Having a nourishing morning routine is a great first step to developing healthy habits. In this post and video, I’ll be teaching you all about oil pulling, an Ayurvedic practice that is known for improving your oral health. But it has even broader benefits for whole body health, if you do it regularly. Learn about the benefits of oil pulling and how to do it here!
All this month I’ve been sharing my morning rituals with you, including a helpful meditative yoga practice and a pranayama breathing technique. Oil pulling is another useful practice you can add to the morning that is easy to do and only takes 10-20 minutes (and can be done while you’re multitasking with something else!). Seriously, there is nothing to lose and only health to gain, so I hope you’ll give it a try!
If you’d like to sandwich your day with self-care, consider downloading my FREE Self-Acupuncture guide too. These 6 acupressure points will help you manage your stress and relieve any tension in the body in just 10 minutes. It’s fabulous to do before bed! Get it here:
What are the Benefits of Oil Pulling?
Oil pulling is a panchakarma, one of the Ayurvedic cleansing techniques that is quite popular here in the U.S. because of its oral health benefits.
People have found that swishing their mouths with sesame and/or coconut oil reduces gum inflammation, bad breath, and helps to whiten teeth. This is because the oils help to manage the populations of plaque-forming bacteria in the mouth.
There’s even broader benefits than just supporting healthier tissue in the mouth. Streptococcus mutans, the main bacteria that causes problems in the mouth, can also cause plaque in the arteries, heart, lungs, brain, and can affect blood sugar metabolism. These problems start in the mouth with S. mutans getting into the bloodstream as the gums bleed from infection. So when you’re oil pulling, you’re preventing the spread of this bacteria through the body.
Oil pulling is also a better choice at cleaning the mouth than using conventional mouthwash. Most mouthwashes contain alcohol which kills ALL bacteria in the mouth, even the good bacteria. We need beneficial bacteria to protect our gut lining! These bacteria help form a solid defense against other microorganisms and are the major part of our immune system.
Coconut oil, sesame oil, as well as several essential oils, have a chelating effect in the body. They bind to and pull out fat-soluble toxins like heavy metals & pesticides that accumulate in our body. Therefore, oil pulling can be an important detoxifying protocol that we could all find very useful since our environment is becoming increasingly toxic.
How to Oil Pull with Coconut, Sesame, and Essential Oils
Let’s teach you how to oil pull!
You’ll need:
- 1 T Coconut or sesame seed oil (1/2 T of each if combining)
- 1-3 drops dōTERRA therapeutic grade essential oils (I recommend Spearmint, Celery Seed, On Guard, or Turmeric)
Add the essential oils to the coconut and/or sesame seed oil on a spoon or in a cup. Put contents in your mouth, chew, press through teeth with your tongue, and swish in between all your teeth for 10-20 minutes.
When you’re done, be sure to spit out the oils into the trash. DO NOT SPIT THE OILS INTO YOUR SINK or you may create problems with your plumbing.
That’s it! Your oil pulling experience is done. It may take some practice and to get used to keeping the oils in your mouth without swallowing. You can always start out with a smaller about of oils until you get used to it.
What do you think of oil pulling now that you know the benefits and how easy it is to do? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!
