Olive Oil Benefits: Lesser Known Benefits Of Olive Oil

What Is Olive Oil?

Olive oil was even popular in the ancient world. At that time it was known as liquid gold. Olive oil is obtained from olives that grow extensively in the Mediterranean Basin.

Once the olives are plucked, they are pressed to get the oil. Olive oil is a known oil as it can be used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and also as fuel for traditional lamps. Olive oil is commonly used in cooking as it is beneficial for the hair, skin, and overall health. Olive oil has become an integral part of our everyday routine.

There are different types of oil depending on how they are ‘pressed’ and also if they are collected after the first, second or later pressings. There are 4 types of olive oil, which are:

1. Virgin Olive Oil

It is a popularly used variant of olive oil as it is commonly used in cooking due to its low acid content. It is pocket-friendly as well.

2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This olive oil is produced by cold pressing of the olives. This oil is most beneficial for health. It is not as commonly used as virgin olive oil because the cost of extra virgin olive oil is high. It is best consumed as a drizzle on top of salads, pastas, and bruschettas.

3. Pure Olive Oil

Pure olive oil is the purest form of olive oil. It is the refined version of virgin and extra virgin olive oil. Since it is in its purest form, it has high acidic content and hence, cannot be used for cooking.

4. Lampante Oil

This type of olive oil is only used as fuel.

Watch Video: Benefits Of Olive Oil

Nutritional Values Of Olive Oil Per 100 g

Source: USDA

16 Benefits Of Olive Oil For Skin, Hair & Health

Olive Oil Benefits For Skin

1. Healing Of Cracked Heels

Olive oil has the ability to add moisture and smoothness to cracked heels and gives you the confidence of exposing your heels. You can easily exfoliate your cracked heels by mixing olive oil with hot lemon water and rubbing it on the heels. For better results, after rubbing the olive oil, you can wear socks.

2. Lip Scrub

Olive oil also works like a scrub for your lips. Olive oil can smoothen chapped lips. You can apply it on your lips by mixing it with lemon juice and crushed brown sugar, before going to bed. In this mixture, lemon and sugar are the exfoliating agents.

3. Helps In Anti-Aging

When you start to age, your skin starts sagging and gets wrinkles. Olive oil aids you in aging gracefully as with the help of olive oil, you can delay these signs of aging. Mix olive oil with lemon juice and sea salt and gently massage your face where it is rough, dry and scaly.

4. Makeup Removal

After you come back from a party, the removal of makeup might be a challenge for some. If you have sensitive skin and you cant use makeup removers for removing makeup, or you want a natural make-up remover, then you can mix olive oil with honey and yogurt and use it as a natural makeup remover.

5. Improved Skin Health

In order to get glowing skin naturally, you can use olive oil in face packs. Olive oil has Vitamin E which has the ability to improve the health of the skin by treatment of inflammation, acne and protects skin from serious diseases such as psoriasis.

All you have to do is mix olive oil with honey and yogurt and apply it on your face for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, wash off this face pack with lukewarm water. If you do once every week, you will definitely see the difference in your skin.

Olive Oil Benefits For Hair

6. Pre-Shampoo Treatment

If you massage your hair with olive oil every time before you shampoo, you will notice that your hair is shinier and stronger. Olive oil aids in the moisturization of hair and reduces scalp irritation. You simply massage your hair with olive oil 20 minutes before you shampoo them.

7. Healthy Hair

Since olive oil has a high content of Vitamin E, it can reduce hair fall to a great extent. You can make a hair pack by adding honey and egg yolk to olive oil and applying it on your hair for 20 minutes. After that, wash your hair with lukewarm water. Honey has a lot of nutrients that are beneficial for hair. Similarly, egg yolk is rich in protein which is the main nutrient required for healthy hair.

Olive Oil Health Benefits

8. Relief From Constipation

Olive oil helps in the stimulation of your digestive system. If you consume olive oil regularly, it completely stops constipation from occurring. Olive oil is beneficial for the gastrointestinal tract and it ensures that food moves smoothly through the colon.

