Home Remedies: Olive Oil

I love home remedies. They are inexpensive and just plain old fun for me to experiment with. As a beauty addict with special skin care needs I've tried a few of these remedies in hopes that they'd alleviate my problems and oh, the home remedies I've tried… Most home remedies, while well meaning, didn't do anything significant for my skin, but had immediate benefits that I've loved. Many of them have failed. OK, maybe "failed" isn't the right term, so much as that they just didn't do anything of significance, but one thing (or one product) that always seems to never let me down is Olive Oil.



I was initially going to write this post with attention to Olive Oil as a hair conditioning mask - a hot olive oil treatment, if you will. As someone who suffers from dry, over-processed hair (as well as a shortage in income, ha), I was looking for an inexpensive alternative to hot oil treatments and deep conditioners. I had heard of a lot of people on message boards and blog communities using Olive Oil for hair and skin care so I decided to do some investigating. As it turns out there are TONS of sites that give you tips, recipes and other anecdotes on how to use olive oil as a beauty aid. So I gave the hair mask a shot! I used it much like how you would use any other hot oil treatment, take about 1/4 cup of oil and heat it in the microwave (not too long, you don't want to burn your scalp) massage it into your hair, scalp and ends, cover your head with a shower cap, layer a towel over the cap and sit for a few minutes (15-30 depending on your damage) and rinse with a mild shampoo. The result: smooth, shiny, less frizzy, more manageable hair. I was sold.

I'm usually very hesitant to put anything on my skin. I've had more negative effects of products on my skin that positive. Most standard, OTC products won't do anything at all, so I was skeptical. But - as research :] - I decided using EVOO on my skin. I was pleasantly surprised! It helps the dry areas on my face (most notably around the eyes and on the lips) and hydrates rough, dry elbows, but I'm most happy with it as a makeup remover! Never again will I buy a makeup remover. While experimenting with a new mascara (a mascara that I accidentally managed to smudge all over my upper lid), I decided to take my Q-Tip, dab it in my olive oil (I have a small bottle used specifically for beauty), and swipe it across my lip and it came off in one swoop! No rubbing and scrubbing (something you don't want to do on your eyes anyway), just an effortless swipe and the stuff was gone.

Find more tips on how to use OO here and here and here.