Olive oil has commonly been promoted for its high array of health benefits, but not only is olive oil good for your health; it is also useful for personal care, green cleaning, natural remedies and much more.
The health benefits of olive oil comes down to its anti-oxidant properties and high content of nutritious, monounsaturated fats, which means olive oil should be considered one of your main sources of dietary fats. Research suggests that olive oil can support liver protection, assist in healthy cholesterol levels, aid in soothing ulcers, may reduce the risk of heart disease, has natural antioxidant qualities and promote healthy skin, hair and digestive system. Typically, the less processed the olive oil is the more nutrients it contains and buying organic is not only one of the best options for this but buying organic also helps protect the environment.
Olive oil also has many uses and benefits outside the frying pan and these include:
•Healthy Skin: olive oil has been used for skin care for centuries. Soak your hands or feet in an olive oil and water mixture, apply it straight to your skin as a moisturiser or add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a warm bath for a healthy and relaxing soak. Olive oil can also provide a safe and natural alternative to shaving cream for a close shave and can be used as a soothing aftershave.
•Improve Snoring: before bed, taking a small sip of olive oil can lubricate your throat muscles which may help reduce snoring. This can also stop an itchy throat tickle that makes you cough.
•Relieve Earaches: olive oil may prove to be a natural remedy for an earache and to clean out ear wax. Very carefully and gently use a cotton bud to apply olive oil to the outside ear cavity to help reduce earaches. This is only ok to use if your eardrum has not ruptured.
•Clean Measuring Cups and Cooking Tools: are you having a hard time removing sticky mixtures from your measuring cups and other cooking utensils? Simply rub or spray on a bit of olive oil for an easy clean and to remove sticky substances.
•Natural Make-Up Remover: pour a small amount of olive oil onto a clean cotton pad and dab under your eyes, cheeks and forehead then wipe to remove excess oil with a warm damp cloth. You can also slightly warm the olive oil prior to applying for a more luxurious experience.
•Bad Hair Days: olive oil is one of the best natural alternatives for conditioner and can help control frizzy hair on those humid days. Simply comb a few drops of olive oil through your hair daily. Also you can massage 1/2 a cup of slightly warm olive oil into your hair and leave in for 30 minutes once a week, this can help prevent frizz and promote healthier and stronger hair.
•Remove Grease or Paint from Your Hands: combine 1 teaspoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of salt and rub onto your skin and allow the oil to soak into your skin for at least 5 minutes. Not only will your skin look nice and clean, it will also feel soft and nourished.
•Pet Care: adding a teaspoon of olive oil to your cats’ food can help prevent hair balls and provide a healthy and shiny coat. Also, add a teaspoon of olive oil for small dogs and a table spoon for larger dogs (25kg plus) for a healthy and shiny coat.
•DIY Natural Lip Balm: mix olive oil and melted beeswax at a 1:1 ratio and apply to soothe those chapped lips. For a nice fragrance you can add your favourite essential oil.
•Exfoliator: rub olive oil onto your skin then scrub with coarse salt and rinse for a natural skin exfoliator.
Not only is olive oil used as one of your most popular elements for cooking but now it is also widely used and beneficial for personal care, wellbeing and natural remedies. Olive oil is a great all round oil and it is always handy to have a bottle stored on the shelves whether for cooking a delicious meal or to keep your skin looking and feeling beautiful and soft.