I’d love to hear your experiences!

photo credit: arbyreed via photopin cc

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