Olive Oil as a Facial Cleanser

I've already mentioned in a previous blog post how much I adore using oils on the skin. You've probably also heard about the fact that olive oil is good for the body whether it's applied to the skin or ingested through the foods we eat. Let's also not forget that it is an ancient beauty secret. This is probably the reason why more and more cosmetic companies are including olive oil as a basis for a wide range of personal care products.

I do love my olive oil. In fact it's the only kind of oil that I use for cooking.

Recently I've decided to take a very natural approach towards my skin care regime and have started using olive oil as a facial cleanser. I got myself a smaller bottle just to keep in the bathroom.

 I can say that it works a treat and after I finish using up all my other cleansers, I will probably just stick with good old olive oil - that's if I can refrain from the temptation of trying out other chemically based beauty goodies out there...But for the time being, I'm really loving the idea of using a product that gets the job done and is completely safe to use.

For the past two weeks I've been using olive oil as a night-time cleanser to remove my make-up and give my skin a bit of extra moisture. I pour a little bit onto the palms and spread it over my face and neck, massaging gently. It does feel very oily whenever you're working it into the skin but rinses off very well, meaning that once you pat your face dry there won't be an oily residue on your towel. What I like to do as well if I'm in the bath is to take a wash cloth or face towel, soak it in very warm water and then apply onto my face for a few minutes once the oil is on to really steam the skin, open up the pores and thus aid even deeper cleansing.

Olive oil does a great job of removing make-up and is also very gentle on the eyes. I can actually keep my eyes open while I cleanse my skin.

It leaves the skin feeling soft and clean. My skin doesn't feel tight or stripped of moisture following cleansing. It really hydrates the skin.
And no it doesn't leave the skin oily looking - just healthy and vibrant. In fact I still like to apply a moisturiser, serum or even almond oil after cleansing. And no worries - it doesn't leave you smelling like a greek salad either. I had a very dry patch just below my eye for a while and couldn't get rid of it but it disappeared once I started using the olive oil. The other great thing about it is that it makes for a very efficient yet very cheap cleanser.

I will now also be using olive oil for:

• moisturising dry areas such as knees and elbows
• use on nails and cuticles
• use as a scrub by mixing it with brown sugar
• use as a face mask by mixing it with honey
• as a hair conditioning treatment by rubbing it into the hair and scalp prior to shampooing