You’ve decided to try oil pulling, now what?

Up until two months ago, oil pulling was a foreign concept, almost as foreign to me as actually visiting a dental office. From a young age, I’ve had a hate-hate relationship with the dental chair. If you’ve ever heard about that select group of people that have fabulous oral hygiene habits, but still hit the dental lottery of cavities despite their flossing and brushing regime — I am one of those winners.

While at our latest yoga get together, a select handful of ladies began talking about oil pulling . Chances are, if you’ve found this post, you already have a handle on what oil pulling is. If not, “Oil pulling or oil swishing is a traditional folk remedy where oil is “swished” (kavala graha) or “held” (snigda gandoosha) in the mouth,” according to Wikipedia.

You’ve decided to start oil pulling, now what?

Oil Pulling Essentials

So you have a firm handle on what to expect. What do you need? A spoon, a virgin – bottle of coconut oil that is, you can also use sunflower, or sesame oil and essential oil (optional).

How many times have you eaten a substantial helping of peanut butter off a spoon ? That is a good guesstimate of the amount of oil you’ll need to use (about 1 tablespoon, so upon further consideration, not my average mound of peanut butter). Personally, I love adding a drop of peppermint essential oil to the mix. The smell of peppermint and the taste triggers a mental switch in my mind that it’s part of an oral regime.

Another essential oil that people love to use while oil pulling is Thieves from Young Living, with it’s spicy aroma, it pairs nicely with the coconut oil. The beauty of essential oils, is that you can pick one that you’re drawn to for use. Just be sure to verify that it is therapeutic grade and you can safely ingest it. When using oils, do your research – we will be posting about essential oils regularly with guest bloggers, so stay tuned.

Once you’re done pulling, ALWAYS spit the oil into the trash, or a bottle and then throw it out, otherwise it will clog your drain. A benefit of oil pulling is to pull toxins out of your mouth and body, why would you want to swallow that? Ick.

Read the rest of this post on our new sister site for yoga lovers, and healthy living; Pink Mantra.