I’d been talking to a friend recently. She’s got amazing smooth skin with tiny pores and seriously does not look like a mother of a young child. She looks like she is the child herself! What’s her secret?
One of the things she uses for her skin is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil? The sort found in kitchens? The kind used for cooking pasta? The oil I dip my crusty baguettes into?
Yes, the very same oil.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) works on the same principle as that of cleansing oils. The only thing that can truly remove oil, so the experts say, is oil. So, using that principle, using oil to remove your makeup at the end of the day is a good thing as it cleans out your pores nicely.
There are many options of oils available, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil and olive oil, just to name a few. In fact, there is a brand called DHC which has olive oil (in a refined form) as its base ingredient and uses it for their cleansing oil. I’ve tried this. Its thick, compared to other cleansing oils and I’ll review it separately one day.
Coming back to the use of Olive Oil. Olive Oil has natural Vitamin E and is touted to have anti-oxidant properties. Some people use it as a moisturiser and claim that it has anti-aging effects. I would imagine that if you have very dry skin on your face, it would be beneficial, but definitely not if you have oily skin.
Anyway, after hearing her rave about it and having read online various reports extoling the virtues of using this oil as a makeup remover, I decided to try it.
I have a bottle of Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my kitchen. I cook with it, and Extra Virgin is the best quality you can get. Where it comes from matters if you are cooking but not for your face I think. To be honest I picked up the Spanish one because it was the only one I could afford then!
I covered the mouth of the bottle with a cotton pad and tipped the bottle over, just getting some oil onto the cotton pad. I then used it on my face. It was quick to remove my makeup. The waterproof mascara took a bit longer, but off it came anyway. My face felt rather oily and sticky due to the oil but it was only a thin layer and didn’t bother me too much. To my surprise, my skin felt very soft and clean which is a bit of an oxymoron as there was the oil still on my face. Oh apparently olive oil makes a great conditioner for the eyelashes too! So maybe this will help them grow/stay soft despite my daily use of mascara.
Then, I washed my face with my usual cleansing foam – Estee Lauder Cyber White Calming Foaming cleanser. This foaming wash usually leaves my skin feeling taut but today, there was no such feeling. My skin actually felt very clean and smooth. Impressive. I then followed up with my usual night skincare routine.
I’m only concerned about any pore clogging effects as I have normal-combination skin i.e. an oily forehead, nose and chin, and normal to dry cheeks. I’m going to be a guinea pig and try this out for 2 weeks and see what happens.
Other benefits of olive oil are:
- Skin Moisturizer – good for elbows or dry bits of skin
- Hair Conditioner – I’m going to try this one day!
- Cuticle Treatment – softens up your cuticles and treats dry bits of skin
Its natural and if it works, its also cheap! 🙂 I’ll be back with my report in 2 weeks time!
curlylocks says
April 13, 2007 at 10:35 amHi Paris,
I see you have tried out the olive oil to remove ur make up!! Glad to see u liked it 🙂 I couldnt have described it better
“my skin felt very soft and clean which is a bit of an oxymoron as there was the oil still on my face”
Exactly!
So far, I have not experienced any clogged pores; if anything my skin feels smoother. Oh, I have also tried it as a serum for hair. works marvelously as long as you don’t use too much, as it can weigh ur hair down… but my hair is a bit dry, so the olive oil really helps to keep it soft and shiny…
Right now I am experimenting with coconut oil though….
Paris Beaverbanks says
April 13, 2007 at 11:22 amCurlylocks: Thanks for coming by 😉 and thanks for your help! I hope it works because my skin seriously felt amazing last night. I’m going to try it as a body scrub some day too 🙂 Coconut oil is traditional no? I’m sure it works great for hair!
doris says
April 14, 2007 at 12:35 amHi… Extra Virgin Olive Oil can flush out gallstones too!
Read: http://dorischua.com/?p=79
julia says
September 30, 2009 at 5:38 amI tried this method of flushing out the gallstones…it really works.
I was having horrible pain across my chest just under the breastbone, horrible heartburn, and lack of appetite with nausea, and I had just had a stomach polyp removed two weeks earlier, so there was no treatment I could take until I healed from the surgery, so I tried this home remedy: 3 TBSP EVOO with 1 TBSP Lemon Juice and drink at night before bed, then again in the morning. The pain was gone withing 24 hours, no heartburn, nausea or poor appetite, 4 days later I went to have my gallbladder, liver, and pancreas Ultrasound and Voila clean!!! I just want to say that this disease runs in my family and the results of a gallbladder removal are not desirable. This really works. The proof was in my pictures.
char says
May 14, 2011 at 2:24 pmcan you tell me how you used the oilive oil to flush out your gallbladder?
I’d like to try that but donot know how much to use and what procedures to go by.
Thank you. It was really inspirational to read your post.
truebluepenangite says
April 15, 2007 at 12:34 amI’ve tried olive oil on hair and although it keeps hair smooth and soft and shiny, it’s such a pain to wash it out. Try chamomile tea for a nice shine to hair. I swear it works
sooyin says
April 17, 2007 at 8:37 pmYour post suddenly reminded me that when I was young, my mum used to apply olive oil on my hair, wrap it up and leave it for about half an hour before washing it! But like truebluepenangite said…it was really a pain to wash out, I remember the bathroom floor getting all oily! 🙂
pertiegurlie says
May 10, 2007 at 3:01 pmIt’s always worked for me…as long as I apply a VERRRYYY THIN FILM onto my skin, rather than glop it on.’Although I’ve read online and offline that camellia oil is better since it is closest to our natural skin oil, and therefore absorbed better….. You should look it up. Maybe that won’t give you spots.
shawnee says
April 27, 2008 at 6:14 pmIhave some dark spots on my legs…do you think vitamin oil can remove are smooth it out?
DaMomb says
December 14, 2008 at 7:17 amParis Beaverbanks… I use a scrub that I make myself of equal parts sugar, brown sugar and extra virgin olive oil. (e.g. 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar). You can also add a couple drops of vanilla if you like. It is wonderful. It works on hands, face, legs (to exfoliate before using a sunless tanning product), feet, arms. Just wash first, and then use the scrub (stirring before using) and rinse off with warm water, not soap. Pat dry. You will be amazed how great your skin will feel! I use plain olive oil as a moisturizer under my makeup and also as an eye cream at night. It is really great stuff!
emma says
October 12, 2009 at 9:24 pmI’ve tried coconut milk on hair before, and it the shiny-ness and softness can last for a few days!
What i did was squeezing from fresh coconut, apply the milk on my hair, wrapped it with a towel and leave on for 1hour. Then wash it off with shampoo.
It is a traditional method taught by my maid from
philipines.
nilofar mirza says
December 24, 2010 at 10:50 pmcan olive oil be used on the face, if not directly but
mixed as it is too thick?
nilofar mirza says
December 24, 2010 at 10:53 pmcan olive oil be used on face at bedtime,mixed with water as it is too thick?
jing says
March 2, 2011 at 7:01 pmCan I use Virgin coconut oil or olive oil as a facial cleanser?
sati bandat says
July 13, 2011 at 9:41 amThank you for the very useful information. I’m going to try it out.