by Samira Mohamed Ali [email protected]
Having modelled since she was 11 years old for high profile brands and companies around the world, Samira Mohamed Ali is “very proud” to be half Portuguese and half Arabic, with a strong Welsh accent! Samira, who is a regular Algarve visitor, brings you natural beauty remedies once a month.
I hope you enjoyed reading my first column last month, when I promised you some tips on natural teeth whitening in my next article.
There are so many people who consider paying over the odds for teeth whitening treatments at a dentist or ordering gels/pastes on the internet. They state that by using these treatments daily, teeth will be white within a few weeks.
I have tried many of them and although my teeth looked slightly whiter, after just two weeks of not using the products, my teeth started to go back to their usual appearance.
Continued use of such products can be extremely harmful and leave teeth very sensitive. Overall, I have no belief in these whitening techniques so I’ve set out to find a more natural way to whiten teeth.
There are rumours that if you rub lemon juice on your teeth this will whiten them. That’s absolutely rubbish! The strong acid in the juice of the lemon is actually slowly stripping and damaging the enamel.
With continued use, the enamel will wear thin and will damage your teeth beyond self repair.
I have also heard that if you rub strawberries over your teeth, then your teeth will become white. Although they taste very nice, they really do not whiten your teeth.
I must advise you that baking soda is also very harsh on the gums. This can make the mouth in general very sensitive.
If you are ever in doubt about what you can and cannot apply to your teeth, always check with your dentist first.
I have one teeth whitening technique I would like to share with you all. It is not known in Europe as it is mainly used in Africa.
The technique is called ‘Oil Pulling’. This is a natural and healthy way to treat your teeth and gums and has no negative after effects.
You will need to buy a jar of coconut oil which you should be able to find in supermarkets or any health stores. If you can get an organic one, even better as it’s healthier and higher quality.
You need to take a tea spoon of coconut oil – it is usually sold in a tough wax texture, not runny like oil as you would expect it to be.
Then spoon it into your mouth and start the ‘Oil Pulling’ which is simply swilling the wax slowly around your mouth.
It’s a bit like how you would swish mouth wash around but this technique is very slow and needs to be done for 5-10mins. Better still, if you can do 15mins, the results will be greater.
When swishing the coconut oil, it starts to pull the natural oils from your gums and this reacts with the coconut oil allowing a natural cleaning and resurfacing of the enamel in a natural way.
What is truly great about this technique is the powerful oils begin to remove stains enabling the enamel to go back to its natural colour. The oils create a light reflection on the tooth which allows teeth to sparkle and be instantly bright.
If you do this once a week, with regular flossing and brushing, I assure you that you will see a difference after 4-6 weeks, dependent on the stains on your teeth. Tough stains like red wine and coffee may take slightly longer to obtain the bright effect.
If you start the technique now, you will be ready for the Christmas Season. Who knows what festive delights your new dazzling smile may bring?
I hope I have helped in making you smile again.
Next month’s tip is a secret! So be sure to look in to see what I have up my sleeve for you all…
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