I don’t have any secrets to divulge, but I do want to talk about something that’s been buzzing on social media lately – oil pulling. I know what you’re thinking, oil pulling? Yeah. That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw this term pop up on the Merrymakersister’s Instagram. Well, I mostly thought “Ew. Gross, wtf is that!” Scroll.
But I couldn’t avoid it much longer; the term kept popping up everywhere. I finally gave into reading about the process of oil pulling after my friend, Nik, sent me a link. I had been whining that my teeth are too sensitive to whiten with at-home kits, and that the unseasonably cold wind was making it even more painful. Oh, vanity.
I had initially decided to try the process as a means of making my not-so-pearly whites, whiter. Wearing bizarre shades of lipstick really makes them stand out, ok. As I read about the process, turns out it has many health benefits.
Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic practice that dates as far back as 5,000 years ago in India. Swishing oil daily in one’s mouth is said to remove toxins and bacteria that cause infections, headaches, skin problems, and discoloured teeth. Oh, and it’s supposed to give you more energy too.
I’m all for a more holistic approach to health, but I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical. The only way I could put my skepticism to rest was to try oil pulling for myself.
One week. Seven days. I made the commitment to try the process every morning for an entire week. I’m now on day eight, not on purpose though. This morning I woke up feeling drowsy, and the last thing I wanted to do was swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth. But, I had to finish my week. After I had finished, I realized it was day eight. Crap.
I guess you’re wondering exactly what the process of oil pulling entails… here’s the how-to in a nutshell.
• Use only organic coconut, olive, or sesame oil… coconut is the least offensive, in my opinion. ( 1 tsp to 1 tbsp)
• You must swish the oil around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes.
• You must swish the oil first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
• Do not swallow any of it! It’s filled with germs, toxins!
• Discard the oil into a plastic bag, or garbage can not the sink or toilet. It’ll mess up your plumbing.
The final verdict:
My teeth looked whiter after day 2. They’d probably look even whiter if I stopped drinking caffeinated beverages. I did notice a surge in my energy levels every morning, but I’ve also been on a green smoothie kick and drinking lots of Mate this week. I noticed that my usual headaches from staring at screens all day were subdued. I was also surprised by the overall amount of energy I had this week, despite running on very little sleep.
I have to be honest though, swishing around oil in my mouth for TWENTY minutes was annoying at times. A lot of people have said they enjoy the process because it gives them “me” time, but I don’t have that much time to sit around in the morning. Every morning I would wake up, stumble to the kitchen, grab the jar of coconut oil and shove some in my mouth. I would then carry on my normal morning routine – shower, put on make up, do some planks, and get dressed. It was the most annoying while I did my make up. The only positive aspect of that situation was that I couldn’t open my mouth while I applied mascara, and avoided making the classic “ugly mascara face.” So, I guess that’s a positive.
Am I going to keep oil pulling? Maybe. We’ll see how I feel about it tomorrow morning.
The Life of Lucky 