9. Control In Cholesterol

Olive oil can aid in lowering the bad cholesterol from your body. Olive oil has very low levels of polyunsaturated and saturated fats due to which it can control the blood cholesterol levels in the body. Olive oil has around 75-80% of monounsaturated fat, which ensures there is more good cholesterol in the body.

10. Aids In Losing Weight

Olive oil can even aid in weight loss. The best part is, you can lose weight while eating your favorite foods. You can make pasta with olive oil or add olive oil as a dressing on salads.

11. Treatment Of Depression

Olive oil also works as an antidepressant. Olive oil has the ability to increase the levels of serotonin which is a brain chemical and can lift up your mood from sad to happy.

12. Improved Bone Health

Olive oil increases the levels of osteocalcin, which ensures your bones stay healthy. Hence, not only calcium but olive oil can also lead to healthy bone formation.

13. Reduces Risk Of Diabetes And Alzheimer’s

Olive oil can control the level of sugar in the blood which reduces the risk of diabetes. Olive oil contains oleocanthal, which, according to ongoing studies, can aid in managing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

14. Reduces The Risk Of Breast Cancer

There is a compound found naturally in the leaf of olives, called oleuropein, which has anti-breast cancer properties. However, these studies are still ongoing, and further research is required to ascertain this possible benefit of olive oil.

15. Improve In Nail Health

Nails are a vital part of the human body. The appearance of your nails also affects your overall personality. Olive oil can heal pale, lifeless, dull and brittle nails. Vitamin E in olive oil improves the health and appearance of the nails.

16. Stroke Prevention

If you consume extra virgin olive oil regularly, it could reduce the risk of strokes in older age. Olive oil dilutes the blood clots in the blood vessels so that there is proper flow of the blood in the brain.

Tips To Keep In Mind While Buying Olive Oil

• Check if the bottles say that the olive oil is extra virgin. Extra virgin olive oil is more beneficial to health.
• Ensure that the olive oil has not traveled a lot of countries before reaching the store. If it has come a long way, then there may be a possibility that it is degraded.
• Olive oil does not get better if stored for a longer period of time. Check the date of manufacturing and then buy olive oil.
• Check if the olive oil is produced in your own country. This would mean that it is of better quality.
• As soon as you buy the olive oil, taste it and smell it. If you find any weird odors or taste, return it back.

How To Store Olive Oil

• Store the olive oil in a dark and cool place.
• Ensure that the lid of the bottle in which it is stored is closed tightly when not in use.
• You must store the olive oil in a glass bottle which is dark or opaque. You can also store it in a stainless-steel container.
• Make sure that the oil is always placed far from air, heat, and light.

Side Effects Of Olive Oil

• Even though olive oil has a number of benefits, but there are some side effects which you must not ignore.
• If you are using olive oil to cook for pregnant or lactating women, ensure that you use less quantity of olive oil.
• Don’t apply olive oil on cuts or wounds without consulting an expert.
• While cooking, don’t preheat the oil for long as it may lose its beneficial properties and burn.
• Olive oil does help in weight loss but excess consumption may lead to gain in weight.
• Excess usage of olive oil may lead to falling in the level of blood pressure, blockage of the gall bladder and various other diseases.
• Olive oil can drop the level of sugar in the blood. Hence, if you are diabetic, you must consult your doctor before starting the consumption of olive oil.
• Olive oil is rich in calories and its excessive consumption may increase the risk of heart diseases.
• Some people may be allergic to olive oil which can lead to itchy skin, skin rashes, eczema, etc. Always check for allergies before adding anything new to your diet.

Conclusion

In conclusion, olive oil has many benefits which makes it a versatile oil. There have been studies that prove the same. If you have not used olive oil till now, give it a try and see the results for yourself but avoid excessive use of the oil as it may lead to certain side effects.