I don’t know about you but I really not the biggest fan of oil pulling…

Yes, it appears to whiten my teeth somewhat, yes it seems to have powerful antibacterial properties, and yes, my mouth does feel slightly cleaner and fresher after using it each morning.

But…

I’m still not a big fan. 

And… It’s not so much that it’s fairly expensive, or that it’s pretty gross to put in your mouth first thing in the morning, it’s that it takes 15 minutes to do its thang! 

And that in my book is a huge no-no.

I usually wake up and I have everything laid out from the night before for the day ahead for the house, another business I’m working on, all the stuff that needs to be sorted for the family, and I very rarely have 15 minutes available to spend on swishing oil around in my mouth.

I came across a few people online recommending using wheatgrass powder in place of oil pulling and it piqued my interest. At first, I thought, eh, oil pulling is a bit annoying, but it works, so why would I go for the unknown?

Well, I gave it whirl and since that whirl, I haven’t stopped using it.

Here’s why I love rinsing with Wheatgrass powder instead of oil pulling with coconut oil and how you can use it too (if you fancy giving it a shot one day too!):

Wheatgrass Rinses Won’t Clog up Your Plumbing

Oils can really harm your plumbing. People who oil pull have reported on online forums and in blog comments that they accidentally blocked up their basis and even toilets with coconut oil before realizing that they should have been emptying it into their trashcans or outside onto the dirt.

Wheatgrass can just go straight down your sink etc without causing any short or longterm issues.

Accidentally Swallowing Wheatgrass Is Fine

I’ve done this many times in the past as I used to oil pull and it was really nasty.

Accidentally swallowing coconut oil should be totally fine too (I didn’t have any adverse effects when it happened to me) but as someone who has accidentally swallowed both, it’s far grosser in my personal opinion, that swallowing the wheatgrass you’ve just had a quick rinse with.

There’s no denying, however, that the coconut oil contains a lot more sugar than the wheatgrass rinse and that may not be suitable for those who have diabetes.

It’s Just as Effective at Healing Sores as Coconut Oil

I ran a few searches on Google and I couldn’t really find any conclusive evidence proving that either one was better than the other at healing sores, ulcers, or cuts in the mouth.

From the anecdotal evidence I saw posted by people in forums and underneath Youtube videos, both seem to be pretty effective.

Perhaps some people who get herpes sores in their mouths, on their tongues etc, may benefit more from using coconut oil when they have them because the anti-viral properties of the oil may help to heal them.

Rinsing with Wheatgrass Takes Is so Much Faster

Lesly Juarez / Unsplash

It takes just 3-5 minutes in comparison to the 15 minutes needed to oil pull. Rinse with it before you brush your teeth, and you can also rinse with it afterward too. I don’t because I’m always I such a rush every morning and that one rinse seems to do the job of keeping my mouth clean and happy just fine anyway.

Solid Coconut Oil is Unpleasant to Put in Your Mouth

As I mentioned earlier, a big scoop of coconut oil in your mouth first thing in the morning isn’t very tasty. It can even make some people gag.

The taste of wheatgrass powder mixed with water isn’t that great either, but actually getting it into your mouth is far, easier — at least in my opinion.

Rinsing with Wheatgrass Is Far More Economical

Faaaar more economical… 😀

As you already know, cold-pressed, organic coconut oil (the best quality stuff) is pretty darn expensive! And one small jar of it may only last up to a month because the amount you need to use is each day is pretty substantial. Whereas one bag of wheatgrass powder can last for months on end with daily use.

Wheatgrass May Help with Sinus Issues or Earache

Allegedly. I do also know someone personally who claimed that rinsing with wheatgrass helped them with earache but perhaps something else they were taking at the time helped with that too.

Wheatgrass May Reduce Toothache

Again, as above, most of the evidence seems to be anecdotal but hey, why not give it a shot? It may be a wonderful, all-natural, healthy pain reducer.

It’s Antibacterial and Neutralizes Unpleasant Oral Odors

Wheatgrass contains chlorophyll which is antibacterial and I’ve definitely noticed that it’s helped to eliminate the slightly bad breath I had.

Even when I was oil pulling, I still noticed that by the afternoon, there was a distinct tinge of odor coming from my mouth (sorry – oversharing, I know). Rinsing with wheatgrass took care of that and that was honestly, quite a pleasant surprise as I really wasn’t expecting it.

If the quality of your tap water isn’t great, consider using bottled water to rinse with instead. You’ll only be using a very small amount each day so it’ll still be very easy and economical to use.

How to Use It

Mix around half a teaspoon of wheatgrass powder into a very small glass (or preferably a shot glass) containing water. Swirl it around a little and rinse with it for just 3-5 minutes before emptying it into your basin. 

Hopefully you found this quick tip post helpful. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you actually start using wheatgrass instead of coconut oil, I’d love to hear how you get on with it!