Article by BR Fiona
How olive oil can benefit your beauty regime.
More commonly seen served with bread or drizzled over your salad, olive oil is deemed as an essential ingredient within the culinary world. Not only known for its taste and flavour properties olive oil is quickly becoming a health and well being necessity because of its natural properties. It should come as no surprise that the power of this natural product is now also being harnessed by beauty product manufacturers in the use of skin care and cosmetics but what is the history of olive oil and just why is it being touted as the ‘next big thing’?
History
Olive oil has been around for thousands of years, in fact its nutritive value was discovered about 5,000 years ago. It was commonly used in cosmetics by the Egyptian with that most famous and beautiful Egyptian, Cleopatra, being said to utilise the powers of the oil olive within her beauty regime. Its importance was also recognised by the Greeks, the first Olympians, instead of competition for gold, silver or bronze medals, like their modern day namesakes do, they competed for casks of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Why is this product good for you?
Olive oil is incredibly rich in minerals, vitamins and natural fatty acid; it is also chemically closer to the human skin than any other natural oil in the world. Olive oil contains an incredible amount of vitamins A, D and K, as well as vitamin E. Now the sight of vitamin E should get you a little excited because it is one of the most important sources of protection against damaging free radicals which roam around in your environment just ready to assault your face and encourage those nasty wrinkles. These vitamins are also helpful in treating skin complaints, such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. Another nutrient contained within olive oil which is also good for treating problems such as acne and also for helping to heal scars is chlorophyll. Now why chlorophyll, I hear you ask, isn’t it that stuff which helps plants grow? Well yes it is, but it is also chemically similar to the structure of human blood and helps to fight free radicals, reduce inflammation and prevent infection.
You’re probably in information overload right now but let’s just learn about one more nutrient – polyphenols. Polyphenols are the anti aging crime busters. They help neutralise free radicals and also help to regenerate cell repair, leading to smoother, softer and firmer skin.
How to harness the power of the might Olive Oil
Well first of all you can ingest it, whether it be by salad dressing or taking it in supplement form it’s going to have great benefits for your body. You can also look out for beauty products that contain olive oil but you can also incorporate it into your beauty regime in other ways!
Olive Oil Baths
Once in an interview the eternally beautiful Sophia Loren shared one of her beauty secrets – olive oil baths. The sexy star would add at least 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into your tub and would soak! A variation on this would be to massage extra virgin olive oil into your skin before you jump into your bath. After your soak simply pat your skin dry to get the excess oil off and enjoy the silky, soft feel to your skin!
Exfoliate
Simply mix olive oil and sea salt together and voila you have an instant body scrub. Simply massage into any area which is rough or dry and pretty soon that healthy layer of skin underneath will shine through. You can add a few drops of an essential oil like lavender to add a pleasant scent if you choose.
Shaving
If you find you have sensitive skin then olive oil can be great for you when you are shaving. Simply rub olive oil over the area you wish to shave and shave! It’s a great lubricant.
Sunburn
If you’ve forgotten to put on your sunscreen and are now paying the price with painful sunburn then run to the kitchen and grab your bottle of extra virgin olive oil. By applying a mixture of olive oil and white vinegar before a warm bath can help relieve the pain and heal the burn. Olive oil can also be used to prevent peeling, just rub into the affected area.
Finger nails
If you have stains on your nails or fingers add a few drops of lemon juice to olive oil, get comfy, and let your fingers soak in the oil mixture.
I have never used it for anything external but use it in food/cooking etc everyday. My hubby is a chef by trade and loves olive oil so it's one item that we don't go budget with, you don't need to use a lot. The fingernails one looks interesting and I'll give that go. Might also try rubbing it into dry patches on my knees, I have been using organic baby massage oil and it works a treat, so olive oil will be great! Awesome tips :)