My 5 Favorite Ways to Use Olive Oil Outside the Kitchen.

While olive oil is an amazing healthy fat packed with nutrients and health benefits, it's not just for consuming.  Olive oil is used in many beauty products. Because of its richness in antioxidants it helps prevent skin aging, the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and is great for sensitive skin. It nourishes, hydrates and helps skin keep its elasticity. Your skin is your largest organ so all the nutrients and antioxidants you get from eating olive oil will also be absorbed into your skin when using it externally. I use olive oil a lot in my beauty/skincare routines and it's an oil I have come to love. Here are my 5 favorite ways I use it.

1) Body Scrub.  Mix 2 parts olive oil to 1 part brown sugar (I find sea salt and regular sugar too abrasive but you can use them as well) for an all over body scrub. And if you want to eat some while you're scrubbing away in the shower (guilty) hey, even better. Scrub on dry skin because the sugar will melt when it comes into contact with water. Scrub your body (lips, and neck to toes) and then rinse in lukewarm water, followed by a cooler rinse to help seal pores. You can rub even more olive oil on your body after rinsing for an additional health boost and softness.

2) Face Wash. I do the oil cleansing method to clean my face and I'll never use anything else after seeing the results. Most traditional cleansers are full of gunky chemical that make you break out even more because they strip away your natural oils, making you produce more. This way of cleansing gives you a deep clean every time without stripping your natural oils away. My skin has never been happier.  While I use jojoba oil as my base oil (because it's amazing for acne prone skin), I keep a large amount of olive oil in there as well.

3) Makeup Remover. Similar to using olive oil in a face wash to dissolve dirt, oil, and makeup, olive oil makes an amazing makeup remover. I find that the oil method gets rid of all my face makeup and the majority of my eye makeup, but after cleansing I'll go back over my eyes (especially if waterproof mascara is involved) with pure olive oil and it gets the job done so easily and effectively.

4) In the Tub. Adding a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a bath is a great way to add softness to your skin. Just be careful getting out of the tub!

5) On the Hair. Mix two tablespoons (a little less for short hair), one teaspoon lemon juice, and one egg yolk together. Mix it in your hair and leave it for about 15 minutes. Clean your hair as usual and enjoy your amazingly soft hair.

 Side note: I have noticed the lemon in this fades temporary colors (like Manic Panic) rather quickly, so if you're looking to keep your colored hair safe you might want to skip this mask and find one without lemon.

Of course, adding olive oil to your diet will help your skin glow from the inside out and give you a ton of health benefits. I only cook with it or coconut oil and you can add it to salads and even smoothies for an additional nutrient kick.