Olive Oil Skin Care

There are many ways and reasons to use olive oil for skin care. Let's explore some of the more common applications and my top three reasons for using olive oil on my skin.

Each of these uses will become a link to more information as I work my way through them. Check back or subsribe to my blog to keep up to date.

Olive Oil for Dry Skin, body lotion, body wash, moisturizer, body butter, face cream, hand cream, skin cream, bath, beauty and lip balm

olive oil sun protection

olive oil and stretch marks, wrinkles

eczema olive oil

psoriasis olive oil

olive oil facial, facial cleanser,

olive oil spa

ozonized olive oil, ozonated olive oil

olive oil acne treatment

What you put on your body ends up in your body. That's why I use olive oil for skin care. I've been reading forums and websites to gain a better understanding of what people are looking for in their skin care products and I've made a surprising discovery. The focus is almost always on what is in the product while little attention is given to what isn't in the product.
In my opinion, what isn't on my skin is just as important as what is.

Would you continue using creams, lotions, massage oils, toners, cleansers, masks, etc knowing that some contain chemicals that are known carcinogens? Many contain chemicals that haven't even been tested and are not regulated.

#1 reason I use olive oil skin care is what's not in it. It starts with the extraction process. Olive oil differs from other oils because it is extracted from a fruit, not a grain or seed. That in itself may not seem like such a big deal, but it is. Virgin and extra virgin olive oils are made by mechanical extraction only. Some are filtered to eliminate little bits of olive left, but the best in my opinion, are not. That's it. Just fruit juice! If you would like to learn more about the different processes used to extract the oil, visit my extraction processes page

Seed and grain oils are more difficult to extract and require the use of heat and chemicals. The oil is then put through a filtering process and by the time it's bottled, well...there really isn't much left of the beneficial nutrients and compounds.

#2 reason I use olive oil skin care because of what is in it. Olive oil is full of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, and natural compounds that benefit our bodies inside and out. Some that are especially good for our skin are:

Antioxidants - Olive oil is rich in antioxidants including vitamins A and E, polyphenols, phytosterols and avenasterol. They work to neutralize free radicals and repair cell membranes. A free radical is an unstable molecule created by exposure to things like cigarette smoke, pollution, alcohol and radiation.

Squalene - A natural organic compound used in cosmetics as a moisturizer. It is taken from the liver of sharks, but also found in olive oil - a more environmentally friendly source. Squalene helps to regulate sebum. Sebum is produced by the sebacious glands in our skin and is secreted through our pores. It forms a coating on the skin that acts as a barrier, inhibits the growth of micro-organisms and lubricates our skin and hair.

Chlorophyll - A photosynthetic pigment found in plants and algae. It is an anti-aging substance that promotes the healing of skin conditions and wounds.

Learn more about the nutrients in olive oil and their benefits on the
Olive Oil Nutrients page.

#3 reason I use olive oil skin care - It's cheap! I know, that doesn't sound right. Olive oil is not known as a cheap alternative to other oils for culinary uses, but it is when compared to other skin care products. I don't use gourmet, unfiltered special olive oils at $35.00 for 500 mls, but I do use a grocery store extra virgin. The amount of money people are willing to part with for beauty products is staggering. Age defying, wrinkle reducing, skin firming, acne fighting, blemish diminishing, along with re-hydrating, moisturizing, exfoliating, cleansing, and the list goes on and on. Most of which are packed full of synthetic chemicals, colours, artificial fragrances etc. etc. I've found that plain old extra virgin olive oil and a few other basic natural ingredients are all I need for my skin care.

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Selecting Olive Oil for Recipes

How do you know what to look for when selecting olive oil for recipes? Flavour, smoke point, nutrtitional value, grade, and variety are all deciding factors.

Flavour ? The wonderful flavours of olive oil are what set it apart from all other vegetable and seed oils, but will an unfiltered extra virgin olive oil be over powering in the dish, or will it compliment and bring out the flavours of the other ingredients? Are you going to be using it as a condiment and want that olive flavour, or would you prefer not to taste the oil at all?

Try to match the olive oil to the other ingredients when selecting an olive oil for recipes. Keep in mind that an extra virgin olive oil will have a stronger flavour and is best suited for use with other strong flavoured foods. You may want to choose a late harvest extra virgin that is made using ripe olives. The nutritional value is lower, but the flavour is mellow. Use it with fish and other delicately flavoured foods. If you are using the oil to dip bread into, dress a salad, or drizzle on vegetables and pasta, you will want a flavourful olive oil.

If you love butter as I do, try oil that has a buttery flavour characteristic. The Arbequina olive variety or a later harvest oil produces a buttery more mellow flavour. I found just such an olive oil made by Can Solivera and several others from Spain at La Tienda.com - a great site for Spanish food, ceramics, gifts, wine and more. Click here to visit their food page. You'll find a link to olive oil in the left margin.

Olive oil makes an excellent substitute for butter , margarine and other vegetable oils in baking. You will use less oil than butter, so there will be less fat in the final product and olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats, lower in saturated fats and loaded with antioxidants. Bread has been made using olive for centuries it can be used for muffins, cakes or any baking really. If you?re concerned about the strong olive flavour, again maybe a later harvest olive or arbequina variety would work well.

Smoke Point - Will you be heating the olive oil? Which method of cooking are you planning to use?

The smoke point is another consideration when selecting olive oil for recipes that involve heating the oil. The International Olive Oil Council states that the ideal temperature for frying is 180?C (356? F) and olive oil has a smoke point of 210?C (410?F). Refined olive oil (pure, light or extra light) has a higher smoke point. It would be an expensive waste to use a premium extra virgin for deep-frying since the heat causes it to lose flavour and nutritional value. It may still be more expensive than other vegetable oils, but the vitamin E and antioxidants offer more stability and it can be re-used up to four or five times. Olive oil can be used for deep-frying, grilling, broiling, saut?ing, stir frying, and baking. If flavour isn't a factor and you prefer not to use olive oil at higher temperatures, try coconut oil. I read about it at eat-it-healthy.com - great informative site, here's the link: Healthy Oils

Nutritional Value ? The number one reason I use olive oil is for its health benefits. It is a rare occasion when I deep-fry, so most of my family?s olive oil consumption is in dips, dressings, mixed with butter as a table spread or on popcorn. The very best olive oil you can choose is organic raw (unfiltered) extra virgin olive oil bottled in coloured glass and purchased within a year of harvest. I have read on some websites that heating olive oil does not affect its nutritional value. Sorry, I don?t believe that and the sources I have found to be most credible don?t agree either. I?ve also read that refined olive oil contains the same health benefits as extra virgin. Wrong again! For one thing, extra virgin contains between 50 and 80 parts per million polyphenols, where as refined oils only have about 5 ppm. And that?s just the polyphenols! There are a lot more vitamins and antioxidant compounds that are surely lost in the refining process as well.

I recommend choosing extra virgin or virgin olive oil when selecting olive oil for recipes. There are plenty to choose from, try different varieties within these two olive oil grades. They say olive oil is like wine in that quality makes all the difference and once you?ve tasted the good stuff, you won?t want to go back.

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Visit italian-cooking-made-easy to learn more about cooking with olive oil.

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