An Italian product per excellence, olive oil is one of the main ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. It is produced pressing fruits’ pulp of the olive tree. The color is among the factors that distinguish one oil from another. It goes from green to yellow depending on the fruit’s ripeness. The more yellow an oil is, the richer it is in carotene, and the greater it will be the anti-oxidant action. Olive oil is often referred to “extra virgin” definition, meaning that it is free of chemical additives and retains all the fruit’s properties. That’s why it is the perfect condiment for food in the diet.

Olive oil is an absolute versatile product and its uses vary: it is used in cooking but also for body care. It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids that are ideal in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and has excellent nourishing and emollient properties for the skin. In fact, in antiquity the Greeks used it to soften the skin and polish the hair: a true elixir of beauty.  At the same time, it is low in saturated fats, which are harmful to the body. 

The use of olive oil goes beyond cooking, presenting itself as a perfect ingredient for personal care, thanks to its countless properties: 

  • Rich of vitamin E, it counteracts the formation of free radicals
  • It contains also vitamin A responsible for skin regeneration
  • It has soothing properties that are ideal to contrast redness
  • It is an antioxidant so it acts as anti-aging
  • It is an excellent moisturizer and it deeply nourishes the skin 
  • Thanks to its properties, olive oil is used as an ingredient in cosmetic products to moisturize face, body, hands, lips, hair, etc..

It’s a product readily available and of low/medium cost, so it can be easily used at home in the creation of all-natural and specific compounds for every need. 

For example:

For dry and chapped skin: a few drops of lavender essential oil mixed with olive oil increase the moisturizing and repairing action.

With the sun and fine weather, going to the beach is a priority and it is easier to suffer burns. Here too, olive oil comes to the rescue in the preparation of a soothing after-sun oil: just mix it with jojoba wax and lavender essential oil.

It could be surprising but olive oil has cleansing capacity. It may be hard to believe, but it is able to remove traces of smog, make-up and sebum from the skin, with a gentle cleansing action that respects all types of skin. Instead, for a deeper cleansing, it can be combined with sea salt or brown sugar to create a scrub. You have to massage and insist on the T-zone, richer of impurities, and then rinsed off with lukewarm water. The result guarantees soft and deeply clean skin.

In conclusion, olive oil is an extremely versatile ingredient, both in the kitchen and in cosmetics, thanks to its innumerable properties that work in favour of the care and well-being of our organism.