What else can you do with olive oil besides use it in and on your food? Anytime we here at Old Town Olive find a new use for olive, we’re pretty happy. We want our favorite fruit in the world to be valuable in everyone’s home for as many reasons as possible.
Check out these odd and cool uses for olive oil we found.
Around the House
- Paint removal for skin and hair: Did your paint job turn out to cover you as well as the walls? Rub olive oil into either skin or hair and watch the paint come right off.
- Clean greasy hands: Olive oil plus a teaspoon of sugar or salt will cut through even heavy car grease and easily leave your hands clean. (Makes a great exfoliator for her too.)
- Leather cleaning and conditioning: If your favorite pair of leather boots, penny loafers, or pumps is looking a little rough, polish them with some olive oil on a soft cloth and watch them clean up and shine up. Same with saddles, jackets, and baseball gloves—they all condition beautifully with olive oil.
- Sticker remover: If your children have gotten carried away with their sticker phase, or if you want to remove the label from a bottle you want to keep, olive oil will take it off. Just let the oil sit for a few minutes, then the label and the adhesive will come right off.
- Polish stainless steel and brass: It can be hard to keep your metal lamps and appliances looking good. Fingerprints seem to happen no matter what you do and resist cleaning, even with specialty cleaners. Try olive oil on a cloth. Press firmly and start rubbing.
Skin Care and Beauty
- Makeup removal: We all appreciate wear-proof or even water-proof makeup that gets through the day without disappearing. But come time to take it off, it can take some pretty harsh chemicals to do the trick. Stay natural and use olive oil instead. You’ll find it does very nicely, even with stubborn waterproof formulas.
- Lip balm: Mix olive oil half and half with melted beeswax. It makes a wonderful lip balm. If you want it scented, add essential oils. If you want it colored, substitute your favorite color of melted crayon for the beeswax.
- Sunburn: Smooth olive oil onto sunburned skin every day. It will soak right in and help it heal instead of peeling.
Healthcare
- Lice: Eventually, unless you live in a bubble, your children will get lice. Lots of studies have been done to find at-home remedies for lice, and olive oil is one of the recommended treatments. Full instructions can be found at the Head Lice Center.
- Rashes: Babies get irritated skin like diaper rash and cradle cap. Adults get rashes like eczema and psoriasis. Olive oil is a good soother for all irritated skin. Of course, make sure the source of the irritation is removed as well, but olive oil helps with itching and cracking as the skin heals.
- Acne aid: If you know someone who suffers from acne, give them this simple homemade paste to help clear it up. Mix four tablespoons of salt with three tablespoons of olive oil. Work some of this mixture into affected skin and let it stand for a couple minutes, then wash it off with warm, soapy water. Start daily, and decrease the application as the skin heals.
Olive oil isn’t just for cooking, although we certainly welcome its wonderful taste and health properties in the kitchen. Get creative and see what else olive oil can be used for.