You may know that extra virgin olive oil may come with numerous health benefits that you don't want to miss out on. From lowering your cholesterol and improving your heart health, olive oil is part of a healthy diet. Olive oil can help you live a healthier life.
But what about being healthy on the outside, too?
Extra virgin olive oil has properties and antioxidants that can also improve the health of your skin to help you be glowing and confident as you eat right.
From your head to your toes, extra virgin olive oil can be used in a variety of skin care routines that provides an all-natural alternative to soaps and creams that contain harsh chemicals. While you can always be on the lookout for products that have extra virgin olive oil listed as an ingredient, in some cases you can use just olive oil for healthier skin.
Ways to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil to Improve Your Skin
Here, we share five quick and easy ways you can take care of your skin with one simple ingredient.
1. Olive Oil Can Prevent Signs of Aging
One of the top health benefits of extra virgin olive oil is its antioxidants that can improve your health inside and out. The antioxidant hydroxytyrosal helps to improve your skin including preventing aging, according to olive oil expert Paul Vossen. With its Vitamin E properties, olive oil protects the skin from harmful damage and can help prevent wrinkles and fine lines.
2. Soften Cuticles
Protect your nail cuticles from drying and ripping in the cold winter months and soften them up with some extra virgin olive oil. By caring for your cuticles, you can also strengthen your nails and improve the softness of your hands, all at the same time with one natural ingredient.
3. Olive Oil Can Help Prevent Cancer
We love the sun, but sometimes, our skin doesn’t. If you’ve spent a little too much time in the sun and have a resulting painful sunburn, the antioxidant properties in extra virgin olive oil can help alleviate that painful sting. These antioxidant properties also could reduce potential UVB-ray skin tumors.
Just be sure to put the oil on after your time in the sun, not before. With the protection from free radicals, extra virgin olive oil provides a great after-sun care routine. An article from Livestrong also notes how oil application can also fight off cancer-causing cells. The powerful properties in extra virgin olive oil make it a great choice for protecting your health both inside and out.
4. Remove Makeup
Looking for a way to take of your day’s makeup without strong chemicals? A few dabs of oil cling to the oil on your skin to free pores and remove that stubborn makeup. Follow it up with a facial cleanser for a great skin care routine.
5. Olive Oil Helps Moisturize
Extra virgin olive oil’s smoothing properties make it a great option for an all-natural moisturizer. For especially dry skin, you can massage some oil on your slightly damp skin. Doing so not only adds much needed smoothness to your hands, it also protects your skin from further damage. Be sure to not use too much oil on your face, which may lead to clogged pores.
For a great hand scrub, mix sugar and oil together to make a natural exfoliant that keeps your hands super smooth. You can even make it smell great by using oils like Blood Orange or Meyer Lemon extra virgin olive oil.
For itchy, dry skin, the compound found in extra virgin olive oil called oleocanthal calms and soothes irritated skin. Slathering on some extra virgin olive oil can be a great way to get back that silky smooth skin.
Using Olive Oil with Caution
While the properties in olive oil can help improve your skin in a variety of ways, the use of extra virgin olive oil may not be for everyone. If you have very sensitive skin, you may not see as beneficial results in using olive oil as a part of your skincare routine. Also, it may not be the best option for infants as their skin is already sensitive. Before utilizing olive oil to get better skin, be sure to take your own skin conditions into account.
Get on Your Way to Better Skin
To achieve better, glowing skin, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on specialized skin care products. The properties found in olive oil can help boost your health from the inside out.