How to do “Oil Pulling”
Some people are wondering how to do “oil pulling,” so I’ve written up detailed instructions. See www.oilpulling.com to learn about what oil pulling is and all its benefits. The instructions there are adequate, but these will answer some frequently asked questions.
BUY:
- Unrefined, cold-pressed sesame oil or sunflower oil (sunflower has less taste, but some people like the taste of sesame)
- Unrefined salt like Real Salt, Celtic Salt or Himalayan Crystal salt
- Unscented pure vegetable oil soap (without added glycerin) like Dr. Bronner’s unscented liquid soap or a pure olive oil bar soap
First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, take 1 tablespoon of oil in the mouth, and swish and pull it through the teeth gently, not vigorously, in a comfortable way, for 10-15 minutes.
If you have the urge to swallow, take a deep breath (through the nose!) and that sometimes stops the urge. If you really need to swallow, go ahead and swallow just from the back of the throat, keeping the oil in the front of your mouth.
If it becomes too unpleasant, spit out and try again another day. It can be unpleasant at first when you’re not used to it, but soon won’t be bothersome at all, just like brushing your teeth.
When the oil has become saturated with the toxins it has pulled out, it will become white and a milky consistency. You don’t want to spit out until the oil has become white. Each time you oil pull, it can take a different amount of time to get to that point, so 15 minutes is a general rule of thumb, but you can experiment with this.
Best to spit out into the toilet, since the oil can eventually clog up the sink. Then immediately rinse the mouth with warm salt water. Salt water rinsing isn’t absolutely necessary, but is very helpful.
Then brush teeth very thoroughly with the olive oil soap. If using bar soap, swipe the brush across the bar (then rinse the bar to keep it clean). Brushing with soap isn’t bad at all - toothpaste foams up in the mouth even more than a little soap does, so we’re really used to the foaming feeling. (Do NOT use toothpaste!)
I use a pure olive oil bar soap with no glycerin added. “Kiss My Face” brand olive oil soap is easy to find. I then add a drop of esssential oils to the brush, and I like “Tooth and Gum Elixir” from Uncle Harry’s.
You can do the oil pulling every morning if you like. It can be powerfully detoxifying, so you might want to take a break sometimes. There’s no rule about frequency - judge according to your body’s own signals.
In addition to detoxifying, it’s also important to provide your body with the foods that are best for you as an individual - no one diet is right for everyone! Read about how to order your own
Customized Eating Guidelines
21 comments
just wondering why you advise not to brush after oil pulling with toothpaste?? i use a baking soda type… i do not have olive oil soap, where do you find it?
Hi Karen,
Toothpaste, even unfluoridated, is very unhealthy for teeth mainly because of the glycerin. Glycerin coats the teeth with a barrier that prevents them from taking in the minerals they need.
You can get a pure olive oil soap from www.mothernature.com.
I also use a drop on the toothbrush of Tooth and Gum Elixir from Uncle Harry’s, www.uncleharrys.com.
Hope that helps!
-Karen
[…] brief page with directions and impressions at Colon Cleansing Zone and a confident article entitled How to do “Oil Pulling” on Guide for Self Healing. It was this latter article I pulled up this morning to refresh my mind […]
I am interested in oil pulling but I will continue to brush my teeth with my toothpaste, baking sode type. Because of this what should I expect, how will brushing with a toothpaste effect the results of oil pulling ?
Hi Debbie,
If you interfere with the remineralization process with glycerin, that doesn’t interact directly with the action of the oil pulling. It’s just that it’s best to maximize the effort to heal the teeth, by whatever means you can. You can also use tissue salts (the product called Bioplasma by Hyland’s), to help the body utilize minerals.
Best,
Karen
thanks
I have no access to cold pressed sesame or sunflower oil. I can get cold pressed olive oil. What’s more important, the processing or the oil base? I believe oil pulling comes from Ayurveda which has no history of using olives, could this be the reason? Or are there special properties about sesame and sunflower oil that make them particularly suitable and other oils unsuitable?
Hi Patrick,
Yes - Ayurveda traditionally uses certain oils and we’re not limited to those.
Each type of oil has a certain effect, for example, sesame oil is more warming than other oils and may be more gently detoxifying than other oils that are “colder” energetically. You can try different types of oils and see which feels best to you, and you can also experiment with oil pulling for a longer or shorter time, and doing it more or less often.
