My Oil Pulling Journey

After stating in my beauty routine post that I take part in oil pulling on the regular I had a lot of you wanting to know more.

This was the very first jar of coconut oil I have ever purchased.

In the beginning I didn't know if it would work, if I would gag on it, etc. so I went as small as possible.

Here is the thing...I am no expert.

I just do it, how I do it, because it works best for me.

I started this adventure late Fall/early Winter when I couldn't tell if I had a serious toothache or was getting a cold.

#keepinitrealforyou

I was so tired of my tooth hurting every time I moved.

Really any time I opened my mouth and air would get to my teeth they would hurt.

So what does one do when you need an answer for your problem?
You head to the Internet!

Specifically Pinterest.

I began my search looking for tooth ache remedies and stumbled upon this blog post about how a cavity basically went away from oil pulling.

I then started reading more and more things about oil pulling and all the health benefits from it.

source

So after sitting in bed for hours reading through all these things, I woke up the next morning and headed to the store for my first jar of coconut oil.

It isn't the cheapest thing in the world, but a little goes a very long way.

I actually found the jar above at TJ Maxx for under $10 shortly after I began this journey! #score

The next morning I scooped out about a tablespoon worth of the solid coconut oil, put in my mouth and began to feel it melt into a liquid form as I swished it around (like mouthwash).

Not gonna lie, it takes some getting used to.
In the beginning I could only last about 5-10 minutes at a time (normal times range from 10-20 minutes) if I was lucky - I mainly blame that on the fact that I did have a cold at the time and breathing through my nose wasn't really working for me.

My tooth ache was completely gone in about a week or two.

I mean 0 pain of any kind!

I was a very happy camper :)
And I still am a happy camper, because that tooth pain has not returned!

At the same time I noticed how white my teeth were getting and staying.

I have used Crest white strips for years to maintain my white teeth, but now I don't need to use them at all.

I drink coffee, pop, and tea pretty regular and my teeth don't fade at all now.

Not the best photo, but I wanted to show the true white color of my teeth.

 A little blurry, but again no filter.

Fast forward to today and I could easily swish that oil around for a good 30 minutes without any gagging.

The thing that works best for me is putting a tablespoon in my mouth right before I head into the shower in the morning.

I get distracted by washing my hair, shaving, etc. that 10-15 minutes goes by rather quickly.

Other benefits I have experienced while oil pulling is that my skin isn't so dry on my face.

You don't swallow the oil, but it obviously works its way through your pores, etc.

I have posted this pic a lot lately, but it the ONLY one I have of me with no makeup, no crazy lighting, and no filter.

Another reason why I love it so much is because I tend to grind my teeth while I sleep.

Resulting in terrible headaches and a sore jaw.

Since I started oil pulling I have noticed a drastic drop in pain overall.

Because you are swishing the oil around you are working those muscles in different ways and relaxing them at the same time.
No grinding of teeth = no jaw pain = no headaches!

My tooth and gum sensitivity has really decreased as well.
While I shouldn't, I can eat ice cream pretty easy these days ;)

Another way I built up my tolerance to oil pulling was I was doing it in the evening right before I went to bed too.
I don't usually oil pull in the evening any more, but it does help with fresher breath and cleaner feeling teeth.

I recently picked up this mammoth jar at Walmart super cheap (like under $7!!) as well.

So there is my story friends :)

Can't wait to hear your stories with oil pulling if you have tried it before or if you give it a shot now!

**I am not being paid be the coconut oil gods to promote this little wonder. Just happy with something I found to work well for me and wanted to share with you all.**