My first try at oil pulling

[nurseypoo5]

ok..so has anyone done this and then stopped and all your old problems reverted back to the way it was before or did the whitening effect and healthy gums stay that way?

[iakaren]

This thread is interesting. Keep posting, so we can keep up with how it is going. May get brave enough to try it yet......

[faemajik]

OK I wanna know who, what, where,when, why etc

I am gonna try this in the am with EVOO

[catkin]

Originally Posted by Kaymoe

I stumbled upon this thread last night and was very intrigued. I tried OPing for the first time this morning. I used EVOO because that was all I had that was edible. I have lots of cosmetic grade oils, but I'm not going to put those in my mouth!

First off, a TBSP was a bit too much volume for me. I'll try less tomorrow. Even after a solid 22 minutes of pulling, it was still yellow. I was surprised at how foamy it was though. It didn't feel like that in my mouth. I really didn't have any gag issues with it, although I did taste it a few times which lead me to believe that it was getting too far back in my mouth towards my throat. It is definitely a facial workout! The time went pretty quickly - I just sat down to read my threads and emails and it was over in no time.

I was absolutely floored when I spit it out and my mouth didn't feel like an oil slick! That was exactly what I expected. I rinsed a few times afterwards and my mouth felt really clean. I didn't brush or anything first. I waited until afterward. I have the unconscious habit of resting my tongue against the back of my teeth, so I get a plaque buildup there. I'm interested to see if this helps to resolve that.

All in all, not bad. I'll do it for awhile to see if I get some benefit out of it. I'll try to get some of the recommended oil soon, too. The EVOO is pretty heavily colored, so maybe that was why mine wasn't completely white when I was done. I'm definitely going to get some Dr. Bronner's to try. Anything to keep the keto-breath at bay!

Will post as I go along! HTH!

I got the tea tree bar. Yes, it tastes soapy but I try not to get it on my tongue

[fawn]

Angela
I would love your recipe! Would you mind sharing?

[catkin]

Originally Posted by Island of Bluebells

My gums are pretty good for my age. Last visit the dentist told me I had the gums of a 20-year-old. (I thought, why couldn't it be my breasts? )I think they do look better though.

Dr. Bronners? Oh yeah! DD calls it "the Manson family, soap-making in the desert." I have that in the house, for showers and I add the liquid to mop water for a fresh scent. Peppermint or Lavender. I have tried it for tooth-brushing a few years ago, pretty soapy taste but I can handle it for the benefits. Thank you, catkin!

I'm sure it'll get better and better!

I remember years ago when I worked in a supermarket (small fishing town). In the Winter, from time to time we'd lose power for a day or two. The store had generators, so we stayed open.
It was always amazing the people that came out of the woodwork to buy batteries, water, etc., when the electricity went out! We were just SURE they were Manson Family members. We didn't recognize ONE of them but there they were every time...

I have Dr. B's almond soap, too. It smells great! I'll have to check out the lavender scent, too. And, you're welcome!

[catkin]

Originally Posted by Dottie

LOL -one warning. I tried this this morning with EVOO and do NOT, under any circumstances, do this right after you brush with cinnamon toothpaste!

Dottie! Don't brush at all first

[catkin]

Originally Posted by glamazon

Catkin, I have been making my own toothpaste for years. (I can't stand fluoride or sodium laurel sulfate.) The commercial varieties never foamed up and I didn't like that, so I came up with my own recipe that does-- it's a mix of baking soda, food-grade glycerine, Dr. Bronner's liquid peppermint soap, coconut oil, and peppermint oil. It's wonderful! My whole family prefers it to commercial paste, so now I'm stuck making batches for my mother and sister, too! (my dental hygenist said I had beautiful gums for a non-flosser!)

I have been oil-pulling for a few days now, and it's been quite nice! I don't have any tooth or gum problems, just hoping to whiten them up a bit. We'll see how it goes!

