Olive Oil is the #1 Beauty Secret in Italy

After a fruitful summer, I’m taking a vacation and I’m happy to say that I’m writing this blog post from Italy. I’m inspired by the beautiful Italians around me and can’t help but wonder what their beauty secrets are.

As it turns out, olive oil plays a significant role in the Italian beauty mystique. It’s such a healthy ingredient and can be used in a number of ways to enhance anyone’s beauty.

Here are some quick, easy, and Italian-inspired ways to use olive oil in your home spa beauty routine:

1. Eye Make-Up Remover: Italian women are known for their long, dark, thick eyelashes and dramatic eyes and they use olive oil to remove their makeup. Olive oil has a gentle cleansing action and as a bonus, it helps strengthen and condition the lashes as it brushes across the eyes.

2. Lip Balm: Italian women often use olive oil in lip balm recipes to keep their lips kissable, soft and supple.

3. Face Mask: Not surprisingly, olive oil is a great ingredient to add to facial masks because it cleanses pores, moisturizes dry skin, and smooths wrinkles. It’s good for normal, dry, mature and even sensitive skin types and Italian women don’t let a week go by without applying a face mask with olive oil to their skin.

4. Hair Conditioner: Italian women are also known for their long, wavy tresses and once again, olive oil works to cleanse and condition their hair. Olive oil also adds shine and gloss and helps repair damage from the roots to tips.

5. Nail Treatment: What’s the point of wearing your gorgeous rings, bracelets and watches if your hands and nails aren’t looking healthy and polished. Soaking your hands in olive oil will help condition dry and brittle nails and will help your hands look and feel splendissima.

6. Foot Treatment: Italian stilettos make a fashion statement, for sure, but the feet have to look great by themselves before they slide into those lovely shoes. Use olive oil in your pedicure to cleanse the skin, soften rough patches and reduce swelling.

7. Massage Oil: As a licensed massage therapist, I know the value of a relaxing massage. Add drops of your favorite essential oils to some olive oil and apply it to the body to soften skin and soothe pain and take a holiday from stress.

8. Nutritious Diet: Italian women are also known for their curvaceous, hour-glass figures and many, including Sophia Loren, give the credit to olive oil. Olive oil is highly nutritious and full of antioxidants and it helps people stay slim and trim while still eating healthy meals. Eating olive oil also lowers high blood pressure and reduces the risk of contracting heart disease and cancer. 

Enjoy the rest of your summer! Ciao for now!
 

Summer Beauty Tips for Hair

By Maria Koropecky, guest writer and esthetician

After a long day at the beach, the sunlight, salty ocean water and the sand may leave your hair looking frazzled. To keep your hair from falling flat or frizzing up this summer, here’s a home spa recipe for an After-Sun Hair Mask. Not only will this hair mask condition your hair and make it feel softer, it will also protect the color and repair some damage. Apply this messy but fun treatment to hair once every two weeks in the summer months in addition to your regular shampoo, conditioner and styling products.
 

 Your self care ritual : After sun hair mask.

Hopefully, you’re growing these herbs and flowers in your garden and have the rest of the ingredients stocked in your kitchen pantry. If not make a trip to your local farmer's market!

3 fresh sage leaves – treat normal or damaged hair and give it extra shine.
3 fresh basil leaves – detangle, strengthen and condition hair.
1 TB lavender flowers – renew hair's silkiness, shine and tone scalp.
½ ripe avocado – conditions scalp and hair.
2 TB coconut oil, melted – cleans, revitalizes, protects and conditions dry or damaged hair.
2 TB apple cider vinegar – controls dandruff, balances pH, conditions hair.
½ cup powdered eggs – increase hair’s manageability, volume, and shine.
2 TB olive oil – cleans, conditions, moisturizes, repairs damage, adds shine, and stimulates scalp.

Method:
1)   Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the basil, sage, and lavender into a paste. Smell the aroma.
2)   Add the avocado, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar and mix well.
3)   Then mix in the powdered eggs (which you can find at a health food store). The mixture should be the consistency of scrambled eggs.

Manner:
1)   Make a batch of the After-Sun Hair Mask.
2)   Brush your dry hair to stimulate your scalp, loosen dead skin cells, and to spread the natural oils down the shafts.
3)   Moisten your hair with warm water.
4)   Bending over the sink, grab a scoop of your hair mask and apply it to your wet hair in a nice, thick and even layer. Have towels handy as this will get messy. If any drops of the mask fall into the sink, may sure to throw them away rather than wash them down the drain to keep your drain from clogging.
5)   Massage the mask into your hair and cover each strand from root to tip. Remember to work the mask into your scalp as well. You can also comb the mask through your hair with a wide-toothed comb.
6)   Arrange your hair on the top of your head and leave the mask on your hair for about 10 to 15 minutes. Wear a plastic shower cap, if you’d like.
7)   Rinse out the hair mask with warm water, preferably over a sink with a garbage disposal. Use the olive oil to help rinse the mask out of your hair.
8)   Towel dry the excess water from your hair.
9)   Shampoo and condition your hair as usual
10)  Towel dry your hair and then let your hair air dry.

Storage:
Do not store this recipe for future use. Make a fresh batch as you need it.
 
Let us know if you feel a difference in the condition of your hair the next day. We'd love to hear from you.