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Olive oil not really a ‘secret’ in celebrity beauty

Legend has it that the famed Egyptian queen Cleopatra bathed in milk to maintain her flawless complexion, but, according to the custom of her times, she would have also relied on daily applications of olive oil to achieve her history-changing beauty.

To this day, there are “queens” of other domains who depend on the unparalleled benefits that olive oil brings to the skin and the hair. And many are happy to share the reasons why they believe it is far more useful in soothing, protecting and “lighting up” the hair, skin and nails than the usual costly treatments and lotions.

Here are just two outstanding examples.

Healthful olive oil, the absolutely essential ingredient in Mediterranean cooking, is also the favourite beauty remedy of Miranda Kerr, the top-earning Australian model whose penetrating stare and long, flowing locks swept her beyond the ranks of the Victoria’s Secret Angels to acclaim as founder of her own skincare business, KORA Organics.

As reported by OliveOilsFromSpain.org, Kerr has confided that she adds shine to her hair by using – at least once a week – an olive oil mask and lemon juice, left in place for as long as possible. It was a trick her mother taught her, she said, and split ends became a problem of the past.

The website offered its own variation:

  • Coat your hands with olive oil [“preferably extra virgin olive oil from Spain”] and massage your scalp and hair from the roots to the tips.
  • Cover your hair with a towel for one hour.
  • When the hour is up, wash your hair.

British actress Emily Blunt, who owns a Golden Globe award and has made a dozen fine films including “The Girl on the Train”, “A Quiet Place” and “The Devil Wears Prada”, has said that she uses olive oil on her face to keep her skin smooth and hydrated.

In fact, moisturising the skin is fundamental for celebrity women, especially when visiting or working in chillier climes. Here’s how you can follow suit:

  • Using circular motions, rub virgin or extra virgin olive oil onto your face.
  • Place a damp towel in the microwave for a few seconds, then cover your face with it so that your pores open up and the oil can penetrate deep into the skin.

Keep in mind that olive oil comes from the fruit of the olive tree, a natural-born survivor that flourishes in arid ground which in itself contains few nutrients. And yet the fruit emerges packed with health-enhancing vitamin E and polyphenols. That’s what makes olive oil such a wonderful product for tasty cooking, for enlivening salads – and for making you look and feel great.