Benefits of Olive Oil, Health, Healthy Living, Wellness

Beauty

As a health and beauty product, olive oil is hard to beat. Consider the following uses:

Exfoliate: Mix oil with salt and scrub face to remove dead skin cells.

Bathing: Add a splash of olive oil to bathwater for softer skin. Moisturizer: Apply olive oil directly to the skin, especially after bathing. It’s very good for rough areas such as hands, elbows and feet.

Shaving lubricant: Apply before and after shaving.

Remove sticky stuff: Ever get paint in your hair? How about gum? Rub on the olive oil and give it a few minutes to remove either one. It’s even useful in removing stickers and labels from things around the house.

Hairballs: If you have a cat you probably know about hairballs. A quarter-teaspoon of olive oil a day can help prevent them.

To the Kitchen

Since olive oil IS high in fat and calories, don’t just add it to your diet. Use it to replace saturated and/or polyunsaturated fats, such as butter and margarine. Olive oil should be stored in a dark, cool place, even in the refrigerator. It is best to use the purest and highest-quality olive oils.

Extra-virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil are terms used when the olives have been pressed to extract the oil without the use of any heat or chemicals to speed up the extraction process. Extra-virgin and virgin olive oil have the highest levels of antioxidants and are the most healthful forms of olive oil. Avoid olive oil products that say “made from refined olive oil,” which allows manufacturers to adjust taste and other product factors with added chemicals.