Oil Pulling: How To and Benefits

What is Oil Pulling?

Oil pulling (or oil swishing) is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy, which involves swishing about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in your mouth for 20 minutes and then spitting it out. This is done when you first wake up in the morning, before brushing your teeth or drinking water.

Oils for Oil Pulling

As oil pulling is a natural remedy, the oils used should be high quality, and in its purest, most natural form. The oils produced using our household oil press machine are unrefined and free of preservatives. They are freshly pressed from the raw ingredients in your home, which is the best form of oil for oil pulling.

Refined oils bought from supermarkets are not recommended as they contain chemical residues or solvents from the refining process, unless there are no other alternatives.

Sesame oil is traditionally used for oil pulling. Coconut oil and sunflower oil can also be used.

How to Oil Pull

If you are new to oil pulling, start with just 5 minutes a day. If your jaw starts aching a few minutes in, slow down. Slowly increase the duration to 20 minutes as you get used to oil pulling.

Swish the oil around in your mouth without swallowing it. Move it around in your mouth and through your teeth, but don’t tilt your head back to gargle. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to help move the oil around the inside of your mouth.The oil will start to get watery as your saliva mixes with it. A gentle swishing, pushing, and sucking the oil through the teeth is all that is required.

Do not swallow the oil. If you find it hard not to, you likely have too much oil in your mouth. If you have the urge to swallow and it becomes too unpleasant, spit it out and try again with a smaller amount. However, if you accidentally swallow a bit of the oil, do not worry. The toxins will usually be eliminated properly by the digestive system.

Once you are done, the oil may have become whitish with a thinner, milky consistency, depending on the type of oil used. Spit out the oil into the nearest rubbish bin. Do not spit it down the sink as the oil can build up and clog your pipes.

Continue with your usual brushing and flossing routine. Do note that oil pulling should never replace traditional home oral care and routine dental visits.

Benefits of Oil Pulling

Halitosis (also known as bad breath) is often caused by chemicals and gases produced by bacteria in the mouth. Oil pulling can help to get rid of this bacteria and reduce bad breath. Oil pulling can also help to prevent mouth and gum diseases. For example, coconut oil is an anti-inflammatory and can prevent gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums. Cavities are also caused by the build-up of harmful bacteria, which are removed by oil pulling. Since the mouth is connected to the sinuses and ear canal, the occurrences of ear and sinus infections are also reduced.

Oral health is also linked to issues in other parts of your body. Poor oral hygiene increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia. Gum disease causes a higher risk of erectile dysfunction in men, and lower birth-weight babies in pregnant women. Oil pulling to improve oral health can reduce these risks.

If you are suffering from jaw soreness, oil pulling can help to strengthen the jaw and alleviate the soreness. Over time, as your jaw gets stronger from the swishing, the pain in your jaw will slowly diminish.

With all these wonderful benefits to your health, perhaps it is time to give oil pulling a try. Use the most natural oils for your daily oil pulling routine by pressing your oils at home using our oil press machine.