5 Ways To Get Gorgeous With Olive Oil

I used to work with this super elegant, gorgeous, older woman stylist who happened to be Italian, and during the wee hours of one particularly long shoot, I asked her what was the secret to her native countrywomens’ longevity. She didn’t hesitate: “Olive oil,” she replied. One of the greatest beauty icons of all time, Sophia Loren, concurs. She attributes her stunning 75-year-old good looks to “a love of life, spaghetti, and the odd bath in virgin olive oil.” [Celebrity Health & Fitness]

Ingesting the stuff is one thing—it’s loaded with healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. But there are plenty of more superficial benefits as well. Here’s how to work a bit of olive oil into your beauty regimen.

1. If you ask me, the idea of taking a bath in olive oil sounds a little McCrazytown, but I have heard that you can apply some extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil to your face (caution re: the eye area), and remove any excess after ten minutes for an anti-aging mask.
2. Olive oil also works wonders on dry hair, but I would warn that it’s best on thick hair, as it tends to cling on even after you’ve washed it out. Apply to clean hair and wrap in a warmed towel, then allow to sit for 20 minutes and rinse well. Like, really well.
3. You know that Vaseline trick where you put it on your feet, cover them with cotton socks and wear to bed for super soft tootsies in the morning? You can totally do that with olive oil.
4. Ditto for cuticles. While you can buy cool but expensive oil products especially labeled for your hands and nails, the stuff you use to cook with works just as well.
5. You’ve heard that people make body scrubs out of sugar and salt, right? By mixing such ingredients with olive oil, you get the same exfoliating benefits, but your skin will feel all silky and conditioned after as well.

Got any other ideas? Lay ‘em on us.