To Get Healthy Looking Skin & Hair, Try Using Olive Oil.
Eight ways I the natural benefits of Olive Oil in my beauty regime. On my Skin, Hair and Face.
Spain is one of the largest producers of olive oil in the world. It is inexpensive and available in nearly every food and convenience store.
The quality of the oil ranges from good to fantastic. Good being equal to some of the best I’ve purchased in the U.S.
Living here, these past two years, I’ve had many opportunities to use Spanish Olive Oil. Starting with my stomach then moving to using it on my skin and hair
Looking for ways to save money has become one of my hobbies. DYI beauty treatments are one of my new favorite ways to do so.I am on a budget. I have my monthly amount for expenses, and with the loss, I take on the dollar to euro conversion I am constantly aware of what I am spending regarding my U.S. dollar.
Since I have access to inexpensive, high-quality olive oil I thought what better way to started than with this Spanish Treasure.
1) Skin starting from the inside;
I noticed in the second month of living here my skin was less dry. Eating foods prepared with olive oil increased my skin’s moisture, all over my body. I read about the Mediterranean Diet and practiced it, on and off, while living in the United States. The Spanish diet, while not the classic Mediterranean diet contains a lot of olive oil. Now seeing the results on my skin, I make an effort each day to ingest the 2-3 tablespoon of olive oil directly or in my food. To use it directly, I place a tablespoon full at a time in the back of the throat and following with a lemon soda chaser.
Olive oil apart from its fatty acids also contains small amounts of vitamins K and E. It is also loaded with powerful antioxidants which help the body with inflammation that can be seen on the face as redness and enlarged pores.
2) Tired Feet?
I use olive oil as a moisturizer on my dry, tired feet right before bed with a bit of lavender oil. I walk a lot, and I need to take care of my feet. My treatment consists of scrubbing them with a hard brush while I am in the shower. After, I rub them with olive oil. The amount depends on what I have to do after my shower. It works best at the end of the day when you can wear a pair of socks or right before I hop into bed. (Beware your feet can get very SLIPPERY)
3) For Your Body in the Shower:
You can use olive oil, lemon or orange oil, and sea salt mixed as an exfoliant. The amount of each is to your liking.
My skin is very fair, and I love using self-tanner. What I discovered recently is by using brown sugar instead of the sea salt along with the olive oil and essential oils help me prepare better for using a self-tanner. The brown sugar scrub the night before gets rid of what is remaining of the old “Fake-Tan” by the way it reacts to how self-tanners work. I wake up the next day scrubbed, moisturized and ready for another coat.
– For Daily, Body Cleansing Use Instead of Soap.
I use this combination with less salt in the shower, daily. No longer using soap. Store bought soaps dry my skin and the chemicals/perfumes, I naturally dislike. The natural anti-bacterial properties of olive oil on the inside of the body is the same on the outside. Since using only the olive oil and the essential oil of my liking, my skin feels softer and nourished.
Since using only the olive oil and the essential oil of my liking, my skin feels softer and nourished.
4) Hard Day want a Soak?
Just add a 1/4 cup of olive oil and a few drops of lavender to a hot bath. I do not have a bathtub in my apartment. So when I get a chance to have a bath in a hotel, I stay a long time when I use this concoction.
I include a small travel size bottle of olive oil with lavender with me just for this occasion.
5) As a General Moisturizer:
Add Olive Oil to your existing body lotion or if you use liquid shower soap, add some there too. My recipe is different each time I do it. Most of the time I wait till the container is about a quarter low. Then I add the bottle’s cap full of olive oil into the lotion or liquid. Shake it up, and you are ready to go.
6) For The Hair;
Avocado, Egg Yoke, Olive Oil, Mayonnaise Hair Mask. I feel like my hair gets abused. The sun, hair dyes and the hot summer heat require many showers drying my hair out. Also, I keep my roots in the right color by using my trusty box of Loreal hair color. Together my hair is taking abuse.
I found this recipe on an internet search. The mixture of protein and oil have saved me from having too many bad hair days.
- One avocado
- an egg yoke
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise
Mix in a blender till smooth. Spray your hair with water making enough to make it a little damp. Use your hand to smooth the mask all over your head. Make sure to include your hair’s ends. Let it sit on your hair for at least 30 minutes. I let it stay for an hour+. Rinse with warm water until it is ALL OUT. Wash hair as usual with shampoo and conditioner. Your final rinse should be with cold water. ( Make sure you pay close attention to your ears for residue. I went to yoga class with a tiny bit of the mask on one ear… yuck!)
My hair becomes shiny and thicker from the protein with this mask. You can do this as often as you wish as it is natural and no chemicals and it doesn’t seem to change my hair color or dull it.
Argan oil and other store bought oils are costly when olive oil can do the same trick.
On those days between showers and conditioning I take care of my fly away, frizzy, dry ends with a small olive oil on the palms of my hands. I put a small drop of oil on the tips of three of my fingers then I rub my fingers together getting the oil on all my ten fingers. I start with the back of my head and massage it into the roots. I move forward, roots only, through to the rest of my head. I add another drop to my palm, rub both hands together and touch the top of my head and the ends where its’ dry.
Adding a lovely scented essential oil can make your hair smell great between washings.
CAUTION; Don’t use too much. It will start to spread with the heat of your head. So start with a small amount and check the back of your hair in an hour or so to see if you need more.
8) Using Olive Oil In My DYI Face Oil/ Serum.
The discovery of this was purely by accident. I have been making my own serums for the last two years. In the past, I would use two essential oils, Frankincense and Geranium mixed with a carrier oil called Rosehip. A carrier oil is the largest quality oil that mixes well with your essential oils and dilutes them. It is nice to use a carrier oil that also has healing, supportive characteristics of its own. I originally chose Rosehip oil because I learned while living in Chile that it was what the natives use to protect them from the strong sun and help with its wrinkling effects.
Since moving back to Spain I was having trouble getting PURE Rosehip oil (Rosa Mosqueta in Spanish) and the brand I liked was always out of stock. So out of desperation, I started used virgin Olive Oil.
It has now been around six months and I have to say I love it more than when I use the Rosehip Oil. My face feels smoother, moisturized and less red in the morning.
Here is my New Recipe:
- Start with a clean dark bottle with a dropper top, 10ml
- ONE drop of Frankincense*, {I use DoTERRA as I know it is pure and ship almost anywhere I am living.}
- ONE drop of Geranium*
- 5-6 ml of Virgin, Purest Olive Oil (about 1/2 the container)
- Mix all together. I only do 1/2 the container as I like to wash and keep the mixture as fresh as possible. I use 6-six drops at night on my neck, face and back of hands. You can follow with your normal moisturizer to lock in the oil. I do not use eye cream at night as the lightness of the oil moves toward the eyes and moisturizes them. Please note this if you wear contacts and adjust as needed.
- Then 2-3 drops in the morning after cleansing. Again adjust for your skin type. I am normal to dry. Then moisturize including the eyes as normal.
I love it and feel I am getting just what my skin needs to stay looking the best it can. *The Frankincense and Geranium are excellent for helping me with fine lines and creating a soft texture. The Olive Oil with its antioxidants–vitamins A and E– help the skin with sun exposure and air pollutants.
Just like the Egyptians, Romans, and Phoenicians, they all used essential oils and olive oil in their beauty regimes. I guess I am in good company.
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I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me in finding ways to stay in budget and move more into natural products.
What have you found that works for you? Feel free to share below.
