The many household uses of olive oil

From The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to do with Olive Oil:

Little known olive oil facts:

  • Joe DiMaggio got more spring in his bat by soaking it in olive oil for 10 days
  • Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl was given a different name in Spanish publications because olive oil was considered too important to be characterized in a cartoon.

    Household uses:

  • Lamp oil
  • Furniture/shoe/brass polish
  • Paint/corrective fluid/wax remover
  • Squeaky hinges

    Pet uses:

  • Put on pet food - eliminate hair balls, gives shiny coat, smothers ticks, lubricates dry cracked nose

    Health uses

  • Repels mosquitoes
  • Cures upset stomach
  • Diaper rash soother
  • Ear ache remedy
  • Hangover (preventative!)

    Beauty uses

  • Makeup remover
  • Bath Oil
  • Sunburn/post-wax reliever
  • Cellulite scrub - when mixed with coffee grounds

    Reduce cellulite and get a tan: Olive oil has long been known for its beauty benefits. It offers optimum moisturization for the skin, softens lips and soothes damaged skin exposed to UV rays. But, did you know that combining coffee grounds and olive oil can reduce the look of cellulite…and you can get a great tan at the same time!

    Next time you go into your local drug store, look at the major ingredients of those expensive cellulite creams. You will notice that the majority of them will contain caffeine. In addition, caffeine can boost natural skin tanning. You can make your own instant cellulite cream, skin-firmer and self-tanning lotion in one formula. For best results, do this treatment two times a week.

    What you need:

    • 1 cup warm used coffee grounds
    • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
    • Newspapers to line the floor of your bathroom
    • Disposable plastic gloves
    • Plastic wrap and rolling-pin (optional)
    What you do:
    • Combine the olive oil and coffee grounds.
    • Take a hot shower to prepare your skin and open pores.
    • Pat dry your body.
    • Stand on the paper and apply the coffee/olive oil mixture to your cellulite areas. Put on the gloves and rub the mixture onto your body in a circular motion. Don't worry if a lot of the coffee mixture falls to the floor. Enough will stick to your skin.
    • Shower with warm water and feel how silky smooth your skin is!
    • After the treatment, spray some olive oil on your skin. It is a skin smoother and softener with great penetrating ability.
    Note: for an extra treatment and to detoxify, wrap the area in plastic wrap for several minutes. To intensify the treatment, use a rolling pin to further smooth the cellulite.

    Just a word of caution:
    This homemade scrub is a bit messy. Do this treatment on a day when you have a few extra minutes to clean the bathroom.

    About Carol Firenze, Author of The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to do with Olive Oil
    As a little girl, Carol Firenze always knew there was something very special about the glistening golden liquid her Italian grandmothers used for cooking. They cherished the substance and wouldn't dream of cooking a meal without it; as a little girl, she learned that olive oil was important in keeping meals tasting wonderful and her family healthy. She was born and raised in Northern California not so very far away from the wineries and fine restaurants of Napa where today that very same golden liquid - olive oil - has become one of the icons of fine living. Author of "The Passionate Olive - 101 Things to do with Olive Oil", Carol has also received her Olive Oil Consultant Certificate of Accomplishment from the Italian Olive Oil Center at the Italian Culinary Institute in New York and is a former Board member of the California Olive Oil Council. Her book reflects a passion to educate others on the breadth and depth of the uses of olive oil.
    >> Website: www.thepassionateolive.com
    >> Buy the book on Amazon

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