Hello everyone 🙂 Happy last Wednesday of February!  This month as part of the Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 Challenge we’ve been looking at ways to pamper ourselves with safe ingredients we can purchase in bulk.  I gave you my favorite homemade body butter recipe, homemade body scrub ideas, and ways to take nourishing baths (with a recipe for homemade bubble bath).  Today I’m going to let you in on my oral-care secret that only takes 15 minutes:

Oil pulling

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that is rapidly gaining popularity in the US.  I first saw this about three years ago and dismissed it.  Then one of my friends started to oil pull and told me how much she loved it.  In the past year I’ve seen many of the bloggers I follow rave about it, and even saw a class featured at our local health food store.  I began oil pulling about two years ago after the reviews from my friend and I just had to pass along the info to you!

Basically, oil pulling is:

  • a Tablespoon of oil (usually coconut oil or sesame oil) in your mouth and swishing for 10-15 minutes.  

    15 minutes a few days a week to fresher breath!

    15 minutes a few days a week to fresher breath!

It’s really strange at first- the oil feels like nothing else you’ve ever used as a mouth wash…. you definitely have to work yourself up to it.  I started with 1/2 teaspoon for 5 minutes and worked my way up to a Tablespoon of coconut oil for 15 minutes.

If you have fillings (especially silver fillings) or any other dental work make sure to check with your dentist before oil pulling.  

The benefits of oil pulling are so worth it! I noticed my breath was fresher for the whole day after my first time oil pulling.  I also noticed that my teeth where cleaner looking and my mouth felt healthier than it had in ages (coconut oil is naturally antimicrobial which aids in killing bacteria in the mouth).  It also makes brushing your teeth easier because it breaks up plaque. Some claim it aids in detoxification and allergies as well.  

Oil pulling works best first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and helps invigorate me and wake me up.  I typically oil pull 3 or 4 days a week while I put on lotion and start breakfast for my family.  I use regular organic coconut oil because I like the coconut flavor- if you’re not crazy about the flavor try a refined coconut oil or sesame oil.   

It’s not uncommon the first few times you try oil pulling to have the oil come out grey when you spit it out…  don’t worry if that happens! Also- make sure to spit the “used” oil into the trash or a jar and not down the drain (oil can clog your drains). 

Here’s to kissably fresh breath ~Olivia

Have you ever tried oil pulling or is this something new you’ll try out??  Let me know in the comments or email me at blog@keeper.com.  I’d love to hear from you after you’ve tried it for a few days to see how you like it!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 4 year old son.  She enjoys spending time in the mountains, studying about essential oils, natural remedies and herbs, as well as upcycling/ DIY projects.  Olivia’s family made the move last year towards becoming a Zero Waste household.  They have gotten down to one bathroom sized trashcan a month of garbage but hope to be totally Zero Waste by the end of 2015.

Like this?  Check out the rest of our Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 series for more tips!

 

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