wellness wednesday: oil pulling

I have to start by acknowledging that this is probably the most hippie thing we've ever done. I mean, using ACV on your hair is pretty hippie too, so I guess don't be surprised if I stop showering all together or something ha! Anyways.
So we've been oil pulling with coconut oil for about a week and a half now, and here are my thoughts, tips, results, etc. I've got a lot of opinions about this so far, so buckle up!

1. If you decide to try it, be prepared for a whole bunch of nastiness right when you put the "oil" (really it's just a clump of solid YUCK) in your mouth. It takes 4-5 minutes for it to liquefy, which equals 4-5 minutes of pure torture. I have a pretty stable gag reflex, but this about kills me every day. Ack.

2. In light of that, here is something you can do that might help. I tried putting a little coconut oil in a glass, and then running the glass under very hot water until the oil started liquefying. That helped a little bit because it didn't take as long to melt when when I put it in my mouth. It also gives you a little more liquid at the beginning to swish around the hard stuff, which feels MUCH more bearable than just letting is sit and melt. 

3. Here's another tip: If the beginning process kind of grosses you out, make it a little easier and try not to let your tongue touch the hard oil, if at all possible. Again, I have a pretty stable gag reflex, but touching the unmelted oil almost killed me. I don't know why, but it's SO GROSS. 

4. Also, if you like the smell of coconut at all, try your hardest not to smell it before/during the oil pulling. I'm betting the chunk of oil in your mouth will make you gag, and if you smell it at the same time, you will probably start to be grossed out by the smell of coconut. I've noticed that happening to me, and I LOVE that scent so I've been trying to keep the smelling to a minimum. Which is pretty hard considering you're breathing through your nose the whole time ha. Thank goodness it's only 20 minutes!

5. I've noticed that my teeth are slightly whiter, same with Christian. It's not a huge difference, but enough that we see it in each other. It's also been great as an ultra moisturizer for my lips, which feels nice first thing in the morning. 

6. Morning breath has been waaaay toned down, which I'm so happy about. I hate waking up in the morning and feeling like Christian and I can't talk to each other unless our mouths are covered ha. This is probably the most significant change I've noticed! And I've also noticed that my whole mouth generally feels cleaner all day long. 

7. Here's the thing I was most interested in: would it help with TMJ symptoms? Rumor has it it's supposed to. For the first few days, my jaw actually felt worse than normal. I couldn't tell if that was because I had been sleeping on it weird, or whatever. A week later and I'm still not sure what to think. This is probably the kind of thing that takes a while to notice, so I guess I will keep you updated. 

8. Last thing. I've also heard that oil pulling is supposed to help with cavities some how? I don't have any (that I know of), so I will be interested to hear what the dentist says the next time I go in. My teeth feel pretty good as of now, but again I think this is one of the results that could take a while to see. 

So did it get any easier (re: less disgusting) after doing it for a week? Ehhhh.....
Actually full disclosure: it's still pretty disgusting. It is, in all honesty, a horrible way to start the day.
It's like this:
Rude awakening #1: Buzzing alarm, followed by snoozing, oh.... probably 8 times
Rude awakening #2: Dragging myself out of bed after 20 minutes, and oh HEY! It's freezing in my room and I'm only in my underwear! Awesome!
Rude awakening #3: Ask myself "what do I have to look forward to today?" Then realize NOOOOOOO I HAVE TO GO OIL PULL ACCCCKKKKK.

Maybe it's grossing me out simply because of being pregnant and having a body that's wacko right now. The good news is even though it's gross, it's fairly manageable. Your cheeks will probably get sore and tired after swishing for 20 minutes, but that gets easier after a day or so, and the ick factor definitely goes away after the oil is completely melted. Just don't think about it a ton. I'm obviously still working on that one. Also I can't guarantee that I will keep doing this if I don't see some BANGIN results over the next few weeks. So stay tuned.

If you decide to try this, good luck and  happy oil pulling, from one makeup-less hippie to another!
I hope you feel a little happier than I do in the process ;)