I know you are probably thinking: what, I already know how awesome olive oil is, its good for your skin and is good for stir-fry and in salads. Right? Well, this precious liquid is so much more that just nourishing food!

First of all, as food, olive oil IS incredibly nutritious and beneficial for our bodies, but needs to be used correctly. Heating olive oil above 200-250 degrees can actually be toxic. Olive oil starts of thick and green, filled with antioxidants and nutrients, and as it is heated at a higher temperature, it burns off all the nutrients, and the fumes it burns turn toxic. What you are left with is an oil that is nothing more than fat for your body. So to correctly eat your olive oil and get all the rad nutrients it offers you, add it at the end, after you have cooked your food, just a drizzle, on your potatoes, fish, veggies, or salad.  Research shows that ingesting olives can prevent certain cancers, and it also provides us with nutrients such as Vitamin E (good for the skin and hair) and healthy fats that can actually improve your cholesterol (when used in moderation).  Also, uncooked olive oil is more flavorful!

So we know that olive oil is fantastic for your insides, and we now know how to properly use and non-cook it in our meals. But olive oil is also a fantastic addition or substitution to your beauty regimen. I say substitution because I use it almost exclusively for most of my “beauty” habits. In educating myself on oils for skincare, I discovered that oils are actually a wax and can hydrate your skin by sealing in moisture. When I get out of the shower, before I have dried my body off, I use extra virgin olive oil directly on my skin, all over my body, to seal in the moisture that is left from the shower. Do not towel dry first, just use the oil to trap the water into your skin. It works so well – people will go nuts at the feel of your skin, trust me on that one.

You can also use olive oil on your hair, which I will do before I shower in which I will then shampoo it out, and it makes my hair incredibly soft and very manageable. I love this. My use of conditioner has drastically declined, and its not greasy.

Olive oil is also awesome for your face. It is a great all-natural way to remove makeup without worrying about getting anything in your eyes, and it is both a deep and effective cleanser as well as a wonderful moisturizer. If you think using oil as a cleanser is crazy, understand that oil attracts oil, whereas water and oil do not mix. So it makes sense that an oil based cleanser or straight oil would attract a lot of dirt from your skin, while nourishing it at the same time. To use it as a cleanser, simply rub a generous portion of it in and onto your skin in firm strokes for a few minutes before steaming off with a hot washcloth of hot running water. End with cold splashes to close your pores. I also use an aloe-vera spray on my face with olive oil as an effective and enriching moisturizer.

I seriously can’t even begin to tell you how awesome olive oil is and simply encourage you to try it in ways you haven’t before.  Be sure to buy extra virgin, cold-pressed organic olive oil, and it is very important to store it in a cool, dark place, as it is heat and light sensitive. I get mine at Trader Joe’s which sells a few varieties for very affordable prices. Enjoy this natural treasure!