Incredible Health & Beauty Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive Oil Isn’t Just for Cooking

You don’t have to go far in Sonoma County to find locally grown olives and olive oil for sale. In fact, nearly every Farmer’s Market in Sonoma County has locally grown olive oil to taste and sell. Most of us are well acquainted with using olive oil for cooking as a great cooking and baking oil, but olive oil also has some incredible health and beauty benefits too! We will explore some of them today and inspire you in new ways of using olive oil in your daily health and beauty regimes.

Summer and being outdoors more can be harsh on our skin, hair, and nails, and we give you some easy tips below to treat your body to some inexpensive renewal with ingredients you have on hand in your kitchen.

Olive Oil Has Anti-Aging Benefits

Olive oil is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals and when applied to your skin it can help to delay the signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. This oil contains vitamin E which is a powerful antioxidant and can support the rejuvenation and regeneration of skin cells. Many of the finest natural skin products contain olive oil because it’s a natural skin moisturizer.

Olive oil also is pretty effective for dark circles under your eyes since it contains vitamin E this is helps repair and heal damaged skin. Polyphenols and phytosterols that are in olive oil also help to improve skin tone and can also help brighten your skin. Olive oil can also be used on eyebrows and eyelashes to help promote their growth and keep your brows and eyelashes healthy.

Olive Oil Skin Benefits

Olive oil has been used for centuries for olive oils many benefits for the skin, but it’s also wonderful for your nails because of the vitamin E in olive oil. We explore some great uses for olive oil and your skin below:

Moisturizes Skin:

1. After your bath, don’t towel dry completely, leave some moisture on your skin and apply a few spoonfuls of olive oil liberally all over your body, rub in, and then towel dry. It will leave your skin silky smooth and nourished.
2. Try olive oil as a mask. After your shower, leave some moisture on your face and rub in a spoonful of olive oil on your face, neck, and décolletage area. If your skin is very dry rub in and leave overnight, if your skin is oily or combination skin rinse off with lukewarm water.
3. You can use olive as part of a recipe for a gentle face and body exfoliant. All you need is 1/3 cup yogurt, 1/4 honey, and 2 teaspoons olive oil. This is a wonderful beauty mask. Mix the ingredients together until thick, apply the solution to your face or body, and leave on for about 20 minutes. Wash the solution off with warm water and feel how silky your skin feels.
4. Olive oil is a natural makeup and eye makeup remover. Use the solution above as a makeup remover and rinse with warm water. You may use olive oil straight out of the bottle as an eye makeup remover using a cotton pad dipped in the oil. It’s a very gentle way of removing eye makeup and leaving your eye area nourished.
5. Olive oil has anti-aging properties. Using a combination of 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt, you can produce a simple facial exfoliant. Be gentle to your face, don’t scrub hard, and follow up with a moisturizer. This is also a great solution for rough elbows and kneecaps when you want them soft again.
6. Olive oil is a great after-sun preparation. Mix olive oil and aloe vera juice in about a 4 to 1 ratio, 4 parts aloe vera to 1 part olive oil. It helps take the sting out of sunburn while moisturizing your skin at the same time.
7. Lips get dry in the summer from the sun and the winter from cold and wind. Making a lip scrub from olive oil can plump them up and nourish them again. Mix brown sugar with a few drops of olive oil and a dash of lemon juice and gently scrub your chapped lips. The olive help helps smooth and nourish your lips making them feel yummy again.
8. Cracked heels, olive oil to the rescue. Exfoliate your heels using raw sugar and olive oil, then soak your heels in lemon and olive oil-infused water and towel dry. Your heels will thank you. You can also follow up with an extra dollop of olive oil rubbed in your heels and wearing socks to bed if your heels need extra treatment.

Olive Oil Hair Benefits

Whether your hair is curly or straight, dry or oily or somewhere in between olive oil has great benefits for your hair. Olive oil is rich in vitamin E fights hair loss and has other great benefits for your hair. Some simple tips to enhance your hair health follow.

1. Create an organic conditioner for your hair with ingredients available in your kitchen. Mix 1/2 cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons honey and 1 egg yolk, whisk together to form a paste, and apply to your washed hair, leave on for about 20 minutes, rinse out with warm water, and follow with your usual conditioner.
2. Try an olive oil massage for your hair. Heat up a small cup of olive oil so it is warm but not hot. Apply the warmed oil on your scalp and hair ends and massage your scalp. You may also cover your hair with a plastic shower cap to retain the heat, leave it on your hair for about 20 minutes, and wash your hair as usual.

Olive Oil Nail Benefits

Whether you are young or old or have short nails or long nails, your nails can benefit from what olive oil has to offer. Olive oil can improve your nail health. The vitamin E in olive oil feeds your nails helping them to be stronger and more resilient.

1. Dip a cotton ball in olive oil and apply to nails and cuticles. Massage the oil into your nails for about 20-30 minutes and rinse off with warm water. For a stronger treatment apply before bedtime, and wear gloves overnight for a deep treatment and wash off in the morning.