How Oil Pulling Can Tremendously Benefit Your Oral Health
Oil pulling has changed my life! Not to sound like an infomercial (because I really don’t like those myself), but oil pulling truly deserves to be promoted more. It is one of the best regiments I’ve incorporated into my grooming routine as a mom who never gets time to do much “extra” grooming care.
Why I love oil pulling so much
I noticed positive oral results within a few days of starting! Oil pulling not only detoxifies your mouth and increases oral health as a whole, but improves other issues too. It’s an age-old tradition started in India and rooted in Ayurvedic medicine, so of course it is not backed by factual medical sources. I have always been into natural remedies, and my best indicator of belief is when I see results first-hand. You can always be assured that I’ll not promote anything on MLNL if I wouldn’t use it myself.
Oil pulling uses natural oils to clean and detoxify teeth and gums, it helps whiten teeth and freshen breath, and is beneficial for overall gum health. Those who recommend oil pulling claim that it has helped their skin conditions, arthritis, asthma, headaches, hormone imbalances, infections, liver problems and more, wow! I guess it makes sense, since bacteria and infection enter our bloodstream through the mouth, and our mouths carry a lot of bacteria.
For me, I have experienced increased oral health, hardly any plaque, less teeth sensitivity, whiter teeth, and no bleeding gums. I’m hoping as I use this method more, I will see the other benefits people claim as well. An aspect of oil pulling that I love, is that it will save you a lot of money in the long run. People who oil pull, have said that they have less cavities, gum disease, and that their dentist were amazed at their increased oral health. I guess I will know more at my next dental visit!
How To Oil Pull
First you purchase the correct, quality, edible, oil. I use sesame oil or coconut oil.
Everyday before brushing, take 1-2 teaspoons of oil in your mouth and begin swishing it around.
Swish the oil for up to 20 minutes to cut through plaque and remove toxins - too long can cause re-absorption of toxins and too short can cause less removal of toxins.
The oil will get thicker, milky, and increase in volume as it mixes with your saliva.
Spit out the oil in the toilet, or a trash can - do not spit in sinks with a septic system, or spit often in non-septic systems, as it can clog drain pipes.
Try to never swallow the oil as it is full of bacteria, toxins, and other stuff that you’ve pulled out of your mouth, yuck!
Next, rinse your mouth well with warm water.
Finally, brush your teeth - I use a natural toothbrush or miswak with my homemade toothpaste or tooth powder.
Oil pulling is best done in the morning, before eating or drinking anything, but can also be done before each meal for severe infections or dental issues.
My Personal Recommendation For Oil Pulling
The oil I like best is sesame oil, because it is has been the most studied for effectiveness in oil pulling, though I also use coconut oil. Usually, I will do my oil pulling when I’m in the shower and then spit it into the toilet when I am done. Don’t spit it into the shower drain as it will make the floor slippery and you could fall badly!
I swish for about 10 mins on most days as my showers are short, and I still find the oil pulling to be effective for me. On non-shower days, I will oil pull after I awake and swish it in my mouth while I get ready and make coffee.
I did find that using coconut oil is much cheaper than sesame oil. Though coconut oil is somewhat of a pain, as it hardens and then I need to scoop out a clump each time or make mouth chews. The coconut oil also needs to melt in my mouth first, so I found it more time-consuming. That’s when I began using quality sesame oil, which may cost more, but was claimed to be the best for oil pulling, and never gets hard. Some people also use sunflower and olive oil, so look into those oils too if you prefer it.
You may notice a detox reaction for the first few times you oil pull, like congestion or a headache, though I did not get any side effects myself, but take note of your symptoms. You can also teach you kids to oil pull, but please ensure that they are old enough not to swallow the oil. I only told my kids about oil pulling when they were tweens just to be safe, as swallowing the swished oil is toxic.
The Products I Use
Miswak
Coconut oil
Healthy Blend Mouth drops
Natural toothbrushes
Sesame oil
When your mouth needs more attention
As a mom of six kids, pregnancies took a toll on my teeth and gums. I used to have severe tooth sensitivity where I couldn’t eat anything icy or use metal utensils. I also suffered with bleeding gums occasionally, no matter how much I brushed and flossed. Oil pulling helped me so much with all these issues, along with my homemade remineralizing toothpaste. So if you are at the stage where I was or you need a little extra oral TLC, you can try my method below:
Perform daily oil pulling in the morning before you eat anything.
Oil pull more often, like twice a day in the morning and night, or even before every meal if you want to heal faster.
After spitting, rinse your mouth with warm salt water to gain maximum disinfection.
Next, brush your teeth using a natural toothbrush with a healing brushing blend oil alone, or add some drops to your homemade or natural toothpaste.
You can purchase all these products at a health store, or as I often do, on Amazon because it’s easy to find everything and it saves me the time of searching around stores for the correct product.
If you haven’t tried oil pulling, I highly recommend it! And if you have, I’d love to hear why you love it :-).
Salam, I’m Zakeeya!
I believe that making our homes a safe haven for our families, as well as being a wife and mother, brings us great blessings, contentment, and benefits to society as a whole. Since 2011, I've been dedicated to assisting Muslimas in finding tranquility in their roles, taking better care of themselves, and achieving inner peace. Our journey in this world is not an easy one, but I pray the tools and guidance I offer will help you face life's challenges with more gratitude and mindfulness. Join me as I share wifehood, motherhood, homemaking, and lifestyle solutions that make life more fulfilling for you as a woman! Read more about me here.
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