Last Updated on September 24, 2021 by Lori Geurin
Looking for a simple, natural way to improve your oral health? Have you tried oil pulling with coconut oil? I’ll share 8 oil pulling benefits below!
Oil pulling may be trendy but it’s not just a passing craze. Did you know oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice? It’s been around for ages and has many health benefits.
This post contains affiliate links. And you can read our Affiliate Policy here.
PLEASE PIN FOR LATER
8 Oil Pulling Benefits 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
Here’s a quick video I made to show you how to do oil pulling with coconut oil.
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 a lot of damage and disease. Oil pulling can help “pull” the toxins out and eliminate 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!
Want our FREE Intermittent Fasting eBook + access to our entire resource library?
3. Whitens teeth
In my experience, using coconut oil for teeth whitening is amazingly effective. It works just as well, if not better, than 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
Though scientific evidence is lacking to support this claim, many people maintain that oil pulling has helped them balance their hormones.
When your body has fewer toxins to clean out, it has more energy to spend on other important functions like restoring its delicate balance of hormones.
LATEST POSTS
- 22 Intermittent Fasting Schedules To Skyrocket Your Fasting Success
- Top 3 Benefits of Smoothies for Weight Loss Transformation
- The 6-Step Guide on How To Start Working Out for Beginners
- 5 Workout Motivation Tips That Actually Work: Stay Motivated And Meet Your Goals
- 50 Unique Ways To Share Fun Facts About Yourself With Examples
5. May help prevent headaches and migraines
Did you know that a major cause of headaches is an overload of toxins in the body? Oil pulling may help naturally cleanse your body from these harmful toxins.
This may help 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.
PIN ME, PLEASE!
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.
Summary – Oil Pulling Benefits
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 oil pulling benefits encourages you to try it for yourself and enjoy the health benefits! Even though there’s not a ton of research about the effectiveness of oil pulling so many people say that it’s helped them. And I know from experience that oil pulling with coconut oil makes my teeth whiter, is super affordable and doesn’t cause sensitivity like commercial products.
Here’s 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?
If you liked this, you’re going to love:
- 22 Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar To Improve Your Health
- 10 Wellness Habits For A Healthy Life: Self Care Matters
- 20 Quick And Easy Healthy High Protein Snack Recipes
- 7 Proven Health Benefits Of Eating Garlic
- 6 Health Tips For Summer
- 10 Habits To Help You Live Longer And Boost Longevity
Hey, thank you for this informations. Do I have to brush my teeth before I start pulling oil in the morning or should I do it afterwards?
Thank you
Hey, Joana – absolutely, thanks! That’s a great question.
You don’t need to brush your teeth before oil pulling. Just make sure you spit the oil out in the trash when you’re done. Then swish some water around in your mouth and spit that out to make sure you get rid of all the bacteria and toxins you “pulled.”
When you’re all done you can brush your teeth. Hope this helps!
Oil pulling is great and I have noticed that my teeth are whiter which is a real benefit to start with.
Hi Carol! Thanks so much for sharing this! I’m happy you’re seeing whiter teeth from oil pulling. It really is a great benefit.
So glad you stopped by…hope to see you back soon!
A friend of mine starting pulling last year. She claims that it definitely had many benefits and does it regularly now.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I love hearing about how it’s benefiting people!
Love this! I have been oil pulling for years! My husband always laughs at me, but jokes on him since my teeth are in such better shape now to oil pulling
This is awesome, Courtney! It’s so good to hear from someone who has been doing it for so long! And, my husband laughs at me too. 😉
I have never tried oil pulling before and I’m glad you shared a link on how to start and how to do it all. It does have a lot of benefits that I’m sure my body will thank me for!
Hello Carol, I hope the link helps explain everything fully. I’m happy to help if you have any questions. 🙂
I’ve never tried oil pulling. My gag reflex won’t allow for it. But it’s interesting hearing about the benefits and knowing what it can do, maybe one day!
Thanks, Angela! Anything is possible. 😉
I’ve never tried oil pulling but the health benefits sound amazing. I know coconut oil does so many good things to our body. Should try this!
I have tried oil pulling, but haven’t been consistent with it. I will make an effort to do it more regularly because I believe it works.
Hi Lori, Beautiful name, by the way! 🙂
I’m so happy you’ve tried it before! It’s okay if you miss a few days (or weeks). I’ve been there too. To me it’s so worth the small amount of effort it takes, and I agree…it works!
I have heard of oil pulling but I have never tried it myself. I had no idea that it had so many great health benefits. I may have to try this myself.
Yes, it’s such a great natural cleansing practice and it’s really not hard once you try it. Thanks for your comment, Jessica!
I have never tried oil pulling(actually I never heard of it before). This is definitely something I am going to look into further, especially the migraine aspect of it.
Hi Jennifer, So happy to have you visiting the site!
Yes, I would definitely encourage you to check it out, especially if you’re dealing with migraines.
Add Turmeric to that dollop of coconut fat. Whitens teeth even more and more. After, brush your teeth with water to remove yellow coloring. Remove stains around the mouth with a smidgen of coconut fat.
Thanks for sharing this, Jackie! Turmeric is great, isn’t it? I definitely have to add this to my oil pulling regimen!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Please come back soon!
Add a drop of Thieves for even better results!
Hey Lisa, Great tip! Thieves is one of my favorite essential oils. 🙂