Hey Everyone!
I thought i'd do a post on something i've been trying out recently...and you've probably already guessed it's about the very hyped 'oil pulling'. For those of you that aren't familiar with the phrase, it means swirling oil in-between your teeth for about 10-15 minutes.
You might question why on earth would anyone want to do this? Well, its been reported all over the internet to have oral and systemic benefits that stem from ancient Ayurvedic dental techniques. Some of these benefits include:
- killing bacteria in your mouth and subsequently improving gum health (good for those that suffer from inflammation or gum disease)
- reducing headaches/migranes
- improving skin health and acne
- whitening teeth by drawing out toxins from the surface of your teeth and gum mucosa
The extent to which there is scientific data is very minimal, and even some dentists are sceptical of this method of teeth whitening. However, I thought why not give it a go...what have I actually got to lose?
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| Coconut Oil appears solid at room temp! |
I purchased organic extra virgin coconut oil from my local supermarket (£7), and proceeded to scoop a teaspoon amount of oil into my mouth in the mornings. I started at about 5 minutes (the sensation of swirling oil is very difficult to get used to and I didn't want swallow it) and built up to about 12 minutes over a period of 14 days. Now, I had read online that some people do experience adverse symptoms such as: stomach aches, headaches and tiredness, but that was just the process of 'detoxification' and your body responding to the withdrawal.
After a week of doing the oil pulling I did notice whitening of my teeth and then the negative side effects started to kick in. Personally, I thought I was over doing it with revision and being dehydrated, I didn't possibly think that my SEVRE headaches and tiredness would be put down to oil pulling. Honestly, experiencing how painful the withdrawal symptoms were was terrifying, I thought this would be a cheap alternative to using the peroxide I get from my dentist but no this was awful. No one could pay me to go through that again, i've now not done it for a week and feel like my normal self (no headaches or tiredness).
I won't ever be going oil pulling again after this bad experience and will stick to what my dentist gives me, but using it sparingly! Think i'll just stick to using coconut oil as a treatment for my hair or for removing my make up. Let me know if any of you have tried oil pulling and what your experiences were.
It just wasn't for me!
Speak soon xxx
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