SKIN CARE

Olive tree has been present in our life from time immemorial. They believed it was originated in some lands in South-Wes Asia, from where it was transplanted and spread in Egypt, in Greece and its islands, between the end of VIII Century B.C and beginning of VII Century, in South Italy and Sicily. This oil was widely used in commerce throughout the whole Mediterranean from Phoenician navigators who dealt in olive oil calling it “liquid gold”.

In antiquity virgin olive oil was considered a precious and irreplaceable gift of nature. The Egyptians and the Greeks attributed its origin to the intervention of gods and they took full advantage of its great alimentary, curative and cosmetic properties. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used it pure or amalgamated with herbs as basic medication. Olive Oil’s numerous virtues, always been extremely precious not only as an aliment: antique cultures used to produce from Olive trees balsams for hair, lenitive and cosmetic ointments for skin. Massages with olive oil to relax muscles of Greek or Roman athletes, after a session in steam baths in order to recover vigour, were common.

OLIVE OIL IS A VERSATILE MEDIUM

Pure olive oil is not only rich in vitamins and minerals but also acts as a very good and effective anti-oxidant. This is the reason that olive oil can also protect your skin from harmful ultra-violet rays. Other than these, olive oil also acts as a very good healing agent. With all these properties, olive oil can be very beneficial for your skin. The oil tends to percolate into the skin pores and then moisturizes the skin. Olive oil is also the preferred oil for massaging a baby as it makes their skin soft, supple and healthy. The oil is also very beneficial and effective for dry and bad hair, as it not only nourishes them but also gives it a very good shine.

OLIVE OIL SKIN CARE

A Beauty Secret from the Mediterranean, Olives and their properties have been used in Europe since the beginning of spas. Olive oil skin care is nothing new. In fact, it is an ancient beauty secret.

Discovered over 5000 years ago, olive oil quickly became an essential component of skin care. The Egyptians (imagine the legendary Cleopatra), Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans all took full advantage of this prized oil. Today, we observe the beautiful skin of Mediterranean women. Many claim their secret is the oil of the tiny fruit.

The oil comes in several grades. Extra virgin is the least processed and the most beneficial.

Olive oil for skin care will...

• Promote a smooth, radiant complexion
• Help maintain elasticity of skin
• Heal dry, brittle nails and soften cuticles
• Condition and add shine to hair

Olive Oil Skin Care... Straight From the Bottle!

You can concoct simple skin care recipes right in your kitchen. Try the mini beauty treatments below...

Bath:

For a moisturizing soak, add about ¼ cup olive oil and several drops of essential oil to your bathwater. Lavender oil will help you relax before going to bed. (Be careful as the tub may be slippery.)

Dry Skin:

Gently massage a small amount of olive oil on extra dry areas such as elbows or heels.

Hands:

Whip up a quick sugar scrub for rough, dry hands. Combine two tablespoons of oil with two tablespoons of sugar. Rub on hands until sugar begins to dissolve. Rinse with warm water. Voilà! Silky-smooth hands.

Feet:

Apply a liberal amount of oil to feet at bedtime. Cover with cotton socks. Not sexy... but oh-so-soft feet in the morning! The magic works for hands, too. Cover with white cotton gloves (hmm, even less sexy).

Face:

Create a moisturizing facial mask with olive oil, honey, and an egg yolk. Beat until well blended and apply to face... then relax! Leave on for 15 minutes; rinse with warm water.

Nails:

Warm a small dish of olive oil (not too hot) with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Soak nails for 5- 10 minutes. This softens cuticles while it strengthens nails.

Hair: For a simple oil treatment, warm several tablespoons of olive oil (again, not hot). Rub into scalp and hair. Cover with a shower cap or small plastic bag. Leave on for 20-30 minutes. For extra conditioning, mix an egg yolk with the olive oil... but do not warm. This is great for dry hair and split ends. It may even heal dandruff. Shampoo twice after this treatment or you'll smell like raw egg!

Lips: Alleviate chapped lips with straight olive oil. Dab on lips... especially helpful at bedtime.

If you’d prefer to purchase readymade olive oil skin products, you’re in luck. Manufacturers have discovered the power of this traditional beauty treasure.

USING OLIVE OIL TO KEEP SKIN SAFE, BENEFITS OF OLIVE OIL FOR HEALTHY SKIN

Olive oil is extremely useful for all kinds of hair as well as skin treatments. Olives are one of the purest oil producing substances in the world. For most part, the oil produced by olives is extremely mild, pure and nutritious. The best part is that this oil is of such excellent quality and it also does not have any kind of bad fats or cholesterol. This enables it to be used for almost anything safely, right from cooking to all kinds of beauty and skin and hair maintenance treatments.

There are many uses that olive oil can have for good skin. You can use it as a regular moisturizer. Instead of using any product that is available off the shelf and has been totally processed, you are better off using a natural moisturizing agent such as olive oil in order to moisturize your skin on a regular basis. This will keep your skin smooth and free of all sorts of problems.

You can also add olive oil for all possible face packs and facial treatments. This will also have a positive effect in your skin. Olive oil is also considered to be especially useful in the treatment of enlarged skin pores. If you are troubled with this ailment too, you should apply warm olive oil to the skin pores. This will help to improve upon this condition as well.

If you are using chemical bleach to lighten the colour of your skin or facial hair, then too you can use olive oil. Simply add a few drops to the bleach solution. This will help to prevent excessive skin damage which is common when you use chemical bleaching agents of any kind.

You can also add a couple of drops of olive oil to any exfoliating agent. This will nourish the abraded skin very well and will also help to protect from any damage that the process of exfoliation may end up causing.

You can protect not only your skin, but your hair as well. Olive oil is extremely high in nutritive value and you can use it to provide nourishment to your hair. It will deep condition your hair and will also strengthen it from the roots as well as the shafts. You can massage olive oil into your hair and scalp and leave it overnight for best results. You can simply wash your hair in the morning as usual. This will have really good results.