Olive Oil For Hair And Skin

Discover One of the Best Hair and Skin Products in the Kitchen

As a common oil, olive oil is found in almost all kitchens. While normally thought of as a delicious and nutritionally-rich oil for meals, olive oil also has benefits outside the kitchen. There’s many olive oil for hair and olive oil for skin remedies that can give outward appearances a healthy glow.

A Historical Treasure

Olive oil has provided some of the most amazing benefits to humanity since the fifth century, BC. The earliest cultivated olive trees were found in the “fertile crescent,” located in Eastern Greece. The Greeks were fond of olives and let olive trees take over the countryside. Since olive oil was such a valuable commodity, the Greeks and Romans used their best ships to transport the olive oil. Nobility understood the benefits of olive oil for skin and olive oil for hair and would have the oils rubbed on them.

Ancient Cosmetic Gold

Olive oil has been used with cosmetics since the earliest centuries. Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome combined olive oil with flowers and grasses to produce aromatic cosmetics. Since the early days of civilization, societies have cherished olive oil for skin. They also understood the benefits of using olive oil for hair.

Unparalleled Health

After a few thousand years, olive oil continues to serve as an incredible source of nutrition, a fantastic cooking agent and an ingredient in various cosmetics and skin care products. Extra-virgin olive oil is the most digestible edible fat, contains very low acidity and is not treated like other oils when processed. Also, the virgin olive oils are the only oils pressed directly from vegetables that do not need to be cooked. This oil helps the body assimilate vitamins A, D and K. Vitamin A keeps skin moist, making olive oil for skin a wise choice.

Weapon Against Disease

Olive oil prevents heart disease by lowering cholesterol and raising the level of antioxidants in the body. Olive oil prevents colon cancer just as well as fish oil, a common product used to prevent this horrible disease. Olive oil also reduces chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes or arthritis.

Infused with Vitamins

Olive oil provides vitamin K. In fact, olive oil is the second best source of vitamin K and E. In general, olive oil extends life. Italians who live by the Mediterranean diet, consisting of a high quantity of olive oil, live longer than Italians who live off of a high meat and pasta diet.

Vitamin E Skin Protection

The existence of vitamin E in olive oil makes the product a fantastic skin product. Olive oil for skin makes sense because the antioxidant activities of vitamin E protect the skin from ultraviolet light, drugs, pollution and free radicals. Those wanting to look younger use olive oil for skin in part because the vitamin E helps eliminate wrinkles. Some might even use olive oil for skin burns that come from the sun.

Bowl of Olive Oil — Image by © J.Garcia/photocuisine/Corbis

Absolutely Delicious

Olive oil adds excellent flavor to meals as well and fills the kitchen with a lovely scent. The different types of olive oil come with their own flavors and the best olive oil flavors are a matter of taste. The flavor can vary depending on the place where the olives were grown.

Where Olive Oil Comes From

Most olive oil comes from Spain. Consumers identify the Spanish olive oil by its golden yellow color and its nutty flavor. The next biggest producer, Italy, creates a dark green olive oil with a herbal and grassy flavor. Greek olive oil is also green, but is distinguished by its stronger flavor. For something milder and paler, consumers often try the French olive oil. California has also joined in on the olive oil production, creating olives that have a more fruity flavor and a light color. However, to get the best of all worlds, olive oil companies often mix together multiple kinds of olive oil.

Many Grades to Choose From

Shoppers will often see regular, virgin and extra-virgin olive oil choices. All three are made from pressing olives and removing about 90% of the olive. However, there is no further processing with the extra-virgin and virgin olive oils. Chemicals and high heat are used to process regular olive oil, also called refined or pure olive oil. Virgin and extra-virgin olive oil are differentiated by the level of acidity in the oil. Slight changes in acidity can have dramatic effects on the quality of the olive oil.

Premium Oils

The different olive oil types work well in different circumstances. For example, the premium extra-virgin olive oil works best by itself so that everyone can enjoy the scent and flavor of the oil. Extra-virgin olive oil is also best left uncooked. The whole point of these oils is that they were kept away from high heat, which can diminish flavor. Most of the other oil qualities are best left uncooked until all the way down to the semi-fine virgin olive oil, where there’s not enough flavor for the uncooked oil to be useful.

Olive Oils are Suitable for Cooking

The non-virgin olive oils didn’t make the grade when originally pressed. They just didn’t have the flavor and scent to make good uncooked olive oil and they are often too acidic. So, the manufacturers refined them to make them useful in cooking. When the oil reaches the level of olive pomace oil, the oil is rarely placed on store shelves and is instead used in commercial products.

