THE EXPERIMENT // 'OIL PULLING'

Say whaaaat?

'Oil pulling' is basically extracting bacteria that reside in the mouth using oils. I'd never heard of it prior to reading an article about it on Primped. Boasting a plethora of benefits, such as whiter teeth, stronger teeth, gums and jaw, disease prevention, and general detoxification, I thought I'd give it a try - after all, there's really nothing to lose, right?

I chose to use coconut oil (the Niulife one picture above, which I bought from my local health food store), as it didn't have a strong or unbearable taste, though apparently you can use other oils such as sesame or virgin olive oil. I began with a teaspoon and a half-ish (the coconut oil had hardened so it was difficult to measure). I don't bother melting it beforehand, as it melts in my mouth. I aimed to scoop out enough to fill my mouth once melted (kind of like taking a large gulp of water - but not drinking it). Once melted, I swished it around my mouth like I would a mouthwash, for five minutes. Primped recommended starting at five minutes and building to twenty, though I found it difficult to reach five! You're not supposed to swallow the oil as it contains the toxins that you're trying to remove, which was mostly not too difficult for me, though it does get a bit tedious keeping liquid in the mouth for such a long time. Five minutes doesn't appear to be a long time, but it seems to drag... Afterwards, I disposed of it in the bin and brushed my teeth as normal.

I found that my mouth felt cleaner afterwards, though not sure if it's just because it acted like a pre-brushing rinse. After skipping it for a couple of days, I definitely noticed the difference. My mouth just felt kind of gross in comparison. Though I haven't been 'oil pulling' consistently enough to experience the benefits, I'll admit I'm kind of on the fence about this one. On one hand, there are potentially many health benefits to be reaped, but - and I know how lame it sounds - I'm not sure if I can spare the 5-20 minutes to swish!

Have you tried 'oil pulling'?
Will you be swapping your Listerine for oils any time soon?