Beauty Routine - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Most people would have a bottle of olive oil in their kitchen cabinet. I do too, and now I have an extra bottle on my vanity table.

I've long known that olive oil has anti aging qualities that makes it healthy for eating. So I thought, why not use them on my skin? I've used Palmers Olive Butter Lotion which is formulated with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for years and always stock up on them whenever I visit Melbourne.

I've been mixing EVOO in my beauty routine for over a month and you can really see the difference. Even my indifferent husband noticed my smoother skin and softer knees and elbows. Here's how you can use EVOO as part of your beauty routine and please make sure you use extra virgin olive oil rather than other type of olive oil.

1. Body moisturizer - I mix my body lotion (I've switched to a cheaper alternative.. nivea or vaseline will do) with a few drops of EVOO and generously apply the mixture from head to toe. The EVOO gives your arms and legs subtle glow all day long. Just make sure you mix 2 part body lotion and 1 part olive oil, and apply them as soon as you got out of shower, as the oil is easily absorbed when your skin is warmed and slightly damp.

2. Conditioner - I rub EVOO on my hair, from mid length to its end, about an hour before I wash my hair. Try not to apply too close to your roots or crown as you can end up with limp and lifeless hair. After rinsing the EVOO with my regular shampoo, I can style my hair as normal. It helps stop any flyaway and frizz after blow drying or using flattening iron.

3. Scrub - I mix EVOO with other household item I can find at home to make my own scrub. My favorite is mixing EVOO with ground coffee and a tiny bit of water to a pasty consistency, before using it as a scrub. Oh yeah, leave it them on for a minute or two as coffee can help reduce those nasty cellulites.

4. Make up remover - I put few drops of EVOO on cotton facial pads and use it to clean my face and remove eye make up. Afterwards, I wash my face using my regular foaming cleanser. I get easily irritated by eye make up remover, but using EVOO has solved this problem. After about a month using EVOO as eye make-up remover, I swear that my lashes looks even longer!

5. Massage oil - My mother in law known a masseur who lives nearby and she comes to our house every other week or so. I always ask her to use EVOO for massaging (and the coffee scrub after the massage). I gotta say, it's one of the few times I feel happy and grateful to be living in Indonesia.... you can have excellent cheap massage at the privacy of your home anytime of the week.

6. Softer cuticles and feet - I apply drops of EVOO on my cuticle and lather them on my feet before I go to bed at least once a week. Make sure you put on cotton socks afterwards so the EVOO does not rub on to your sheets. I also find that EVOO seems to soften my feet better when I do put on a pair of cotton socks.

I still don't have the courage to put EVOO on my face just yet (other than using them as make-up remover, but I've heard that it can do wonders to your skin. I'll be sure to update this post when I do find the courage to try EVOO on my face and see results (whether it is good or bad)....

Have you tried any of the EVOO beauty 'recipes' above? Do you have any other use for EVOO? Let me know what you think...

XOXO,