In oil pulling, natural plant oils – sesame, coconut, sunflower or even olive oil – are swished around in the mouth.How to oil pull• Oil pulling in the morning is best, on an empty stomach.• Gently swish oil around the mouth. You don’t have to be too vigorous. If your mouth is tired, you’re swishing too aggressively.• 20 minutes is recommended, but you can work your way up from 5. Some say 10 minutes does the job.• Spit out the oil – but only in the trash. Oil can clog pipes. Don’t swallow.• Some recommend rinsing out your mouth with salt water, then brushing your teeth. Some also say to use a separate toothbrush from your usual one, since the oil pulling will leave the brush full of bacteria and toxins.
Ed Jones does it when he’s feeling sick, or when he wants an extra-white smile. Sara Hauge says it’s great for curing a hangover. Cheryl Howe does it every single morning when she wakes up.
Oil pulling, a health and beauty regimen making the rounds in Internet lore and natural health circles, is relatively simple. For 10 to 20 minutes, swish a natural plant oil – sesame, coconut, sunflower or even olive oil – around your mouth, spit and watch the oil work its magic.
Proponents of the practice say oil pulling can make breath sweeter, teeth whiter and the mouth and gums healthier. Working as a detoxifier, the oil is said to “pull” bacteria and toxins from the body, reducing headaches, asthma, acne, strengthening the immune system, even as a cure for hangovers. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Shailene Woodley gush about it as a health and beauty secret; popular health guru Dr. Oz talked about it on his show.
But Snopes.com and Skeptoid.com went after it, basically calling it a hoax for gullible health nuts. Columnists and bloggers experimented with it to test the kooky-sounding practice, with varying results.