Olive Oil: More than for Salads

Let me tell you a little secret: I LOVE olive oil! I use it mainly as a salad dressing to retain the omega-3 fatty acids (cooking olive oil in high heat is actually not a good thing since it has a lower boiling point than other oils.) However, recently I found out this oil does not only make my salad taste good but also make me look good as well. I think olive oil is something every household needs to have because it is such a well-rounded ingredient that extends its usage beyond the kitchen. In this post, I'm going to show you 3 ways to use olive oil on your body.

Image from Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Olive Oil as a hot oil treatment for your hair:

Store bought hot oil treatment pack, move aside! A new chief just came to town and his name is olive oil. Whenever I need a hot oil treatment or my scalp is itchy, I just heat a bit of olive oil in a pot of warm water and apply to my hair. As olive oil has antiseptic property, it also helps cure itchy scalp.

How to do it:

• In an empty glass, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil (more if you have long hair)
• Immerse the glass with olive oil in warm water until the oil is warm to the touch.
• Pour the oil over your dry hair, preferably before you shower. Then cover your hair with a shower cap and keep it that way for about 1/2 hour. You can keep it longer if you have dry hair.
• Shampoo and condition your hair as usual. You will have soft and shiny hair and your itchy scalp will be less itchy as well.

If you do this hot oil treatment, it's good to give yourself a scalp massage as well to boost blood circulation to your hair. For those with really dry hair, you can use olive oil as a night time leave in conditioner, just make sure to change your pillow cases often.

2. Olive oil as an eye makeup remover:

This may sound crazy to some but olive oil does remove all of your eye makeup, even waterproof mascaras. Moreover, it does not strip away the moisture from your lashes like conventional makeup remover. Olive oil, on the other hand, moisturizes your lashes to keep them long and luscious.

How to do it:

• Apply some olive oil to a cotton pad, then use the pad to remove your eye makeup. It's preferable to do this step before washing your face.
  
• Then wash your face to remove the oil residues on your face. Continue with toning and moisturizing and voila, you're done!

3. Olive oil as a body moisturizer:

In some cultures like India, oil is used very often as a moisturizer. I learned from some Indian friends to massage my body with olive oil before taking a shower to boost blood circulation and keep my skin moist and supple. When it was not so expensive, you could find me during the weekend drenched in olive oil from head to toe for about 1/2 hour to 1/2 day before taking a shower. Especially during the winter, doing this keeps my skin staying moist and smooth without using a lot of extra moisturizer.

How to do it: I like to do this before taking a bath or shower

• Take off your clothes and use olive oil to massage all over your body. If you like, you can add essential oil to it as well. Just make sure not to eat the oil mixture afterward :)
• When you massage, concentrate on areas that are stiff or sore and massage more to those areas (or better yet, ask someone to do it for you!)
• Put your clothes on and walk around do whatever you want for 1/2 hour (more if you want to)
• Then go ahead and take a bath/shower. If you put oil on your head then you need to shampoo/condition as well. Your skin will stay smooth and moisturized after the bath/shower.

If the idea of using oil on your body is strange, it actually is not! A lot of different cultures use it from time to time to maintain good skin. Moreover, olive oil is free from preservatives and a gallon lasts for a long time. And you can eat the leftover olive oil if you want to!

If you've used olive oil to beautify yourself before, please share the experience! I'd love to hear from you.

Take care,
Your Makeup Blogger

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