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You probably already know about the health benefits of olive oil. Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, olive oil is loaded with antioxidants that help our bodies fight inflammation.
However, olive oil also is useful for a wide variety of other purposes beneficial to the homesteader or off-ridder — from skin care to furniture care. Here are 15 amazing uses for olive oil.
1. Skin care
Olive oil works well as a skin moisturizer, and, despite what you may think, it does not leave your skin with an oily, greasy feeling. Apply it to rough, dry areas on your face and body or add several tablespoons of olive oil to your bath water.
Olive oil also soothes itchy, irritated skin, including diaper rash.
2. Eye makeup remover
You also can use olive oil as a gentle eye makeup remover. Simply dab a little oil on a cotton ball and wipe makeup away.
3. Shaving lotion
Treat your skin to a layer of olive oil before your next shave. Not only will your razor glide along smoothly but also you will get a close shave with fewer nicks.
4. Sore throat remedy
Soothe an itchy, scratchy throat by swallowing a tablespoon of olive oil. It coats the back of your mouth, which also may decrease snoring.
5. Hair treatment
Forgo the commercial hot oil treatments and use olive oil instead. Apply several tablespoons of warm olive oil to your damp hair and massage into your scalp and through the ends.
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Leave the oil on for 30 to 45 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Your hair will be soft and conditioned.
6. Ear ache relief
Place a few drops of warm olive oil into the painful ear for soothing relief.
7. Paint/sticky substance remover
You can remove paint, sap, chewing gum and other sticky substances from your hands by scrubbing them with a little olive oil and salt. Pour one teaspoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of salt into your dry palms and rub the mixture vigorously through your palms and fingers. Rinse with water.
8. Furniture polish
Olive oil gently and effectively cleans wood. When you add a teaspoon of olive oil to a quarter cup of lemon juice, you can create a non-toxic polish for your furniture.
9. Leather cleaner
To clean and shine your leather shoes, belts and boots, apply a little olive oil and then buff with a soft cloth.
10. Hinge lubricant
Wipe a little olive oil onto squeaky door hinges. It works just as well as WD-40!
11. Stainless steel and brass cleaner
You can clean stainless steel and brass surfaces with only a soft cloth, some olive oil and a little elbow grease.
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First, wipe off any debris. Next, apply a little olive oil onto a clean, soft cloth. Then, buff the metal well in circular motions with steady pressure.
12. Sticker remover
Remove annoying stickers and sticker residue by dabbing olive oil onto the area and then letting it sit. After a few minutes, you should be able to peel the sticker and its residue right off.
13. Hairball prevention
Is your cat bothered by hairballs? You can help prevent them by adding a quarter teaspoon of olive oil to your cat’s food each day.
14. Lice treatment
Olive oil helps kill lice. Pour a tablespoon or more of olive oil onto dry hair. Using a nit comb, comb out any visible lice and then cover the head with a shower cap for six to eight hours.
Next, comb a tablespoon or more of apple cider vinegar into hair. Cover again with the shower cap and leave the mixture on the hair overnight. In the morning, shampoo hair and comb out any remaining eggs with the nit comb.
15. Lamp fuel
In an emergency, you can use olive oil for lamp fuel. Pour olive oil into a glass jar and poke a hole in the jar’s lid. Insert an oil lamp wick into the jar and light.
Homer called olive oil “liquid gold” and Thomas Jefferson once described it as it “the richest gift of heaven.” Now that you have learned some of the many ways olive oil can benefit your life, you can understand why it has such an illustrious reputation, and you will want to keep a spare bottle or two in your pantry.
What uses would you add to our list? Share your olive oil advice in the section below:
