Last Updated on January 2, 2021 by Lori Geurin
You may have heard of a recent fad called oil pulling. Oil pulling may be trendy but it’s not just a passing craze. Did you know oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice? It has been around for ages and has many health benefits. There are several reasons to start oil pulling. I’ll share them with you below.
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8 Reasons To Start Oil Pulling For Better Health:
1. Detoxifies the body
Our mouths are home to a variety of bacteria and harmful toxins. Examples of common toxins include:
- pollution
- pesticides
- preservatives added to prepackaged foods
- harmful bacteria
- yeasts inside the body
- chronic infections
- stress
- negative thinking
Plus, many people have amalgam fillings in their teeth which are made of about 50% mercury.
If these toxins build up in your body they can cause great damage and disease. Oil pulling helps “pull” the toxins out and eliminates them from your system.
Related: 15 Simple Strategies To Detox Naturally
2. Freshens breath
Halitosis is a by-product released by bacteria in the mouth. Oil pulling helps get rid of these bacteria, giving you fresh, clean breath. What a great benefit!
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3. Whitens teeth
In my experience, using coconut oil for teeth whitening is amazingly effective. It works just as well, if not better, as commercial teeth whiteners (such as Crest Whitestrips) which are full of bleach and other toxic ingredients – and often taste terrible and cause tooth sensitivity.
Related: Healthy Teeth: How Loving Your Smile Can Be So Simple
4. Helps your body manage hormonal changes more efficiently
When your body has fewer toxins to clean out, it can spend more energy on other important functions such as balancing your hormones.
5. Helps prevent headaches and migraines
Did you know that a major cause of headaches is an overload of toxins in the body? Oil pulling helps naturally cleanse your body from these harmful toxins.
This helps prevent future headaches and migraines.
Related: Migraine Buddy: THE App For People With Migraines
6. Removes plaque
Oil pulling helps reduce harmful bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) which produce plaque that causes cavities (1).
7. Improves skin conditions
Removing toxins from your body has a positive impact on your skin too. It can help clear acne and other skin conditions.
8. Heals bleeding gums
Oil pulling reduces overall inflammation and helps reverse gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums.

Which Oil Should I Use For Oil Pulling?
There are different oils you can use. I use coconut oil for my daily oil pulling. You might like to try coconut oil too because of its many health benefits.
A reader recently asked me if there is a type of coconut oil that doesn’t have the coconut oil flavor.
It’s important to mention that virgin coconut oil generally has a mild flavor but if you don’t want to try this you may want to try expeller-pressed refined coconut oil.
Although expeller pressed oil is refined it has the same health benefits as virgin coconut oil. And the refining process used to make the expeller pressed is all-natural so it is not harmful to you like other refined products can be. Still, you don’t have to use coconut oil to do oil pulling.
You do want a high-quality, pure, organic plant-based oil. Coconut oil is one many people use. But you can also use sunflower, olive, sesame, walnut, avocado, black cumin seed, and others.
If you’ve never done oil pulling before, you may want to read How To Do Oil Pulling For Better Health. It explains exactly what to do.
I hope this list of 8 reasons to start oil pulling for better health encourages you to try it for yourself and reap the health benefits!
Here is a popular organic virgin coconut oil from Thrive Market. It’s high-quality and affordable.
Related: 81 Uses For Coconut Oil
Have you ever tried oil pulling? What results did you notice? Comment below!

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