beauty

'The nightly beauty ritual that has left my teeth super white'.

If your eyes really are the windows into your soul, then your teeth might be a peep-hole into your less than desirable lifestyle.

For example, if my poor chompers ever sat down with a glass of Rose to write their own Tinder profile, it would probably read along the lines of “drinks way too much coffee, secretly inhales more than a desirable amount of Coke and never properly cleans thanks to a shameful addiction to funny yet completely useless novelty toothbrushes.”

In short, I’ve been finding that my teeth were becoming increasingly discoloured and since there’s no real-life Instagram filter at my disposal to whiten and brighten at a moment’s notice, I decided to embark on a new nightly ritual that would hopefully allow my teeth to go forward in life relying on their looks rather than their personality.

Oil pulling is a teeth whitening method that is based on ancient Ayurvedic techniques, and is a practice that dates back more than 3,000 years.

In fact, oil pulling actually originated in India as part of commonly used natural healing practices described in ancient Ayurveda texts, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

In my quest for a better smile, I picked up the Noir Coconut Oil Pulling Teeth Whitener pack. It contains 28 small sachets of oil that you’re instructed to tip into your mouth at night and swirl it around for around 10 to 20 minutes before spitting it out.

The swirling of the oil in your mouth works over time to dissolve and dislodge plaque and nasty bacteria while also detoxifying and expelling toxins from the body.

The Noir Coconut Oil Pulling Teeth Whitener pack contains 28 small sachets of oil that you're instructed to tip into your mouth. Source: Mamamia Shopping.
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While the main benefits of using the product are healthier and cleaner looking teeth, the oil pulling kit also promises to leave you with clearer skin, strengthened immunity to bacteria and will help you ward off gingivitis, which is an inflammation of the gums.

When I first told my work colleagues that I was heading home for an exciting night of trying out my oil pulling sachets for the first time, they were understandably jealous and more importantly, somewhat concerned for my health and well-being.

All because swishing the oil about in your mouth for upwards of ten minutes is no easy task and the kit itself comes with a warning against swallowing it.

Here's a few pro-tips I picked up during my week of tipping oil into my mouth and attempting not to digest any of it.

1. It's ok to work your way up to swishing the oil around it your mouth. The first time I popped the liquid in my mouth and began to swish I stood still in my bathroom and looked up at the ceiling attempting to move the liquid about my teeth. After a while I though to myself 'ok, if must have been at least 10 minutes' and eagerly reached for my phone...only to see that it had been less than two minutes.  Standing still while doing your oil pulling will make the time stretch out to unbearable lengths. I found it best to move about my apartment and engage in some busy work (washing up my wine glasses, picking my outfit for the next day) to keep my mind off what was happening in my mouth.

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2. You will be tempted to just hold the liquid in your mouth as you wait out the clock. Do not do this. The whole point of oil pulling is that the substance is swishing and moving about and around your mouth, gums and teeth. The act of moving the oil works to loosen and expel all the toxins and bacteria from your body that builds up in your mouth. Simply holding the oil in your mouth will not have the same effect.

3. Picking a flavour that's palatble (tasty is an extra plus) is the key to success in this endevour. In this case I selected the  Noir Coconut Oil Pulling Teeth Whitener kit for that very reason and I found that it had a really pleasing after-taste. Oil pulling can be tricky when you try it for the first time. Don't make things harder for yourself by selecting a nasty flavour.

Some of the effects I noticed soon after I started using the product were a loss of bad breath (something I find that I can suffer from this when my body is particularly run down) and just an overall feeling of improved wellness in my mouth region.

Oil pulling leaves your mouth feeling clean and fresh and after a few days of intense usage (keeping the oil in my mouth for the allotted 20 minutes) I began to notice that my teeth were slowly whitening.

It's my new nightly ritual and my teeth could not be happier.

You can purchase two boxes of Noir Coconut Oil Pulling Teeth Whitener for $34.98.