Two products that make oil pulling less of a chore!

I decided to write about a subject I’ve read up a lot on and comment on a theme on almost every article. How boring and tedious it is and I used to agree.

Maybe you’ve heard of oil pulling and how beneficial it is and maybe you’ve tried it and hated it. I don’t blame you, I did too, but that changed. I am actually doing it right now, as I write this, and I love it.

When I first heard about oil pulling, it was from doing research on jaw pain for my TMJ. A dental hygienist at a dental clinic recommended it when I couldn’t stand my jaw pain anymore, but also couldn’t afford expensive dental veneers to protect my teeth from the grinding, which was causing the pain. The grinding, I found out, was due to anxiety so of course, I had to get that under control and while I was working on that, I decided to try oil pulling.

Oil pulling originated in India as a part of a natural healing routine to help with all kinds of health issues. It is said to help mouth conditions including pain and gum disease and even prevention of mouth infections. It can also have benefits on overall health as well. Well, back then, I looked up tons of info on the web about it and while it sounded easy, it wasn’t.

I tried first with just regular, solid coconut oil. Put a little in my mouth, let it melt a bit and swish. Sounds easy, right? Nope. It was tedious and took forever. It was recommended, in many articles I read, to start at just a few minutes and work my way up to about twenty minutes. After about two minutes, I gave up on that method. I was so discouraged because I wanted the benefits from it including the antibacterial properties, better oral health, healthier teeth and less pain, but the straight coconut oil was not doing it for me.

Other articles recommended liquid coconut oil with some essential oil added, but I don’t want essential oil in my mouth and plus, I have put clove and tea tree in my mouth in distant past and they taste awful, plus I wasn’t educated on essential oil ingestion or use orally at the time, so I wouldn’t even know where to start to make sure I was using them safely.

As I did more research, I found some products that make it a bit easier and even enjoyable and I want you to know about them, so that you don’t give up like I nearly did.

First, I found an Ayurvedic Rinse by Dale Audrey that includes Organic Sesame Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Flavors, Organic Clove Bud Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Citric Acid, Organic Pomegranate Extract, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Neem and Organic Myrrh and that is it!

I was very interested in a rinse that had no chemicals and I decided to try it. At $14.99 a pop, I was reluctant, but I figured what the heck, let’s do this. I am so glad I did. I love this rinse. It’s one of two products I currently use and find so much help using. It doesn’t taste bad at all. I use the cinnamon and it has a subtle cinnamon and clove taste. The best way I found to do it was to swish for two minutes while I played a game on my phone. The time went super-fast and I hardly knew I was doing it at all. My jaw started to get tired, so I just simply take a little break for a few seconds and start again. After a couple days of this, I would increase my time by one minute each time I used it, again playing a game. The key is keeping your mind busy or you will absolutely focus on the work your mouth is doing and then it will seem even harder.

After using this for several weeks and working my way up to twenty minutes, I felt less jaw pain and my teeth even seemed whiter. I always have had sensitive gums too and this helped eliminate any bleeding gums as well, which can be a sign of gingivitis.

I found another product I like at a health food store that I like quite a bit from Desert Essence.

It runs about $8.99 depending on where you get it. It’s a dual phase coconut oil pulling rinse with the following ingredients: INCI Top Phase: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Virgin Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil* *Certified Organic

INCI Bottom Phase: Purified Water (Aqua), Glycerin (Vegetable), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Zinc Citrate, Magnesium Chloride, Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract (Horsetail), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Xylitol, Phytic Acid, Citric Acid *Certified Organic

This one is really easy to use and tastes good. It’s a light mint flavor and the oil in it isn’t really heavy at all. It has more of a regular mouthwash feel to it. I do the very same thing as I did with the one before by starting for about two minutes and working up to twenty. Now I honestly play a game or write this blog post while oil pulling. The times flies and before I know it I am done.

The thing about oil pulling though is that you have to have an empty bottle or bag ready to spit the contents into when you are done. The oil could clog drains.

Make sure you don’t swallow it either as the oil actually removes impurities from your mouth as you swish so you don’t’ want to swallow the oil or any bacteria that is being removed from your mouth.

The greatest thing about both products is that you don’t need to use a lot, so each product lasts a long time, making it easy to afford.

You can find the Dale Audrey product here at Amazon. Desert Essence sells this product too as well as Vitamin Shoppe and Amazon. I’ve bought it at all three places depending on sales. Right now, Desert Essence has a sale going so it’s a great time to try it. They have a 25% off sale now with code JOY, so

I suggest you really try to do this and you can even try making your own, but I found these products much easier to use than using regular coconut oil due to flavor and texture. Some people don’t mind it at all, so it’s going to be what you prefer.

Some oil pulling tips:

• Do it first thing in the morning, not only because you will remember to do it before your normal brushing, but also because it will help rid your mouth of the bacteria that may have accumulated at night.
• Swish, don’t gargle. Swishing is that motion that you do when using mouthwash, just do the same thing with the oil.
• Brush after as you normally would.
• Spit into a garbage can, not into the sink.
• Be sure not to swallow. If you find yourself feeling like you have the urge to swallow, spit a little out and continue. You may have put too much in your mouth. I found a teaspoon or even a little less worked perfectly for me. Both of these products have guidelines as well, but even starting at a lower amount in the beginning is better than nothing.
• Keep busy! Play a game, browse Facebook, do a craft, watch a 20-minute video on YouTube…anything to get your mind off the task.
• Take breaks. If you feel your mouth gets tired, just stop while holding the oil in your mouth and take a break for a few seconds or so.

Don’t make it hard. You don’t have to jump into twenty minutes right off the bat or chew on coconut oil if you don’t like it. Research your options and find some recipes to make your own or try the products I recommended. I really think you’ll love this and if you’ve tried other products or found a recipe you love, please share it with me below!

Happy swishing!

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Disclaimer: Sweet Honeybee Health and it’s owners are not medical professionals. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only. I research and write on numerous health topics and companies. Do not use the information you find on this site as medical advice. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a medical professional prior to trying any health remedy, no matter how safe or risk-free it may claim to be.