NATURAL REMEDIES | OLIVE OIL ON THE SKIN

The health and beauty benefits of using olive oil on the skin have been known for centuries and ensure that this precious little mediterranean fruit is at the top of any list of natural cosmetics.

Extra virgin olive oil can be uused directly on the skin as a single cosmetic, or can combined with other ingredients to produce natural home-made cosmetics for face and body care. Today we want to share with you some home-made used for olive oil as a cosmetic so that you can try them for yourselves.

If you dont have time to try these at home, or prefer to leave your beauty regime to the experts, take a look at our Essenza di Riviera line of natural olive oil cosmetics, created with a super-light cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from the Italian Riviera.

HOW TO USE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL ON THE SKIN

Extra virgin olive oil is a superb natural skin remedy used to treat: dry skin (thanks to the vitamin A and E), acne, eczema, scarring, hair and nails. Olive oil is also also a versatile cosmetic suitable for different skin types.

Make-up remover

Benefits: reoves makeup naturally with added cleansing properties

How to use: extra virgin olive oil is a great make-up remover: add a few drops to a cotton but or cotton pad to remove gently from the face ay traces of make-up and build up of dirt or smog.

Tip: use a few extra drops of olive oil to treat yourself to a delicate relaxing facial massage, before rinsing the face and completing the treatment by rubbing onto the face a moisturising cream. We reccomend ESSENZA DI RIVIERA moisturising day cream.

FACE MASK FOR DRY SKIN

Benefits: a natural nurishing and moisturising treatment for dry/delicate skin and dry/ chapped lips.

How to use: Mix thoroughly:

• 2 teaspoons of olive oil (cold-pressed extra virgin works best)
• 2 teaspoons of yoghurt
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey

Spread the mix across the face, and leave the mask on for about 15 minutes, before wasking off with warm water.

FACE MASK FOR OILY / GREASY SKIN OR ACNE PROBLEMS

Benefits: a purifiying and cleansing treatment for all skin types and those affected by acne.

How to use: Mix thoroughly:

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil (cold-pressed extra virgin works best)
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 2 teaspoons of white clay
• 1 teaspoon of warm water
• Several drop of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix all of the ingredients, apply to the skin and leave on for about 15 minutes before washing off with warm water.

FACE AND BODY PEELING AND TO TREAT ACNE IN YOUNG PEOPLE

Benefits: exfoliates the skin and helps treat acne.

How to use: extra virgin olive oil is an excellent base for face and body peeling. Add bicarbonate of soda (ratio of 1 teaspoon of bicarb to 3 teaspoons of olive oil), or alternatively sea salt (ratio 2 cteaspoons of sea salt to 3 of olive oil).

This treatment can also be used to deal with acne: repeat daily for 1 week, before reducing to 2 or 3 times a week; the salt cleans and purifies the pores, whilst the olive oil invigorates the skin.

For a professional cleansing, we reccomend trying the Essenza di Riviera exfoliating facial scrub, where sea salt is replaced with granulated olive stone.

OLIVE OIL FOR NEW BORNS AND TODDLERS

Benefits: treatment of scull cap and red skin.

How to use: to treat skull cap in new born babies and youngsters, gently apply olive oil to the skin in affected areas. Leave to soak per for a while before a normal cleaning and wahing off with shampoo.

For red, chapped skin add two teaspoons of olive oil directly to the bath water.

Tip: Essenza di Riviera products are natural and so delicate that they are ideal for children.

OLIVE OIL COMPRESS FOR FRAGILE / DAMAGED HAIR, DANDRUFF AND SPLIT ENDS

Benefits: a delicate wash that will restructure dry or damaged hair.

How to use: using the fingertips, massage extra virgin oolive oil into the hair until the tips and the scalp. Leave on and wait for 20-30 minutes. Dont worry about the greasiness of your hair, just allow it to soak in - due to the saponification effect, the molecules in the olive oil will combine with the cutaneous oils and reinforce the subsequent cleansing action of restructurising shampoo, that can be used for a 100% natural hair wash.

OLIVE OIL TREATMENT FOR THE HANDS AND NAILS

Benefits: hydrates the hands and strenthens the fingernails.

How to use: to care for the hands and nails, pour a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of salt into the palms of your hands rub together energetically for several minutes, before washing with a gentle soap. We reccomend Essenza di Riviera range of natural soaps. You should be left with softer hands and your nails will be more resistent to cracks and breaks.

ANTI-CELLULITE OLIVE OIL MASSAGE

Benefits: extra virgin olive oil gives shine and tone to the skin and is ideal for massage:

• to lubricate and rub down outer layers of the epidermis.
• to treat cellulite: cold-pressed olive oil enriched with natural aromas has an anti-cellulite action.
• to hydrate the skin, treat with lightly-warmed olive oil to dry areas of the skin
• for specific treatments: in many beauty and health centres, olive oil based products are used for cleansing and drainage massages.

How to use: We reccomend a massage with Essenza di Riviera grape seed revitalising oil mixed with a drop of almond oil.