Olive Oil Uses

Not Just for Cooking:

Olive Oil Skin Care... Straight From the Bottle! You can concoct simple skin care recipes right in your kitchen. Try these mini beauty treatments...

Bath: For a moisturizing, aromatic soak, add about ¼ cup olive oil and several drops of essential oil to your bathwater. I like lavender oil for relaxation just before bedtime. (As with any bath oil, be careful as the tub may become slippery.)

Skin: Gently massage a small amount of olive oil anywhere your skin is dry: face, elbows, feet, or legs.

Hands: Whip up a quick sugar scrub for rough, dry hands. Combine two tablespoons of oil with two tablespoons of sugar. Rub on hands until sugar begins to dissolve. Rinse with warm water. Voila! Silky-smooth hands.

Feet: Apply a liberal amount of oil to feet at bedtime. Cover with cotton socks. Not sexy... but oh-so-soft feet in the morning! The magic works for hands, too. Cover with white cotton gloves (hmm, even less sexy).

Face: Create a moisturizing facial mask with olive oil, honey, and an egg yolk. Beat until well blended and apply to face... then relax! Leave on for 15 minutes; rinse with warm water.

Nails: Warm a small dish of olive oil (not too hot) with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Soak nails for 5- 10 minutes. This softens cuticles while it strengthens nails.

Hair: For a simple oil treatment, warm several tablespoons of olive oil (again, not hot). Rub into scalp and hair. Cover with a shower cap or small plastic bag. Leave on for 20-30 minutes. For extra conditioning, mix an egg yolk with the olive oil... but do not warm. This is great for dry hair and split ends. It may even heal dandruff. Shampoo twice after this treatment or you'll smell like raw egg!

Dogs: Olive oil is an excellent skin/hair treatment for our pets. It is particularly soothing and comforting for dogs with itchy skin conditions, and it makes their coat luxurious! Also, add a teaspoon to their supper dishes (1/2 teaspoon for small dogs), and they will reap the same benefits as we do. I don't know how cats react to olive oil, but to me - it's the fruit of the earth.

Lips: Alleviate chapped lips with straight olive oil. Dab on lips... especially helpful at bedtime. Okay, your body is covered with olive oil! That’s as natural as you can get. If you’d prefer to purchase ready made olive oil skin products, you’re in luck. Manufacturers have discovered the power of this traditional beauty treasure. There are plenty of olive oil skin care products on the market... from olive oil soap to olive oil skin cream to olive oil hair care. The benefits of this anti-oxidant rich oil are no longer just an ancient beauty secret!

Courtesy of Sharonda Flynn, Hairlista