A couple of months ago I read how extra virgin olive oil is wonderful for your skin, serving as a great moisturizer, exfoliator and also helps skin to retain elasticity.
Me being me, I decided to try it out without any further research. Standing in my shower, I poured the oil all over myself. And for fear of not using enough, I promptly went through about 1/4th of the bottle. I started worrying when I turned on my shower and my body simply deflected the water. I scrubbed myself raw until I slipped on my butt. Luckily, with the exception of a couple of bruises making it difficult to stay seated for too long, no further injuries occurred.
To spare you of this same olive oil fate, I am bringing you some practical uses of olive oil that will be rejuvenating, rather than a safety hazard.
Brown Sugar Scrub
For this scrub, use half amount brown sugar to full amount of olive oil. If you are only wanting to scrub your hands or feet, use about one to two tablespoons of sugar. Rinse with warm water.
Grape Cleanser
In a blender, mix one cup of mashed grapes with one tablespoon of olive oil. You can also add a dollop or two of yogurt if you so choose. Just use it like a regular face wash by massaging the mixture onto your face and rinsing with warm water.
Hair Softener
This one is simple. Before your shower, simply pour a quarter size amount of olive oil onto your palm. Using your hands, distribute the oil into your hair (working from the roots to the ends) and finger comb it through your hair. Shower as usual and when your hair dries, it will have renewed shine and moisture.
Bath Oil
This particular mixture takes some more ingredients, but the results are totally worth it. In an empty bottle (recycle plastic soda bottles?), pour a tablespoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of almond oil, and one half tablespoon of grapeseed oil. Last but not least, add ten to fifteen drops of essential oil into the bottle. Put the top on and shake until satisfied. Add this to your bath for a sense of luxury.
Let me know how this works for any of you or if you find other variations that you enjoy!
guest
I use olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, etc. on the ends of my hair as it has a tendency to be dry there. It really does do wonders and makes it all shiny and healthy looking.
guest
Olive oil makes my skin itch, but I love other oils like coconut, almond, and jojoba. I’ve got a great OCM blend of hemp, borage, almond, and hazelnut oils. Something that I like to do every now and then is rub oil (coconut or almond oil, but olive oil would be fine too) into my body (a thing layer- I think where you slipped up was using too much) before showering, then take a shower as usual. You could do this every day. I really should start that up again.
Oh, and one tip on skin elasticity- use bone broth in your home cooking, and drink it. Not the stuff from the store, that’s not really made from bones. Broth is full of collagen and gelatin, which provide the support system for your skin. This will help with cellulite as well, and should help prevent stretch marks. The least irritating after-shower skin moisturizers I’ve found tend to be animal products, interestingly enough. Lanolin is my current favorite, but tallow and a fermented cod liver oil balm are also good (smelly though).
guest
@heart_leigh@xanga - Do you put it in before your shower? How long do you let it soak in, and how often do you do it?
tulip / 16 posts
I put it in before my showers. There’s not a magic amount of time to keep it in, but I usually keep it in for about ten to fifteen minutes. It’s a good excuse to give myself time to pick up my clothes and declutter. @WaitingToShrug@xanga -
guest
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - Well, I do it as a nightly treatment every couple of days. I’ll say three days. I put the oil on the ends of my hair and I use a plastic shower cap and sleep on it. Or you can do it an hour or so before you shower with a hot towel wrapped around it to penetrate. Then you wash it off. Basically, you only shampoo the roots of your hair and let the sudsy runoff clean the ends of your hair. Now mind you, it depends on your hair type. Mine is thick and as I mentioned in another post, the ends of my hair tends to get dry. If your hair is fine, the oil may leave your hair greasy. Start off with a small amount. Maybe dime-to-nickel sized.
guest
@heart_leigh@xanga - @CarlyAnn - Thank you both.
My hair is fine, but I have a lot of it. I’m going to try a bit on the ends on tonight.