30 Unusual Uses for Olive Oil
By Chris McAndrew
So, you have bought your bottle of Olive Oil to drizzle over your salad or maybe to cook with but did you know that this wonderfully versatile product has a few other uses?
1. Substitute for shaving cream. Olive oil can provide a safe and natural lubricant for a close shave. Rub in an extra teaspoon after washing your body or face once finished.
2. Make your own furniture polish. Restore the lost lustre of your wooden furniture by whipping up some serious homemade furniture polish that's just as good as any of the commercial stuff. Combine 2 parts olive oil and 1 part lemon juice or white vinegar in a clean spray bottle, shake it up, and spray on. Leave on the mixture for a minute or two, and then wipe off with a clean cloth or paper towel.
3. Fingernails. Use a bit of olive oil to moisturize cuticles, or mix oil and water and soak your hands before a manicure.
4. Lubricate Measuring Cups and Spoons. Rub or spray olive oil on your measuring tools for easy clean-up of sticky substances like honey, grain mustards, and sugar syrups,
5. Control hair frizz. Comb a bit of olive oil through dry hair to tame the frizz and flyaway's on humid days or in the winter.
6. Free a stuck zipper. Use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the teeth of a zipper, then gently ease the tab down.
7. Care for your cat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to your cat's food to help prevent hairballs, and provide a shiny coat.
8. DIY Lip balm. Mix olive oil and melted beeswax in a 1:1 ratio, with an essential oil for fragrance, and say goodbye to dry and chapped lips.
9. As hair conditioner. Is your hair as dry and brittle? Put the moisture back into it by heating 1/2 cup olive oil (don't boil it), and then liberally applying it to your hair. Cover your hair with a plastic grocery bag, and then wrap it in a towel. Let it set for 45 minutes, then shampoo and thoroughly rinse.
10. Shine stainless steel and brass. Rub a bit of olive oil on a clean rag to prevent streaks, corrosion, and tarnish.
11. Exfoliate your face and hands. Rub your skin with olive oil, and then scrub with sugar or coarse salt, and rinse.
12. As you bathe. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to your running bath water. You'll be amazed when you towel off.
13. Remove makeup. Dab a bit under your eyes, on your cheeks and forehead, then wipe with a damp cloth.
14. Cure an earache. Very carefully, use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the outside ear cavity to help with earaches and excess wax.
15. Remove paint from your skin. Rub on olive oil onto messy hand and arms (or faces) and allow the oil to soak into the skin for five minutes, and then rinse with soap and water.
16. Treat lice. Apply olive oil to your youngster's hair, and leave on for at least 40 minutes. Shampoo twice, and then apply a preventative.
17. Stop a throat tickle. Take a sip of olive oil to stop the itchy flicker that is making you cough.
18. Fix a squeaky door. Use a rag or cotton swab to apply olive oil to the top of a problematic hinge in your home or automobile
19. Shoe polish. Rub down your shoes with just a spray of olive oil to maintain their shine.
20. Clear up acne. So, the idea of applying oil to your face to treat acne does sound a bit strange but many people swear this works: Make a paste by mixing 4 tablespoons salt with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pour the mixture onto your hands and fingers and work it around your face. Leave it on for a minute or two, and then rinse it off with warm, soapy water. Apply daily for one week, then cut back to two or three times weekly. You should see a noticeable improvement in your condition. (The principle is that the salt cleanses the pores by exfoliation, while the olive oil restores the skin's natural moisture.)
21. Soften your skin. Rub olive oil daily on notoriously dry areas, such as your feet or elbows, especially after a shower, shaving, or waxing.
22. Easy clean up of garden tools. Spray some olive oil on your tools to cut down on dirt build-up.
23. Condition leather. Rub olive oil into worn leather, such as a baseball glove, and let set for 30 minutes, and then wipe away any excess.
24. Clean your greasy hands. To remove car grease or paint from your hands, pour 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt or sugar into your palms. Vigorously rub the mixture into your hands and between your fingers for several minutes; then wash it off with soap and water. Not only will your hands be cleaner, they'll be softer as well.
25. Cure nappy rash. Gently wipe on olive oil to your baby's bottom to help with the irritation of diaper rash.
26. Remove paint from hair. Did you get almost as much paint in your hair as you did on the walls in your last paint job? You can easily remove that undesirable tint by moistening a cotton ball with some olive oil and gently rubbing it into your hair.
27. Floor polish - Mix three parts lemon and one part vinegar for well working wood polish.
28. A mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup water used as a night cream will make your skin glow. The olive oil softens and moisturizes and the vinegar lightens discolorations, kills bacteria and loosens dead skin cells. Splash water on your face before applying.
29. To prevent your pasta from overflowing, try pouring a tablespoon of olive oil into the water before boiling.
30. Replace butter - When cooking, try adding a little bit of olive oil instead of butter for a healthier and better tasting meal.
All of this from the 'stuff' you just bought as a salad dressing! (Don't try any of this with Mayo!!)
