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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Olive Oil Benefits

1. It's Natural! - the best of olive oil benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is nothing but fruit juice extracted mechanically from olive fruit. There is no heat or chemicals used in the extraction process. My favourite and the most beneficial is a fresh organic unfiltered extra virgin olive oil. Follow this link for more information about olive oil grades.

2. Flavour - It just tastes good. I guess I would have to say it is an acquired taste and some people just don't like the bitter characteristic of some oils. There are olive varieties known for their mild flavour and olive oil pressed from ripe olives is smooth, mellow and buttery.
substitute olive oil for butter

3. Nutritional Value - vitamins E, K, and A as well as polyphenols, squalene, oleocanthol, triterpenes and hundreds more micronutrients make olive oil a healthy choice. Read more about olive oil nutrients.

4. Oleic Acid - oleic acid (omega 9) makes up 55 - 85 percent of the fatty acids in olive oil. Don't confuse this with the amount of free oleic acid which is the main factor used to determine the grade of the olive oil and the lower the better. It's great for your skin - read about common oils used in soaps and how they can do so much more than just clean your skin at romancing-the-soap.com Oleic acid aids in keeping our arteries supple and helps prevent cancer.

5. Hydrogenated Oils - olive oil is not hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenation creates dangerous trans-fats found in margarine and many other packaged foods. Please read this page for more information about hydrogenated oil and trans-fats.

6. Heart Health and Cholesterol - extra virgin olive oil is high in polyphenols (a powerful antioxidant) and monounsaturated fat which contributes to lowering bad cholesterol. Read more about this health benefit here.

7. Cancer - researchers at the University of Oxford believe that olive oil may be just as effective in the prevention of colon cancer as fresh fruits and veggies. A diet rich in olive oil has been shown to reduce the incidence of colon., breast and skin cancers.

8. Blood Pressure - Studies now indicate that extra virgin olive oil may help to lower blood pressure. Patients were able to reduce or eliminate the need for medications when olive oil was consumed on a regular basis.

9. Alzheimers - this disease is associated with the clogging of arteries caused by cholesterol and saturated fat. Replacing other fats with olive oil will reduce the risk.

10. Gallstones - Olive oil promotes the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones naturally and lowers the incidence of gallstones.

There are more olive oil benefits. It's great for skin and hair care , used in natural remedies, and is a more versatile cooking oil than you may think.

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For information on all kinds of health issues, visit Yahoo Health

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Olive Oil Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
3 tbsp (45 mls) lemon juice - fresh is always best
? tsp salt - I like to use sea saltPinch of white pepper
1 cup olive oil - I always prefer to use extra virgin. See Selecting Olive Oil for Recipes for more info.

Or, try this one using whole egg. I like to cook, but I really don?t like fussing around seperating eggs if I don't have to.

1 egg
1 tbsp (15 mls) lemon juice
? tsp ( 2 mls )
pich of pepper
1 cup olive oil

Using a whisk, stick blender, or regular blender - combine the egg, lemon juice and seasonings and mix until well blended. Mix at low speed if using a blender.

Add olive oil a little at a time or in a constant small stream. The ingredients will emulsify and thicken. Walla - mayonnaise!

Variations: Try adding these ingredients for a tasty mayo.

Herb Mayo - Add ? cup (60 mls) coarsely chopped herb of your choice just before adding the olive oil.

Garlic Mayo - Add 1-2 tsp (5 -10 mls) minced garlic after the mayo is blended.

Curry Mayo - Add 1-2 tsp (5-10 mls) curry powder after the mayo is blended.

A note about using raw eggs - I checked it out on the Wikipedia site and learned that the incidence of a salmonella contamination found in eggs is quite rare. About 1 in 30,000. The shell of an egg acts as a seal against bacteria, but if damaged, can fail. When using eggs raw, choose the freshest eggs possible. Check for any cracks or weaknesses on the shell. The larger end of an egg is where the air cell is. An older egg has a larger air cell and a good way to check for freshness is to put the egg in a container of water. A fresh egg will stay at the bottom while an old egg will float to the top.

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Olive Oil Shelf Life and Storage

It starts with the olives themselves. Green (unripe) olives have a higher vitamin e and polyphenol content. Vitamin e and polyphenols are anti-oxidants and since oxidization leads to rancidity, more antioxidants mean less susceptibility and a longer olive oil shelf life.

The length of time between harvest and pressing or crushing is also crucial. The olives should be kept cool and processed within 24 hours or they will start to ferment and oxidize.

The extraction process also plays a role in olive oil shelf life. Some techniques subject the crushed olives to more light, heat, and air. Some also add more water to the olive paste during the separation process, which washes away the water-soluble polyphenols.

There are brands that state the production date on the container, but many do not. Choose an olive oil that is no more than a year old or buy it from a store where you know the turn over is quick. Avoid bottles that have dusty tops and reach for the bottles on the lower shelves or at the back where there is less light. Fresh products are usually placed at the back or lower shelves. I follow this same rule when buying bread, milk, and many other items.

I love the idea of an olive oil of the month club. The product arrives in your home much sooner after harvest than it would have otherwise and you have the opportunity to try many different olive oils without searching all over town or the internet. If you don?t use enough to buy every month, you can opt for a seasonal delivery and receive a fresh supply every few months.

Finally, storing olive oil properly once you have it home will minimize deterioration and loss of quality. If you don?t use a lot of olive oil, buy it in smaller bottles. I do encourage you though, to use it in place of other fats whenever possible. Don?t add more fat to your diet by using olive oil, replace it instead.

Anyway, I buy 1 litre bottles and that lasts me about a month. It would be fine in a cool dark cupboard, but I pour it into smaller air tight bottles. I leave one in the cupboard for everyday use and the extra goes into the refrigerator.

Olive oil turns cloudy and solidifies when it?s stored in the fridge, but it doesn?t hurt the oil and it returns to normal once warmed up again. We eat salad greens with dinner four to five times a week, so we go through a fair bit of salad dressing. I mix up enough of my favourite simple dressing recipe and store it in a ceramic decanter in the fridge.

To sum up, olive oil shelf life is dependent on several variables. To help insure you?re getting the most out of your olive oil, keep the following in mind:

1. Buy fresh extra virgin olive oil.
2. Quality makes a big difference, spend as much as you can afford.
3. Choose opaque or dark coloured containers.
4. Purchase smaller amounts more often.
5. Store it properly once you have it home.

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Olive Oil and Good Cholesterol

Here?s how it works. There are two types of cholesterol. The first is HDL(high density lipoprotein) the good cholesterol because it helps clear your arteries. Then there?s LDL (low density lipoprotein) the bad cholesterol because it clogs your arteries.

Saturated fats like those found in meat and dairy products increase your bad cholesterol and decrease your good cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils such as corn or soy lower your bad cholesterol, but they also lower your good cholesterol.

Monounsaturated fats found in fish and olive oil don?t lower the good cholesterol, but lower the bad cholesterol. Perfect combination! Our bodies need fat, but we can choose healthy fats by eating foods like fish, olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

Finally, I can't call this page finished without addressing hydrogenated oil and trans-fats. Too much saturated fat and cholesterol is not healthy, but at least they?re natural and our bodies need them. Hydrogenated oils are full of unnatural trans-fats and in my opinion are the ones that are the most important and tricky to avoid. Please follow this link to my page about hydrogenated oil and trans-fats. You can?t afford not to educate yourself about this health hazard.

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