That's excellent! It make so much sense! Killing the bacteria that cause oral problems with plain old soap made with saponified oils. Dr. Bronner's been trying to tell us this for years! I actually washed my hair with the castille/tea tree/bar soap this morning then followed up with my regular (laurel sulfate free) conditioner. It worked great and just a smidge lathered up like crazy! You must have soft water for this, though. I think I'm finally on to something

[catkin]

Originally Posted by nurseypoo5

ok..so has anyone done this and then stopped and all your old problems reverted back to the way it was before or did the whitening effect and healthy gums stay that way?

I just started but I plan on continuing.

[catkin]

Originally Posted by iakaren

This thread is interesting. Keep posting, so we can keep up with how it is going. May get brave enough to try it yet......

Start out with a teaspoon for a few minutes--you can do it!

I have a dental cleaning tool. I use it from time for tartar removal. Amazing ly so, since I've used it, there's absolutely NO buildup in those areas. The OP'ing and Dr. Bronner's are really doing a number on my mouth! YES!

[glamazon]

Originally Posted by fawn

Angela
I would love your recipe! Would you mind sharing?

Hi Fawn!

(I'm actually one of your fans, some of your posts make me cheer!)

I don't have an exact recipe-- I just eyeball it. I use a little tupperware container, fill it with baking soda, put a big squirt of Dr. Bronners, 2 big squirts of glycerin, a couple tablespoons of melted coconut oil and about 40 drops of peppermint oil. If you add too much coconut oil it hardens too much, so go easy on that. You can add more glycerin if it's not "pasty" enough, or more baking soda if it's too runny. (and of course more peppermint if you like it stronger. My mom prefers spearmint, so I make hers with that.) I'm actually looking to add some neem powder to it as well, I hear that's excellent in toothpaste. (We'll see!) I have been using this for two years now and I love it. I can't go back to commercial paste. My husband can use any paste he wants, and he prefers mine.

Between this paste and oil pulling, I'll keep my teeth even when I'm an old crone!

[catkin]

Originally Posted by glamazon

Hi Fawn!

(I'm actually one of your fans, some of your posts make me cheer!)

I don't have an exact recipe-- I just eyeball it. I use a little tupperware container, fill it with baking soda, put a big squirt of Dr. Bronners, 2 big squirts of glycerin, a couple tablespoons of melted coconut oil and about 40 drops of peppermint oil. If you add too much coconut oil it hardens too much, so go easy on that. You can add more glycerin if it's not "pasty" enough, or more baking soda if it's too runny. (and of course more peppermint if you like it stronger. My mom prefers spearmint, so I make hers with that.) I'm actually looking to add some neem powder to it as well, I hear that's excellent in toothpaste. (We'll see!) I have been using this for two years now and I love it. I can't go back to commercial paste. My husband can use any paste he wants, and he prefers mine.

Between this paste and oil pulling, I'll keep my teeth even when I'm an old crone!

[Ntombi]

Okay, I've done it for two mornings with EVOO, and I have no idea what the results were, except I didn't throw up. Believe me, that's a big accomplishment, because I have an acute gag reflex! Even brushing my teeth can make me throw up if I'm not careful, so the fact that I only gagged a little on the oil was huge for me. (TMI? Sorry. )

I'm doing it for the alleged teeth-whitening benefits.

I use a little under a Tablespoon of EVOO, set the timer for 18 minutes (couldn't cross that threshold into 20 ), and swish away. What I spit out isn't white, and it isn't yellow, it's in between, and very foamy, which makes sense, considering I can feel my salivation glands working overtime as I'm swishing away. I rinse very well with warm water--feel no need to stick my fingers in my mouth -- and then move on the rest of my hygiene.

I'll keep you posted.

[Mama Crow]

I've heard Apricot Oil & Walnut Oil are BOTH wonderful .... of course, I am quite fond of my coconut oil ... but I've switched to another "lighter" oil ...

I think within a couple of weeks I'm gonna try apricot or walnut (whichever is easiest on my budget.)

I use a homemade clove soap made with goat's milk to brush my teeth with ... my husband and teenage daughters finally joined me ... the soap tastes really good (for soap, that is.)

No seriously, it tastes good.

