I started oil pulling like 5 days ago and I noticed that my forehead and nose are breaking out a little bit, is this normal? or should I stop?
And I also would like to know if is necessary to drink 2 glasses of water after oil pulling, 'cause i don't really like to drink too much water.

SS29,

I hope you can stay with OP for at least a month to see if it helps your skin.

kebod

Thanx Kebod, But Do U Drink 2 Glasses Of Water After Doing It?
And I Am Using Sunflower Cooking Oil, Is This Correct? 'cause I Live In Colombia, So I Don't Know What Other Kind To Use.

By the way, can anyone sum up what kind of bad reactions can happen upon oil pulling? I am willing to start doing it myself in the next few days, but I'm always a bit worried about unwanted side-effects.

Has anyone's KP ever got worse after oil pulling? And how many of you have had bad reactions, like red bumps appearing on other parts of the body, or things like that? I must say I am not courageous enough to read the whole 116 pages of the thread, so I would be very grateful to anyone who could sum it up for me.

From what I've read, though, most people seem to be satisfied, and apart from someone getting a huge headache, it sounded like 95% of effects have been positive--or nonexistent, in the worst case.

Also, the oil I've bought is the Flora Sesame Oil, "Certified Organic", "Cold-Pressed & Unrefined" (it doesn't say "toasted" nor "untoasted", so hopefully it's the latter). Has anyone ever tried this one? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I will. No harm in trying something. I will probably do it for a few months to see what happens, then swicth up the oil. I am using sesame at the moment, i will use coconut in a few months.

Cata,

It is a good idea to drink 1-2 glasses of water after doing OP and after brushing our teeth. This will rehydrate you after a night of no water and help keep your skin moisturized, as well.

If you do not have cold-pressed, organic oil where you live, cooking oil is fine. Don't use corn, canola or peanut oil.

asdf,

I experienced two boils on my tongue the first month I started OP. My tongue was tender -- I didn't eat or talk much for about 5 days -- but I was OK with it because I knew it was a form of detoxing. I also coughed phlegm for about a month. That stopped completely. Up until starting OP, I had to clear my throat frequently. After the coughing of phlegm ended, I no longer had to clear my throat all day long.

Most people don't experience boils when they start OP. The phlegm coughing can be more common. I think most people don't have any negative side effects when they start OP, but I will wait to hear from others here if that is true or not.

My KP absolutely got better, not worse, after starting OP.

We are all different and all react differently. I think you will have to try it to see how you react. Please keep in touch and let us know how it goes for you.

SS29,

You know it is time to change oil type when the oil no longer thins quickly and/or your teeth no longer get as white. I hope OP helps you.

Everybody, keep in touch and thanks for posting. I love hearing from you.

kebod

Is it normal for my gums to get more sensitive?

Hi asdf - I can't say that I had a "typical" reaction but... this is from my member journal:

"The Oil Pulling gave me a typical herx effect - that is, I broke out pretty badly. It started at my face and gradually worked its way down my body. Really pushed out some big yucky keratin plugs - bits that were like grains of sand or little pieces of fingernail with, of course, a hair attached. (Seems like this is common between OP and Sea Buckthorn) I also started taking flax/fish-oil supplements soon after since it helped with so many things (joint pains, sinuses, skin became moister immediately, wrinkles in forehead disappeared!). About 4 weeks later I started using fine grain sugar (baker's sugar or caster sugar, regular is good too) as a dermabrasion scrub in my shower _every_ day but I did not scrub hard just very lightly. To my surprise I could do that without irritating my skin. I am quite certain the OP and omega-3 fatty acids reduce my inflammatory reaction and therefore it was possible for me to use a light scrub. (Omega-3's are supposed to do that. My joints that had ached all the time very rapidly quit aching after OPing.)"

So, if I hadn't felt and seen such immediate benefits otherwise, I suppose I might not have kept up with OP because of the welts. However, if a person starts getting welts, or maybe some peeling or things like that just from oil pulling, I personally believe that they need the fatty acids. I could be wrong of course and any individual has to evaluate their reactions for themselves. Truly evaluate whether they were getting enough EFAs before the OP too. I also don't know if soaking in epsom salt baths would help alleviate some of the welts for those of us that get them but that is something I would try if I had to do it all over again.

That sounds great to me personally. I still avoid pulling coconut oil - I eat it but don't pull it. the sunflower and sesame seed oils are the introductory oils that are recommended and I keep going back to them even tho I try others. The Flora brand sounds good and I'm pretty sure it's untoasted.

- bd

SS,

I haven't heard before of gums becoming more sensitive with oil pulling. Do you mean they are sore? What type of oi are you using?

kebod

BD,

I have such great results pulling with coconut oil, but I know that it has no omega 3.

A quote from FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Tropical Traditions

9. What is the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids in Coconut Oil?
None. Coconut oil is not a source of Omega 3 fatty acids. These need to be supplemented in the diet from elsewhere (such as our Cod Liver Oil). The primary benefits of coconut oil are the nutritive value of medium chain fatty acids

I would appreciate any comment you have on this.

kebod

I am using Natural, Cold Pressed and Unrefined Sesame Oil. Maybe i am brusing too hard lol

Could be...try brushing your gums more lightly and see if they feel better. I don't think OP is causing this.

kebod

Hi kebod - I don't intend to defame coconut oil and I wish I felt I _could_ pull it already but it's my sinus issues that hold me up. Especially now when pollen is thick in the air here! My teeth could use the whitening. But I have found that a good (but not total) indicator for me is the inflammatory factor of oils if I can find it out. I'm trying some palm oil because of the high A content but I am mixing it with walnut, one of my fave oil because of the high omega-3s. I also have been doing 2 or 3 pulls a day lately partially because of the allergies and I've been having some random KP breakouts from allergies or lack of sleep or something. usually only one of those is palm and the others are walnut or sunflower I keep a LOT of oils in my cupboards these days . I may try that with CNO again sometime but for now I am VERY happy with the improvements in my energy and additional pounds lost from eating coconut oil for breakfast! - bd

Hi BD,

I should have been more specific in my question to you.

What I am curious about is how coconut oil can help anyone, like me, when it is devoid of omega 3? Obviously, there is a lot more going on in oil pulling than just delivery of omega 3. I thought the oils highest in omega 3 would be the better oils to use, but coconut oil is an exception. Perhaps the explanation is the presence of other essential fatty acids that are just as, or more important, than omega 3.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

kebod