How Olive Oil is Good for Your Skin and Hair
2022-07-10
Can you imagine a tree that has had a greater impact on human history than the humble, craggy, knotted, olive tree?
From its inconspicuous fruit (no larger than a small pebble) we have used olives for thousands of years in religious rituals, lamp fuel, soaps, and of course, food.
But did you know that olive oil is good for your skin and has many other beauty benefits?
All around the mediterranean, olive oil has been used as a moisturiser, hair conditioner, makeup remover, and even as a carrier oil to help relieve those pesky mosquito bites! Let’s dive in and discover the olive oil beauty secrets that the sun-kissed locals of the mediterranean have known for thousands of years.
Beauty Benefits of Olive Oil
Famed for her unrivalled beauty, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was known to use olive in her beauty regime and ancient Greeks are said to have bathed in the liquid gold of olive oil. Ancient people wouldn’t have known the vitamin and nutrient contents of olive like we do today — but they did realise how versatile, luxurious, and important olive oil was for their way of life.
Anti-aging Properties of Olive Oil
Olive oil is packed with vitamins such as vitamin E. Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that has anti-inflammatory properties as well as being an antioxidant that helps support a healthy immune system and promotes good skin health.
Vitamin E is added to many beauty creams, serums, and other topical cosmetics as it is also easily absorbed into the skin.
Age and high sun exposure (exposure to UV) depletes Vitamin E levels in our skin. According to Healthline, Topically adding olive oil to your skincare regime “may increase the amount of vitamin E stored within the sebaceous glands”.
Olive Oil Keeps your Skin Moisturised for Longer
If you have dry or flakey skin, olive oil really may just be your salvation. Olive oil is known as a “humectant” which means it is especially good at attracting water from the environment around it (including the air) and locks it into your skin. This can help those with dry skin by deeply rehydrating it with an all natural solution.
Olive oil also contains a compound called linoleic acid which may help to rejuvenate damaged skin cells and, according to the National Library of Medicine, is showing promise in becoming a treatment for a variety of skin disorders such as “atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne vulgaris, systemic lupus erythematosus” and more.
Can Olive Oil Help with Acne?
Olive oil is known to be high in vitamins and antioxidants which can help to prevent cell damage. There are numerous acne remedies that involve natural oil that claim to help reduce the effects of acne vulgaris such as olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil and more.
Olive oil, however, is also high in Vitamin K which is a known anti-inflammatory (helps to reduce swelling) and it also has antimicrobial properties. Although there is no conclusive evidence that olive oil can entirely remove acne, the rich vitamins, minerals, and its anti-inflammatory properties may help to reduce the effects.
Skincare Top Tip: Apply a few drops of extra virgin olive oil on clean skin once or twice a day to get these benefits. You can also add some drops to your moisturiser if you prefer a richer texture. Test on a small patch of skin before applying and stop use if a reaction occurs.
Using Olive Oil for Softer Hair
All around the Mediterranean, especially in Spain, olive oil has been used for hundreds (if not, thousands) of years to help maintain soft and luscious hair.
High in oleic acid and squalene (produced naturally by our own skin cells), these compounds are known as “emollients” which have softening qualities. Emollients are used in countless haircare products like conditioners.
Thanks to its high moisturising properties, using olive oil in your hair care regime can help to preserve your hair’s moisture at a deeper level.
Using Olive Oil as a Shaving Cream
Of course, one of the major benefits of using olive oil in your beauty regime is that it can be used all over your body, not just on your face! If you’ve run out of shaving cream or prefer not to use unnatural products, olive oil makes a great natural shaving cream and it also helps to rehydrate your skin!
Using Olive Oil as a Makeup Remover
Using olive oil to remove stubborn makeup works by dissolving the oil in your cosmetic products. Looking for a natural and chemical-free alternative to wiping your face with makeup remover? Look no further than your pantry!
Using Olive Oil as a “Carrier Oil” for Essential Oils
A carrier oil is also known as a “base” oil and helps the skin to be able to absorb essential oils such as tea tree oil, lavender oil, and rose oil. Applying essential oils can cause skin irritation so a carrier oil like olive oil helps to create a buffer between your skin and the essential oil so that there is less contact with your skin cells.
Using Olive Oil for Mosquito Bites
As we’ve just mentioned above, olive oil makes for a very good carrier oil and, combined with tea tree oil, can be an effective and natural remedy for those annoyingly itchy mosquito bites! Simply add a few drops of tea tree oil to some extra virgin olive oil and apply topically to the area with a soft cosmetic pad.
La Española is Spain’s Oldest Producer of Olive Oil
When it comes to olive oil, quality really does matter, especially when using olive oil in your beauty regime. At La Española Olive Oil, we pride ourselves in combining our traditional olive oil producing techniques with modern and sustainable farming practices to produce an olive oil that is authentically Spanish.
We recommend testing the olive oil on a small patch of skin before applying to your face just in case you have a reaction.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with everything La Española Olive Oil!
