Everyone has a Saturday morning routine… and mine has recently changed. Let me share it with you guys.
- 1st things 1st, I fight with my alarm (i.e. hit snooze 20x)
- Maddie and Paris (my dogs) then wake me up, and I stagger out of bed, make some breakfast & have some coffee or tea
- We all get back into bed & cuddle for a while
- I check my emails
- Head to the bathroom & put a spoonful of coconut oil into my mouth
- Get back into my bed, set a timer for 20 minutes, and start watching some morning TV
So, you might be asking yourself what is up with my #5. Why in the world am I putting a spoonful of coconut oil in my mouth and then getting back into bed with a timer for 20 min.
Two words.
Oil Pulling.
Oil pulling has been around for years, which makes me totally angry that I just only learned about it. It is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that pretty much entails one swishing oil in their mouth for 20 min, which works to improve their oral (as well as general) health.
The design behind it is fairly straightforward – the oil is sticky, so when one swishes it around in their mouth bacteria gets stuck in it and dissolves.
The reason I’m writing about it here? Because besides the other great benefits of oil pulling [see below] it whitens your teeth to give you that picture perfect, winning smile at horse shows.
THE OTHER FAB BENEFITS:
+ Detoxifies Your Body
+ Strengthens Teeth, Gums & Jaw
+ Prevents Against Cavities & Gingivitis
+ Banishes Bad Breath
+ Relives Headaches & Hangovers (<<- tried it, it works!)
+ Clears Your Sinuses
+ Helps You Sleep Better (<<- also a great for at horseshows, where I always have a hard time sleeping)
AND SO MUCH MORE
It is simple to do, too.
Choose an oil – you can use ORGANIC coconut oil, or any other veggie based oil (sesame, sunflower or olive). I favor coconut because it has the most anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties… but to each their own. Do what works for you.
Put about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of the oil into your mouth (at room temp) and swish it around for those 20 min I have been talking about – pulling the oil through your teeth. Make sure you don’t swallow it though! That oil fills up with bacteria (which you are trying to get rid of), so swallowing it back down? Big no, no.
When the timer goes off, spit that toxic waste out into a plastic bag or straight into your trashcan (DO NOT spit it down your drain because the oil will solidify again and mess up your pipes).
I’m sure you are prob freaking out about the whole 20 min thing, but TRUST me, it goes by really fast. In truth, something about the whole thing is actually really relaxing to me. No speaking, just swishing. And seriously my teeth are SO much whiter (which is great because I can not do any sort of chemical whitening procedures because my teeth are wayyyy too sensitive), my teeth sensitivity has decreased big time, and my skin has been looking great (which I am seriously contributing to the oil pulling).
If you do decide to try it out please share how it works for you, any changes that you have noticed, and anything else you want to share!