It’s best to get organic, unrefined, cold pressed oils with the life force of the food intact. But actually, Dr.Karach’s modern research on oil pulling was done with refined oils, probably because that’s what was available.
There’s also the matter of palatability–you may find one type of oil too unpalatable anyway. So I’d say, start with a refined sesame or sunflower oil, and see how you do with that. Then experiment with the cold pressed olive oil and see if you notice a difference in the results.
Best,
Karen
Besides oil of oregano, is there anything you recommend to add to the oil? What is the purpose of oil of oregano? What about flower essences or other essential oils?
Can I brush my teeth with baking soda after I do the oil pulling instead of toothpaste? And when you say “bar soap” are you talking about any bar soap if we don’t have the olive oil soap?
Thanks!
Vicki– There’s really nothing you need to add to the oil for oil pulling. If you want to use anti-microbial herbs it’s best to do that by adding a drop of essential oils to your toothbrush. There are many good products - I happen to like Uncle Harry’s Tooth and Gum Elixir for this. Herbalist & Alchemist also makes a similar product, called Phytodent.
Oil of oregano is just one of many anti-microbial oils, but I don’t think it’s necessary to use that specifically. Also, it’s VERY strong and can burn if you don’t dilute it with other oils.
Flower essences are great, when you can find the ones that are a good match for you, but there’s no particular benefit in combining that with oil pulling.
Travis — Baking soda is a bit abrasive to use every day. Once a week might be okay. For everyday use, best to use the tooth soap or pure olive oil bar soap. Most commercial bar soaps contain lots of harsh chemicals and ingredients that you wouldn’t want to be absorbed through the mouth. There’s a good pure olive oil bar soap made by “Kiss My Face” brand, and also Dr. Bronner’s has a liquid soap (peppermint is good for tooth brushing) as well as bar soap.
I’ve just recently discovered that Spry Infant Tooth Gel doesn’t contain glycerin, and might be a good alternative for people who have trouble with the idea of soap!
-Karen
[…] Ew! Or that’s what I thought, anyway. Turns out it really isn’t all that bad to do. And surprisingly, I found that it was even more effective than my nightly swish! I googled the subject and found a few info sites I thought sounded intelligent enough to share with you: http://www.oilpulling.com/ http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html http://www.guideforselfhealing.com/2007/06/05/how-to-do-oil-pulling/ […]
Thanks so much Karen!!
What should the Lable on the sesame oil or sunflower oil read? I want to purchase the most effective oil…Is “Expeller Pressed” Ok to use? Does it need to be “Clod Pressed”? Where can I purchase the proper oil? David Lojacono
Hi David, expeller pressed is fine - the heat used isn’t high enough to damage the oil. Many health food stores in the U.S. carry these high quality, organic oils. Spectrum is a good brand, and can be mail ordered online if you can’t find it locally.
http://www.spectrumorganics.com/
Hi, today is the first time I did oil pulling. I used extra virgin olive oil… I took a big table spoon full of oil as I thought the qty was less initially. I could only do oil pulling for about 6 mins, as my mouth was getting tired& when I spit it out, it was like light yellowish, thick liquid.. The other thing I noticed is that the quantity of liquid was slowly increasing in mouth, which i think was happening because of increase in saliva. And i now understand why only small qty of oil should be used…
Hi Vineet, if your mouth gets tired after 6 minutes you’re probably doing it too vigorously. It can be done in a more relaxed way.
I read somewhere that one can use virgin coconut oil. Is this true?
Sure. Coconut oil has a cooler energy than sesame oil, so it’s good for people who tend to have a warmer constitution or condition of heat. People will have somewhat different experiences with different oils, so you can experiment. Some people have reported that coconut oil is more strongly detoxifying, which isn’t always a good thing for some people, so it’s best to be cautious and go slowly.
Coconut oil does have a taste advantage, and for people who just can’t stand the taste of the other oils, that might be an option. I happen to like sesame oil, a familiar food flavor.
Hi there -
Just wondering if after oil pulling one can use a castile soap (such as Dr. Bronner’s) to brush the teeth instead of olive oil soap?
Thanks
Yes! The glycerin in Dr Bronner’s is only the naturally occurring glycerin from the original oil, and there’s no added glycerin so the amount is very low. I had mentioned the peppermint one, but I prefer the unscented one and then you can customize the flavor and strength by adding drops of essential oils to taste.
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