{oil pulling selfie. and a reminder that I am searching out and budgeting for a dslr upgrade,. lol}
A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to an article in The Sunday Post on oil pulling. Apparently, it has shot to meteoric popularity in the intervening time. I had also mentioned that I planned to try it, and that I would post my thoughts after doing it for a week or two.
People claim that it can do some pretty amazing things. But, here’s my thing. I went in with low expectations. I don’t believe in miracle cures, but if I can find a simple, all natural way to do something, I’ll take it. My primary goal in starting oil pulling was for teeth whitening. The discoloration of my teeth bothered me, but I never really wanted to use any kind of chemical whiteners. I’ve heard some things about them that sort of turned me off. So, if all I get from this is whiter teeth, I’m good.
Fast forward two weeks. Both my husband and I have been doing it. And our boys have done it a couple of times. Mostly because they still think their parents are cool and want to try anything we get into. Here’s what we’ve found:
~ whiter teeth. It’s not an immediate thing like a chemical whitener. It happens slowly and gradually, a little bit each day. But it is happening.
~ uber clean teeth. You know that feeling you have after a polish at the dentist? That’s how my teeth feel every morning after I oil pull. Shiiinnneyy. Keep in mind, I’m still brushing twice a day, and flossing. But the oil also seems to be getting into the spaces in between my teeth a bit better. My mouth just feels straight up fresh. I’ve never been one to struggle with bad breath, besides the occasional post garlic consumption, but that’s gone, too.
~ better skin. This took my off guard. I still had a bit of lingering skin irritation left over from my recent tussle with shingles, and it instantly got significantly better {redness and slight swelling gone}. And each day the remnants fade a little more. Keep in mind, when we traveled just a few weeks ago, it flared up. And would still tingle when I started to feel stressed, etc. That’s gone.And the slight swelling leftover in my glands on that side has gone away.
Since I have food sensitivities, I still have breakouts. They immediately got better. And then got worse, and then way better again. I’ve heard about things like that happening when people detox. Maybe that’s it? Overall, my skin is looking a lot healthier in general.
Our boys also battle eczema, and it has gotten a lot better with just one swishing. It flared again after a week, and the little one volunteered a plan of once per week swishing, since he’d rather do that then treat with a steroid cream. His choice, not ours. He’s basically annoyed with having to constantly apply a cream and still battle the itching.
I actually like this article on Huff Post explaining how and why it works. Pretty cool to hear skeptics weigh in. And don’t believe people when they tell you it’s hard to do or gross. I’ve found it’s all in your mind. Because I use coconut oil, I just remind myself that this is a plant based substance, and I was able to overcome any mental hurdles. Plus, once it melts into a liquid in your mouth, it’s just like swishing water.
There you have it. I have full plans to continue, because even though I hardly think it’s a miracle cure all, it is serving a great purpose for me, and that’s all I need to keep it up. Have a great Saturday, peeps!
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