So, you have bought your bottle of Olive Oil to drizzle over your salad or maybe to cook with but did you know that this wonderfully versatile product has a few other uses?
1. Substitute for shaving cream. Olive oil can provide a safe and natural lubricant for a close shave. Rub in an extra teaspoon after washing your body or face once finished.
2. Make your own furniture polish. Restore the lost lustre of your wooden furniture by whipping up some serious homemade furniture polish that's just as good as any of the commercial stuff. Combine 2 parts olive oil and 1 part lemon juice or white vinegar in a clean spray bottle, shake it up, and spray on. Leave on the mixture for a minute or two, and then wipe off with a clean cloth or paper towel.
3. Fingernails. Use a bit of olive oil to moisturize cuticles, or mix oil and water and soak your hands before a manicure.
4. Lubricate Measuring Cups and Spoons. Rub or spray olive oil on your measuring tools for easy clean-up of sticky substances like honey, grain mustards, and sugar syrups,
5. Control hair frizz. Comb a bit of olive oil through dry hair to tame the frizz and flyaway's on humid days or in the winter.
6. Free a stuck zipper. Use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the teeth of a zipper, then gently ease the tab down.
7. Care for your cat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to your cat's food to help prevent hairballs, and provide a shiny coat.
8. DIY Lip balm. Mix olive oil and melted beeswax in a 1:1 ratio, with an essential oil for fragrance, and say goodbye to dry and chapped lips.
9. As hair conditioner. Is your hair as dry and brittle? Put the moisture back into it by heating 1/2 cup olive oil (don't boil it), and then liberally applying it to your hair. Cover your hair with a plastic grocery bag, and then wrap it in a towel. Let it set for 45 minutes, then shampoo and thoroughly rinse.
10. Shine stainless steel and brass. Rub a bit of olive oil on a clean rag to prevent streaks, corrosion, and tarnish.
11. Exfoliate your face and hands. Rub your skin with olive oil, and then scrub with sugar or coarse salt, and rinse.
12. As you bathe. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to your running bath water. You'll be amazed when you towel off.
13. Remove makeup. Dab a bit under your eyes, on your cheeks and forehead, then wipe with a damp cloth.
14. Cure an earache. Very carefully, use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the outside ear cavity to help with earaches and excess wax.
15. Remove paint from your skin. Rub on olive oil onto messy hand and arms (or faces) and allow the oil to soak into the skin for five minutes, and then rinse with soap and water.
16. Treat lice. Apply olive oil to your youngster's hair, and leave on for at least 40 minutes. Shampoo twice, and then apply a preventative.
17. Stop a throat tickle. Take a sip of olive oil to stop the itchy flicker that is making you cough.
18. Fix a squeaky door. Use a rag or cotton swab to apply olive oil to the top of a problematic hinge in your home or automobile
19. Shoe polish. Rub down your shoes with just a spray of olive oil to maintain their shine.
20. Clear up acne. So, the idea of applying oil to your face to treat acne does sound a bit strange but many people swear this works: Make a paste by mixing 4 tablespoons salt with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pour the mixture onto your hands and fingers and work it around your face. Leave it on for a minute or two, and then rinse it off with warm, soapy water. Apply daily for one week, then cut back to two or three times weekly. You should see a noticeable improvement in your condition. (The principle is that the salt cleanses the pores by exfoliation, while the olive oil restores the skin's natural moisture.)
21. Soften your skin. Rub olive oil daily on notoriously dry areas, such as your feet or elbows, especially after a shower, shaving, or waxing.
22. Easy clean up of garden tools. Spray some olive oil on your tools to cut down on dirt build-up.
23. Condition leather. Rub olive oil into worn leather, such as a baseball glove, and let set for 30 minutes, and then wipe away any excess.
24. Clean your greasy hands. To remove car grease or paint from your hands, pour 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt or sugar into your palms. Vigorously rub the mixture into your hands and between your fingers for several minutes; then wash it off with soap and water. Not only will your hands be cleaner, they'll be softer as well.
25. Cure nappy rash. Gently wipe on olive oil to your baby's bottom to help with the irritation of diaper rash.
26. Remove paint from hair. Did you get almost as much paint in your hair as you did on the walls in your last paint job? You can easily remove that undesirable tint by moistening a cotton ball with some olive oil and gently rubbing it into your hair.
27. Floor polish - Mix three parts lemon and one part vinegar for well working wood polish.
28. A mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup water used as a night cream will make your skin glow. The olive oil softens and moisturizes and the vinegar lightens discolorations, kills bacteria and loosens dead skin cells. Splash water on your face before applying.
29. To prevent your pasta from overflowing, try pouring a tablespoon of olive oil into the water before boiling.
30. Replace butter - When cooking, try adding a little bit of olive oil instead of butter for a healthier and better tasting meal.
All of this from the 'stuff' you just bought as a salad dressing! (Don't try any of this with Mayo!!)
