I hate spending a lot of money on certain things like beauty products.
Maybe it’s because I’m one of those consumers that sees a commercial or ad and I’m like, “Oh, if I just buy that I can look like that!” And then I drop more money than I wanted to and I don’t see those “immediate” results and in a drawer it goes. I’m not “like that” at all. I’m just upset at myself for having spent the money.
Lately I’ve seen some daytime shows where they’ve touted the great benefits of using food products in a daily beauty regimen so I decided to give it a try and do some research on something we always have on hand-olive oil.
Come to find out, olive oil is really good for your face, body and hair! And here’s the really good news: you can buy the less expensive olive oils sold and still benefit. I bought my olive oil at Safeway for $5.00 and it will probably last me at least 6 months (I bought this bottle strictly for my beauty regimen, I use extra virgin olive oil to cook with). Here’s just a few examples of how to use it everyday and stop spending so much on skin care.
- HANDS – Mix olive oil with water and soak your hands in it before you do a manicure. Makes your hands so soft and actually made my nails look shinier and healthier after just one time.
- LIP BALM -Mix olive oil and melted beeswax in a 1:1 ratio for a soothing and moisturizing balm for your lips. I haven’t tried this yet but I have been rubbing just olive oil on my lips at night and my lips are smoother, less dry and the little lines around my lips are less noticeable.
- BATH OIL – Pour a few drops in your bath for an all-over body moisturizing experience. I have a ton of bubble bath I got for Christmas so I’ve been adding the olive oil to the tub along with the bubble bath….you don’t have to use but a drop or two and it doesn’t make you feel sticky….just softer and silkier.
- MAKE-UP REMOVER -This cuts through foundation, powder, blush, and mascara without having to use a lot and it really gets your face clean. You can put some on a cotton ball or use your fingers (that’s what I do), smear all over your face and remove with a warm washcloth. Using olive oil on your face is not going to make you break out and I read that even sensitive skin can tolerate it. But if you have concerns, try just a little bit on a small area of your face first.
- CONTROL HAIR FRIZZ/DANDRUFF CONTROLLER/DEEP CONDITIONER -Your hair is going to love you for this! You can comb a small amount through your hair to help condition and control frizzy hair, especially in the winter. (Don’t try this for the first time right before a special event-it takes just a drop and if you add too much, you might end up with greasy looking locks and be upset and never try it again!) Add a little to the ends of your hair (like a smoothing fluid) and get smooth and conditioned looking tips for pennies or, for a weekly deep conditioner, wash your hair, add an equal amount of oil and water to your hair and wrap in a towel for 30 minutes and then shampoo again. My husband visited our dermatologist recently for some dry spots on his scalp which turned out to be eczema and the dermatologist recommended he add olive oil to his shampoo regimen and it worked. (Without having to buy a “specialty product” that costs tons of money). Or as a daily hair conditioner, apply a little after you shampoo and rinse well. It really makes your hair shiney and healthy looking.
- SHAVING -Who knew? You can actually get a close shave with olive oil. Apply the olive oil, shave, rinse with water and for extra benefit, rub a little more in afterwards…after doing this just once, I’ve decided I’ll never use shaving cream again. It worked and my legs have never looked or felt better.
- ALL OVER MOISTURIZER – Just rub it in wherever your skin is extra dry. Works really well on dry, cracked heels and rough elbows.
- CUTICLES – Rub a little into your cuticles every night before going to bed and you’re going to see quick results. I had been using a cuticle oil that cost a pretty penny for a very small bottle and the olive oil works just as good.
- EXFOLIATE – This one is my very favorite! You can mix some sugar or coarse salt with the olive oil, rub into your face (or whatever party of your body you want to exfoliate) and then rinse off with a warm washcloth. What I’ve been doing three times a week (my skin is really dry) is after taking my make-up off, I’ll rub some olive oil all over my face and let it sit for about 5 minutes while I do something else. Then I take a small pinch of sugar and rub that into the olive oil and massage my face for a minute. Oh my gosh, you can feel it totally invigorate your skin and I could just visualize all that dead skin sloughing off. Then I get a really warm washcloth, wipe everything off and it literally looks like I just stepped out of a spa treatment!! LOVE IT
*You can put the olive oil in a spray/spritz bottle or if you have any type of glass container or jar with a lid, pour some in that and dab a cotton ball in the oil to apply-(or simply dip your finger in but make sure your fingers are clean and make sure the container is clean and sterile also). Look for inexpensive jars and bottles at a thrift store or dollar store.
Both the olive oil and sugar containers were purchased at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 each. I used blue painter’s tape for the labels because it’s easy to remove if I want…if you’re creative with label making, you can “fancy up” your containers.