It’s a great habit to get into first thing in the morning before you do anything else. It feels a bit weird at first but you’ll quickly get used to it, plus once you see and feel the results – you’ll be a convert.
What: An ancient Ayurvedic natural remedy for improving health. It involves the use of pure oils to pull out toxins first thing in the morning.
Why: Detoxifies, whitens teeth, makes for clearer skin, improved energy. It helps to pull out damaging bacteria, fungus and other harmful organisms from your mouth, teeth, gums and throat that have accumulated overnight. If you eat or drink before oil pulling or brushing your teeth, you’re just going to swallow them down.
How: Use about 1tbsp coconut, sesame, olive, hemp, pumpkin seed or macadamia oil – some people like to use ghee but I’d rather not use animal products. Swish for at least 5 minutes (up to 20mins if you can manage that) then spit out into a paper bag, or in the garden.
For a more intense detox, add a drop of an essential oil like tea tree, peppermint, neem, clove, lemon or eucalyptus.
I usually make up a 100ml bottle of coconut, pumpkin seed and hemp oils then add a 2 drops each of one or all of the above oils. 5 drops in total. (If using coconut oil, put it in a wide mouth jar in the cooler months and use a spoon to get it out, as the coconut will solidify.)
