Adventures in Oil Pulling

Up until a few weeks ago I had never even heard of oil pulling. Then one day HuffPo ran a story about that ritual and my inbox and social streams flooded with inquiring minds. Even my mother, a dental hygienist, started fielding questions from patients. What sounded to me like something akin to water boarding or an enema (had to be said) turned out to be an Ayurvedic approach to oral health, with the added yet scientifically unsubstantiated benefits of preventing disease, relieving a hangover and detoxifying the body. All music to my ears. Except for the actual act, which requires swishing coconut, olive or sunflower oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes. Yup. Gwyneth does it while she packs gluten-free lunches for Apple and Moses.

oil pulling bets

I decided to give it a whirl while I worked. The key is to find a distraction, because once you start swishing it’s game on. The oil became foamy in my mouth after a few minutes, making it too easy to swallow—the last thing you want to do if, in fact, there are a bunch of toxins swirling around in there. I made it the full 20 minutes, then spit out the milky mess in glass. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but nothing really happened. I didn’t feel any different. My teeth didn’t look and different. I still needed to floss. Which brings me to the underscore of this story: Oil pulling doesn’t replace brushing and flossing. It’s a supplemental thing. And if I had more time and patience (or a personal chef and body double) I’d give it a month. Nothing holistic happens over night. I will, however, give it another go next time I have a hangover.

Have you tried oil pulling? Anxious to hear about your experience!

THESE HAPPENED, TOO

amanda says:

4/10/2014 | 8:08am

tried it. could NOT make it the full 20 mins. in fact, I barley made it through the part where I had to chew the little ball of coco oil to get it soft. this one is not for the faint of heart.

Rachel says:

4/10/2014 | 8:18am

I was curious (if anything, to prove everyone else wrong and to say it doesn’t work), so I tried it. I’ve been doing it daily for almost 3 weeks now and the only thing I’ve noticed is whiter teeth. Of course, it would be much easier – and less gross – if I just used White Strips 😛

Bridget says:

4/10/2014 | 9:02am

I have been oil pulling for the past (nearly) two weeks! I can say my teeth definitely feel whiter and cleaner and morning breath seems a lot less harsh. I also suffer from eczema and I have noticed that the signs of this nasty skin condition (thanks, Dad) have drastically lowered! Also I was battling cold-like symptoms over the past week, waking up with a dry scratchy throat and runny nose and it could be a mere coincidence but after I would pull these ailments seemed to vanish! On the con side there is the harsh, gag-inflicting, nose plug inducing moments of reducing the solid oil to liquid form but you do really get used to it. Also I have been very blessed my whole life in the blemish department and I have noticed and increase in pimples popping up, but again this could be me being a stress case too. I’m now going to try a week off of oil pulling to see if the beneficial results fade and what happens with my middle school face problems!

Marcela says:

4/10/2014 | 9:28am

I’ve been oil pulling for weeks and I’m seeing results! I still brush my teeth and floss, but my teeth feel MUCH cleaner and they’re whiter! I’ve also noticed my skin tone evening out and even my dark circles diminishing. I’ve been using coconut oil as an eye cream so that might have a bit to do with my eye circles.

I usually do it as soon as I wake up while I’m getting ready, so time goes by pretty quickly.

Paige says:

4/10/2014 | 10:41am

I’ve been oil pulling morning and night since January. You have to work your way up to the full 20 minutes, but after that it becomes part of a routine. I used to have a major Crest Whitestrips addiction. I stopped this fall and after starting oil pulling I get compliments all the time on how white my teeth are. It takes a while and you likely won’t notice the benefits after the first time but I promise, they will come!

Katie says:

4/10/2014 | 12:30pm

I’ve tried it a time or two, but can’t quite adjust to it being a permanent habit.

Renee says:

4/10/2014 | 12:44pm

I’ve been doing this daily for two weeks! For the first week I had some pretty bad headaches. Kind of like a detox headache, I think. But they have since gone away. I like the idea that it’s pulling toxins out of my body through hard to reach places in my mouth, and I do believe that the mouth is a good indication of your overall health.

Megan Q says:

4/11/2014 | 4:31pm

i had the same experience only i didn’t make it the full 20 minutes — this whole trend seems like a bunch of trickery to me 😛

Lynda says:

4/11/2014 | 8:07pm

i tried it once with olive oil (which was gross at first) and was finally able to make it past 20 minutes after i started watching hulu… but my jaw got super sore! if you keep doing this, would you be able to share if you did indeed notice all those benefits? =)