I started something new at the end of last year, oil pulling. I’m not exactly sure why they call it that but it’s become a part of my morning routine.

So what is it?

I take a chunk of coconut oil and pop it in my mouth, once it melts I spend the next fifteen minutes swishing it around. The texture of the oil took a little getting used to and I actually gagged on it the first few times. Some people like to melt the oil first but I don’t have time for that so I’ve made myself get used to the texture.

You can use other oils too but I have only used coconut.

This is when I enjoy the quiet of the morning, check my emails and scour Facebook.

After about fifteen minutes I spit the oil out, rinse my mouth and brush my teeth. I’ve never been a first thing in the morning teeth brusher but now I never rush out the door only to realize I’ve forgotten to brush…YUCK!

Things I’ve learned since I started oil pulling.

Do not spit the oil in the sink when you’re done, especially if you have a septic tank. Spit into a trashcan. It sounds gross but it’s better than destroying your plumbing system with hard oil.

Rinse your mouth out after you spit the oil out. It took me a couple weeks before I realized that you need to rinse but it makes sense. Oil pulling helps remove toxins from your body so rinse that junk out of your mouth.

Brush your teeth after you rinse your mouth out. This is another one I didn’t know right away and I noticed a difference in how my mouth feels when I started brushing right away.

Have I seen any results? 

I’m skeptical of everything at first so I really didn’t expect to see or feel much of a difference. I can say now that I’m over my skepticism though.

My teeth have become visibly whiter. Years of smoking (yuck), coffee and tea have left my teeth a little on the yellow side but after about eight weeks of oil pulling they have become a few shades whiter. Even the dark stains on my bottom teeth have gotten lighter.

I have also noticed a decrease in sensitivity. I used to have a sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet, and salty and I have noticed my teeth are a lot more tolerant. There is a spot on my bottom teeth that would make me see stars if I got sugar directly on it and that spot is now gone completely.

Have you ever bit the inside of your cheek? You know it swells and you just keep bitting it, every time seeing stars? Within 24 hours the bite was all healed. Same goes for the little nicks on my gums that I sometimes get from brushing, they heal right away.

Pink in the sink? No more bleeding gums either.

Overall I feel like the health of my mouth has improved greatly. Oil pulling was something I would have never tried a few years ago and now I’m left wondering why it took me so long.

Have you tried oil pulling? What kind of results have you seen?

Are you thinking about trying it out? Let me know what you think.

I’ve been toying with giving coconut oil a try for a while. Every time I go to Costco I see the giant tub of it and I’ve wondered more than once, “What does one do with coconut oil?” My mother in law was kind enough to get me a jar for Christmas and since then I’ve been researching and trying ways to use it.

So far I’ve tried…

I’ve used it as a lip balm. Over the holidays I had a terrible sinus infection (and an ear infection too) which turned me into a mouth breather. If you’ve ever been a mouth breather before you know it dries your lips out something fierce. I dabbed some coconut oil on a few times a day and my dry, cracked lips were feeling better in no time.

Lotion. The stuff works wonders on dry skin, hands, legs, feet, you name it. It goes on very greasy but gets absorbed quickly.  I keep a little Tupperware container with some coconut oil in it in my bathroom so it’s always on hand.

This next one I never saw coming.

Oil pulling. I had never heard of it before a few fellow bloggers opened my eyes to what it is and what it does. Cindy and Miranda give good descriptions and it’ll save you some time Googling. I’ve been starting my day oil pulling for the past week or so and I’m interested in seeing some results. Once I start seeing the benefits of oil pulling I’ll write a full post on it…Stay tuned.

Have you ever tried oil pulling?

I started adding it to my lunchtime cup of green tea. The coconut oil adds a nice flavor and helps make me feel full.

Finally, I’ve used the coconut oil as a hairstyling product. If you’ve ever met me you might know that I have very unfortunate hair. It’s fine, stick straight for the most part with curls that stick out from my temples and it frizzes with the slightest amount of moisture. I tired the oil first with dry hair and it worked very well smoothing things out. When I put it in damp hair and then dried it I got much nicer results. You need to be careful though, a little goes a long way and too much makes you look greasy.

Look for more posts on how I incorporate coconut oil into my (healthy) lifestyle.

Have you ever tried coconut oil? What do you use it for?