The Multi-Use Product: Olive Oil
Olive oil is a staple found in any kitchen for cooking purposes. However, many people don’t know the large range of uses for this “miracle” product for cleaning supplies or for daily use.
Here’s five ways to use olive oil outside of the kitchen:
- Leather Maintenance: While this solution is highly debated, I still like to use a tad of olive oil as a quick fix for worn leather. Use a circular motion to rub a little bit of oil into the necessary spot and leave the olive oil to work on the leather for roughly thirty minutes. After simply wipe away with a cloth.
- Clean Pans: Olive oil mixtures can also work wonders in the kitchen, but no only for cooking. It can be used to clean or shine a variety of cooking pans such as stainless steel and cast-iron. Steel pans get their shine back relatively easily through a little elbow grease and buffing with olive oil. Cast-iron pans take a little more work, with a paste of olive oil, vegetable oil and salt. Use a rough brush to aid the paste and rinse with warm water when finished.
- Polish: This may sound obvious, but olive oil can also work as a polish on-the-go. I tend to use it on my shoes if I need it to keep them shiny. You can also use it to polish wood furniture by combining olive oil with citrus juice—I use lemon or grapefruit depending on my mood—and rub it in with a soft cloth. Add vegetable oil to rub out scratches. Don’t over do it because the oil can get greasy if too much was added.
- Skin Treatment: Olive oil has a high level of vitamin E, an antioxidant, and vitamin K, which are both known to improve skin. The oil can be used as a skin moisturizer, shaving cream, exfoliant or make up remover. The skin moisturizing properties in olive oil are from the linoleic acid and the antioxidants, which also protects skin when shaving. I also recommend turning olive oil into an exfoliant when needed by adding sea salt or another grainy ingredient to the mix. The day’s make up can be removed quickly and easily by rubbing under the eyes with a wet cloth.
- Hair Treatment: The vitamin E present in olive oil is also good for scalp circulation to encourage hair growth. It can also be used as a deep conditioner by massaging a warm mixture of water and olive oil into hair. Leave on for 15 to 30 minutes depending on the extent of the damage and rinse during your normal shower routine.
Those are my favorite tips for the multi-purpose olive oil. How do you normally use it in your daily life?
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