Olive Oil Recipes

Since some cooking can affect the olive oil flavor, cooking should be kept to a minimum. Cooking lightly can still preserve the original flavor of the olive oil. With olive oil, some stir fry broccoli or puree garlic, potatoes and olive oil together. Olive oil is effective when added to sautéed vegetables. Olive oil can also be pureed with garlic and beans. Olive oil is the most delicious when the right kind is paired with the right food. Extra-virgin olive oil works the best with strong-flavored foods like garlic, meats and marinades. Less intense olive oils work well with bread and mozzarella. The more mellow olive oils work well with cake baking and when making mayonnaise.

Olive Oil in Commercial Products

While eating olive oil is beneficial, a lot of benefits come simply from rubbing it on skin or putting it in hair. Given how well olive oil for skin works, some cosmetic products now contain olive oil, such as moisturizers, exfoliators, and makeup remover. But those wanting the benefits of olive oil for hair and skin can simply take the oil and rub it wherever they want to see the magical benefits. Antioxidants make the skin smoother and firmer.

Anti-Wrinkles

oilforskin2 Unfortunately, skin starts to sag as with age, leading to dreaded wrinkles. Those who recently lost a lot of weight will also have stretch marks. Luckily, using olive oil for skin will help maintain the elasticity of the skin for much longer than leaving the skin alone. Also, olive oil tastes delicious if it accidentally gets in the mouth.

Antioxidant Benefits

Better yet, using olive oil for skin moves all of the antioxidants that are great for the body directly onto the skin. These antioxidants alone can make skin look younger by fighting the effects of aging.

Complexion Clearing

Olive oil can also clean and disinfect skin. Pimples and blackheads become infected when pus and bacteria clogs pores, creating those disgusting black dots and red bumps. Olive oil for skin washing can remove all of that and leave skin with a clear complexion. Sure, oily skin can lead to pimples too. But skin needs oil and stripping the oil away with commercial products will lead to the body producing oil more than when using olive oil for skin.

Absorb the Nutrients

Benefits from olive oil for skin also come from the skin absorbing everything put on it. So the olive oil that is rubbed on the skin will soak in, enter the blood vessels and provide the same beneficial nutrients normally received from consuming olive oil. Olive oil for skin is also very safe because of the extraction process that does not add harmful chemicals to the skin.

Olive Oil Concoctions

Don’t forget that olive oil can benefit skin as well. The effects of olive oil for hair can be created by mixing a half cup of olive oil with five drops of frankincense essential oil. After washing hair with warm water, rub the concoction in the hair and place a plastic bag over it. Leave the bag over the hair for at least 30 minutes. Then rinse everything out and shampoo the hair. The kitchen is filled with products that are great for the hair. For example, a cucumber, olive oil and egg for hair mixture put in the hair for 10 minutes works wonders.

Prevent Hair Loss

oilforhair With all the stress in today’s life, many also look to olive oil for hair loss prevention. Olive oil can kill all of the harmful bacteria on the scalp, promoting healthy hair. This prevents bacteria from damaging the hair and instead allows healthy hair to grow only. Another reason why olive oil for hair loss prevention makes sense is because olive oil can block DTH, a hormone in the hair that can cause the hair follicle shaft to decrease. Eating olive oil for hair loss prevention also works because the reduction in DHT also occurs when the olive oil is absorbed through the digestive system.

Grow Luscious Hair

Besides hair loss, another great idea is olive oil for hair length. The mono-unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant vitamin E help strengthen the hair, allowing for much longer hair without the hair becoming dry, damaged or split. Since olive oil is all natural, it does not cause damage to hair like chemical-based hair products.

Cleaning Up Olive Oil

When using olive oil for hair, spilling the olive oil can be a hassle. Olive oil is oily and spills can be harder to clean up than other products. Sprinkling an absorbent oil on the spilled olive oil can help lift the oil out of the towel. Then, apply liquid detergent or a paste made from dry detergent to the oil and add the clothes to the washing machine, washing with warm water for a long cycle.

Banish Dander and Lice

There are a few lesser known reasons to use olive oil for hair. Olive oil helps remove dander and lice. A few drops of olive oil in the hair will not only eliminate these problems, but also lead to glowing hair.

No More Chemical Conditioners

Replace store bought conditioners with olive oil for hair. Just like the best conditioners, olive oil will give hair strength and shine. But without the side effects that come from putting chemicals in the hair. The reason why olive oil for hair works as a conditioner is that the olive oil is rich in fatty acids, which can increase the shine of the hair in only a few drops.

Olive Oil Massages

Consumers should apply olive oil for hair by carefully massaging the olive oil into the scalp. This will increase the circulation of blood to the scalp and will help nutrients absorb into the scalp and hair. By using olive oil for hair, the hair receives the break it deserves.

Olive Oil Could Save Your Money

While olive oil for culinary purposes might seem expensive, olive oil for skin and hair is cheaper than other skin care products. Less olive oil is needed to get the desired results. Whether the olive oil for skin and hair comes from cosmetics or is applied raw, youth and radiance rarely found in other products can be found.

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