Olive oil is one of the most popular ingredients in cooking, but if you’ve never used it for beauty, you’re in for a treat. Believe it or not, Rachel Ray’s pet ingredient is not only a necessity in any pasta dish, but also great for your nails, lips, hair, and skin. Why? Olive oil is rich in squalane, a natural emollient that penetrates skin without leaving a greasy film behind. Beyond that, it’s packed with Vitamins A & E and a number of polyphenols that already make it a popular inclusion in beauty products. Check out the below list for 15 inventive ways to get gorgeous Italian-style:
- A little EVOO makes a fabulous substitute for foot cream. Just rub some on your feet before you go to bed, put on some socks and wake up with super soft tootsies.
- Bad sunburn? Mix olive oil with white vinegar and apply before a warm bath to soothe and heal the burn.
- Banish frizzy hair by putting a couple of drops of olive oil in dry hair.
- Smooth generously onto hands before bed, put on white cotton gloves, and wake up with soft, youthful hands.
- Dandruff issues? Mix olive oil with almond oil and leave on scalp for five minutes. (If it starts to burn, rinse it out.) Rinse well to clear hair of dandruff.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to your bath to calm red, irritated skin.
- Soothe chapped lips by smoothing on some olive oil.
- Olive oil makes a great anti-aging moisturizer, since it contains polyphenol hydroxytyrosol, an antioxidant that helps to hold cell walls intact and thus reduce the signs of aging.
- Apply a little olive oil to a Q-tip and use it as a makeup remover. (Yes, that’s why the store-bought kind is often so oily!)
- Soak thin, brittle nails and ragged cuticles in a small cup of olive oil to soften, smooth and strengthen them.
- Massage olive oil into your hair, then leave hair covered with a shower cap for 30 minutes. Shampoo and discover softer, more lustrous hair with fewer split ends.
- Sensitive skin? Go easy on your legs by using olive oil as a shaving cream.
- Slather on olive oil before braving the sun – it’s rich in Vitamins A and E, keeping skin from drying out in the heat while protecting you from UV rays.
- Rub on elbows and knees for intense moisturizing. (My elbows are actually soft now – I’m not kidding.)
- For stained nails and fingers, simply add a few drops of lemon juice to olive oil and soak your fingers in it.
Photo source: http://www.extra-virgin-oliveoil.gr/
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Very useful post & thanx for sharing! Yeah olive is good for health and skin toooo….
also, a few drops in your ear once a day helps clear ‘em—good for swimmerz
Thanks for the great tips -sounds great
Wow! I never would have imagined.
It’s also good for stretch marks. Use it 3 times a day on the stretch marks (red or white) and they will get much better.
Be careful about no.13, oil makes you burn/tan quicker. You don’t want to sizzle!
Good point, rebs! But tanning outside isn’t really au courant anymore. Skin cancer is SO passe.
Olive oil is a great carrier oil mixed with a few drops of lavender body oil and used as a massage oil…not only does it soothe your skin leaving it soft and luxurious but you also get a good night’s sleep if massaged just before bed time!!! Also much cheaper than store bought massage oils…
[...] July 30, 2008 Since you ladies loved our posts on DIY beauty uses for petroleum jelly, Q-tips and olive oil, I thought I’d give you a host of beauty tips on another common household item: aloe vera. [...]
Thanks for good tips
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great tips,I really can’t miss the great idea!
Olive oil is also amaaazing for tanning
Yes I know skin cancer and all that but I still tan outside and it works like a charm, in about 45 minutes I’m 5 shades darker and it lasts for weeks. It’s also never caused be to burn no matter how long I’ve been in the sun, even thought I admit that has more to do with my dark-er complexion.
Nice and informative post. Olive oil is good for cooking as well as health. Olive oil is very useful for curing dandruffs.
thank you for your great tips,very useful to me.
[...] Olive oil is more than just for cooking
[...]
I always find something usefull here. Keep up the good work, its really appreciated.
Glad everyone loves this post so much – it’s become quite popular.
Great for dry eyes too!!!
Very useful tips! I didn’t know that I could use olive oil in dandruff issues. Thanks!
Thanks for great tips! I probably don’t need expensive cream to have soft skin!!
Great post, thanks for the info
Nice article about 15 Beautiful Uses for Olive Oil. I really found your articles informative and beneficial.
Hi.great job.tips are very good n very beneficial.jst wanted to ask that should it be olive pomace oil or olive virgin oil? Which 1 is more beneficial.kindly reply as soon as possible
It’s amazing how you can use olive oil as a hot oil treatment. I did it one time and it was really something.
I love olive oil. I use it every day for cooking. I haven’t tried it for other things, but will now. I have tried coconut oil on my face and almond oil (which is fabulous)