[faemajik]

ok so I did this last night( just to try it) and it was kool
my mouth felt great
brushed my teeth and went to bed( gonna go back to DrB's soap for brushing)
did it this am too
the only issue for me is( Catkin you have a pm) is I cant get it to squish/swish enuff or at least I dont think I am


so I was thinkin I may take a pic of my teeth* I have 2 issues I wanna see what it does* and do a compare

[catkin]

Originally Posted by Mama Crow

I've heard Apricot Oil & Walnut Oil are BOTH wonderful .... of course, I am quite fond of my coconut oil ... but I've switched to another "lighter" oil ...

I think within a couple of weeks I'm gonna try apricot or walnut (whichever is easiest on my budget.)

I use a homemade clove soap made with goat's milk to brush my teeth with ... my husband and teenage daughters finally joined me ... the soap tastes really good (for soap, that is.)

No seriously, it tastes good.

Got a brand name for the soap?
I have some walnut oil I've been ithching to taste, too!

[catkin]

Originally Posted by trish2

ok so I did this last night( just to try it) and it was kool
my mouth felt great
brushed my teeth and went to bed( gonna go back to DrB's soap for brushing)
did it this am too
the only issue for me is( Catkin you have a pm) is I cant get it to squish/swish enuff or at least I dont think I am


so I was thinkin I may take a pic of my teeth* I have 2 issues I wanna see what it does* and do a compare

Trish, you have a PM.

I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to get it to swish enough...

[jax93]

Ok, I've been following this thread. I tried it this morning w/ EVOO, wasn't to bad. I could only swish about 8 mins, kept wanting to swallow. It was quite the workout for my facial muscles, I was really surprised about that.

Overall, it wasn't to bad. I think I will keep trying it, maybe find a different oil tho. I just brushed my teeth with water afterwards, I've ordered some toothsoap & I'll start using that once it gets here. I an impressed by how clean my mouth feels.

Thanks for all the info!

[lori121]

I'm trying to get brave enough to try this. What kinds of oil does everybody use. Would the cheap olive oil work?? I'm trying to go the cheapest route to see if I can do this.

[catkin]

Originally Posted by lori121

I'm trying to get brave enough to try this. What kinds of oil does everybody use. Would the cheap olive oil work?? I'm trying to go the cheapest route to see if I can do this.

UNtoasted sesame and sunflower oils are suggested initially but many use unrefined olive oil, grapeseed oil, etc. You want an oil with healthful properties, not just a plain old vegetable oil. There are some that use flax oil! It's been said that the certain oils suggested originally, was because that's what was plentiful in that region of the world. Not sure but I think OP'ing may have originated in India. HTH!

[catkin]

Originally Posted by jax93

Ok, I've been following this thread. I tried it this morning w/ EVOO, wasn't to bad. I could only swish about 8 mins, kept wanting to swallow. It was quite the workout for my facial muscles, I was really surprised about that.

Overall, it wasn't to bad. I think I will keep trying it, maybe find a different oil tho. I just brushed my teeth with water afterwards, I've ordered some toothsoap & I'll start using that once it gets here. I an impressed by how clean my mouth feels.

Thanks for all the info!

[WildflowerMama]

This is really interesting! I still don't understand why it has to be done on an empty stomach. NO way could I ever get up and swish oil before having my coffee.

For those of you who are having a harder time with EVOO, try switching to sunflower. EVOO is a fairly heavy oil and will be harder to swish around. Sesame, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower will all be lighter oils.

As far as the soap - this is so interesting! I make my own soap and am part of a large soap making community. A bunch of members of the soaping community just did an experiment with tooth soap. They reported back great results. I tried it with some of mine and, for me, it was hard to get past the taste. I'm going to make an essential oil soap with just peppermint and spearmint and see if I like that better.

[shars]

I have never heard of this before, and certainly not from dentists. I had to have some gum surgery awhile back, and had I heard of this before, I would have certainly tried this first!! Plan to try in the morning. How do you go 20 mins. with out swallowing?
(I had a dentist once tell me, that I produce as much saliva as some dog in some movie he tried to tell me about. I didn't know the movie. Just want every woman wants to hear!!)