Thursday, October 28, 2010

We Heart Olive Oil

Olive oil is a wonderful friend to many home beauty treatments. Used alone, or with other kitchen cupboard staples, olive oil is a favorite among natural beauty enthusiasts.

Nails and Cuticles: A twenty minute soak in a small cup of olive oil does wonders for brittle nails and rough cuticles. Add a little sugar when you're done soaking for a moisturizing hand massage.

Hands: If your hands are feeling the rough of the season, massage in a little olive oil before bed and slip on some cotton gloves.

Bath: Add a drizzle of olive oil to your bath water for an all over moisturizing treat. A few drops of lavender essential oil makes for a nice soothing calm.

6 comments:

kellie said...

Considering I'm Italian, rubbing Olive Oil on my hands before bed might be dangerous. I'd dream of a big, crusty baguette and I'd try to NOSH my digits in my sleep! LOL

Judy said...

OH, that's where the lavender essential oil comes in. Makes it much more calming, soothing and less like dinner!

:)

~EssenseVibez~ said...

I use extra virgin olive oil on my hair--being African American using the oil is great for my hair---thanks for the article!

DogpackMOMMA said...

Virgin Olive Oil is my fix.all.elixir. V.O.O. for everyone!!!

Christina said...

I like to mix together sugar and olive oil for a nice face/body scrub. It feels great! I also make a mask that is mostly honey with a little egg yolk and a couple of drops of olive oil mixed in. Leave on for about 20 minutes and rinse off, or use the scrub to take it off.

Susan Mann said...

@kellie - you're way too funny. The olive oil and bread though are just too good to pass on when we go for a meal out. All too often I'm full before the appetizers arrive.

@Judy - I can't get enough lavender in my baths. It's great for too many things to count.

@EssenseVibez - I love a warm olive oil hair mask. It helps with the dryness, and also aids the scalp.

@DogpackMOMMA - I'm with you on this. We should have bumper stickers made!

@Christina - Olive oil and honey was my own first experimentation with sugar scrubs. The honey really kicks it up, and your skin feels so soft afterwards.

Olive oil is also nice for steam cleansing your face. Fill a bowl of real warm water, and place a facecloth in it. Massage a little O.O. gently into skin, then squeeze out the facecloth draping it damp over your face. Wait for it to cool. Then recharge the warmth of the facecloth in the bowl again, and repeat a few times. Wipe the face gently with the damp facecloth when you're done. This is my favorite 5 minute time-out moment.