19 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do With Olive Oil (Fun with OO)

lesser known benefits of olive oil
Leonardo Olive Oil June 25, 2015 Benefits of Olive Oil, DIY 3904 Views

Olive Oil owns every room it enters; be it the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom or the garden- there’s always something Olive Oil can fix or repair or make better! We’re confident you’re using it to cook and bake the most delicious of treats, but did you know that the healthiest, most delicious oil could also do these remarkably randomly yet hugely handy 19 things?

Health

  1. Throat irritation: If you are experiencing an irritated throat or some sort of discomfort, you could drink one teaspoon of olive oil; this will make you feel better instantly!
  2. MUFA power: High Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids help to prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, brain haemorrhage and also dulls the need for insulin in diabetics- which can greatly simplify their every day existence!
  3. Pet Care: If you have a cat, olive oil can help prevent hair balls from forming in their stomach and make their coats look extra glossy. If you have a dog, you can use olive oil to heal and soften painful cracked paws, an unfortunate side effect of walking on a hot path.
  4. Stop snoring: Consumer one-half teaspoon each of olive oil and honey daily to reduce snoring. Being a strong anti-inflammatory agent, olive oil healingly loosens the tissues all along the respiratory passages to provide a clear passage for air (you’re welcome, spouses!).
  5. Cholesterol Control: Olive oil helps in raising HDL, the good type of cholesterol. Olive oil also contains phytochemicals and vitamin E, which help to clear cholesterol from the arteries, so it’s a heart patient’s best friend!
  6. Cognitive functions: The consumption of olive oil helps protect against the deterioration of the cognitive functions related to ageing, loss of memory and Alzheimer’s. Visual memory and verbal fluency has also been known to improve with the regular use of this oil!

Personal Care

  1. Remove paint from your body: Be it Holi, or just a particularly artistic day, just rub olive oil on your messy arms, legs, face or hair, and allow the oil to soak into the skin for five minutes. Then rinse with soap and water and see your skin again!
  2. Shaving kit addition: Not only can it be used as a post-shave moisturiser, it also acts as a substitute lubricant for shaving cream due its protectively moisturizing effect on skin!
  3. Manicures/pedicure: Regular usage on your fingers and toes ensures that the cuticles stay moist and nails remain strong and shiny, with nothing more than an overnight soak!
  4. Makeup remover: Definitely something all of us should do every day is remove the remnants of the day’s decorations. Dab a bit on a clean, damp cloth and rub, but do be careful that the oil doesn’t get in your eyes!
  5. Face and body scrub: Mix Leonardo olive oil with granulated sugar in a bowl and apply generously. Be sure not to scrub too roughly, and follow it up with moisturiser once you’ve rinsed it off. If you want more aroma, try adding honey, lemon juice or essential oils for an elegant body scrub!
  6. Blemishes: Olive oil can keep the skin blemish free. Clear up acne by mixing 4 tablespoons salt with 3 tablespoons olive oil; the principle is that the salt cleanses the pores by exfoliation, while the olive oil restores the skin’s natural moisture.

Household Care

  1. Make wood furniture shine: Wipe down wooden furniture around the house with a teaspoon of olive oil soaked into a soft rag to give it the sheen its losing or to remove stains. You can even add a bit of vinegar or citrus juice to bulk up the cleaning power and scent!
  2. Easy clean for utensils/equipment: After a day of baking a homemade cake, cooking or even gardening, rub or spray olive oil on your measuring tools and equipment for easy clean-up of sticky substances like honey, grain mustards, sugar syrups and even wet mud build up!
  3. Stuck zippers: Use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the teeth of a zipper, making sure to dab gently so it doesn’t spread itself around and ruin the garment and, then gently ease the tab down with its kind permission.
  4. Condition leather: Be it an old baseball glove or a pair of boots with a rich history; to remove marks of ruin, apply some Leonardo olive oil on older items that are still in reasonably good condition but have lost their shine. They’ll be soon looking as valuable as they feel!
  5. Squeaky hinges: Use a rag or cotton swab to apply olive oil to the top of a problematic hinge in your home or automobile. You can keep putting on drop after drop till it becomes absolutely noiseless again. Sneak freely!
  6. Remove sticky things: Be it gum on your shoe, those nasty temporary tattoos on your child’s skin or a sticker on your cupboard door, a good rub down with an olive oil soaked face cloth and a couple of minutes of waiting should make it all good as new!
  7. Makeshift light source/diya: In case there is a power outage, or a badly planned Diwali waiting to take place, putting a little bit of olive oil in a glass/ceramic container, dipping half of a cotton wick in it and lighting the opposite end of it can really help light things up in the most comforting way possible!

Now that you’re absolutely convinced you need to have a jar of olive oil at your house at all times, head on over to our guide to choosing the right olive oil brand for a step in the right direction!