Olive Oil |

Facial Oil Fanatic

I remember back in the day, putting baby oil on so I could tan, dabbing my acne with Oxy pads and rubbing alcohol to dry it out, using Neutrogena as a cleanser and Nivea for a moisturizer. Wow, I was a hot mess! My skin never felt nice with all that stuff I was doing. It wasn’t until years later that I realized that simple is better; a natural bar of soap and facial oil-not a lotion or cream- is what my faced longed for.

Creams contain some oil, but not nearly enough to make a big difference. Oils are lipophilic (meaning they pass through the lipid layer of the skin) preventing water loss and plumping skin with moisture more effectively.

So, forget about the oil-free hullabaloo-your skin welcomes natural oils! Not all oils are the same, however, dry skin needs oil that will hydrate and oilier skin needs a lighter consistency. There is an oil for every skin type. It may take a bit to understand them, but once you do you will surely enjoy the benefits of glowing skin and the savings in your pocketbook.

See what the Huffington Post has to say about this new facial oil craze.

Tips for your Skin Type:

Oily skin: Grape seed oil with Tea tree, Cypress and Bergamot essential oil.

Aging skin: Argan, Carrot seed, Borage, or Rosehip oil with a drop of Vitamin E and Geranium, Ylang Ylang or Patchouli essential oil.

Dry skin: Olive oil with Clary Sage or Lavender essential oil.

Acne prone: Grapeseed or Safflower oil with Cedarwood, Lemon, Peppermint, Tea tree or Thyme essential oil.

Sensitive skin: Sweet Almond or Jojoba oil with Jasmine, Lavender or Geranium essential oil.

Use a light coconut oil for protection against wind and cold.

Improve and soothe your face with a dab, gently pat your skin, there is no need to rub, it will absorb naturally.

If you want to learn more about the science behind which oil works best for your skin type in an easy to understand way-check out this post by Dawn Michelle of MinimalistBeauty.com.

The Olives of Greece

…make me happy that we choose olive oil for our soap!

I just returned from Greece and found the Olive trees nearly coming of age. They will mature and be ready to fall into their nets that spread the length of the orchards for as far as your eyes can see.

These age old trees are a delight-some over 300 years of old-growth which makes for better olives and more distinguished olive oil.

This ancient land and its bountiful groves are evidence that we all crave finer oils, learning the process makes it more inviting and worthy of the few extra dollars spent on this delicate oil.

Photographs and drawings most always include olives either being consumed or used in some fashion. Almost everyone has a few trees growing on their land.

At harvest they all come out and the smell is rich with the ripeness and the friendly chatter of villagers gathering their harvested olives and making their way down to the mill.

Although the old mills are no longer in use and a more conventional pressing takes its place, there still remains an old mill, a permanent fixture in every village. The reminder is present and forever dear to the hearts of all that would gather around to help press their olives into oil.

I have included a few pictures of old presses. I never tire of the beauty of these groves, so many pictures, I will share these few.

Olive Oil Continued – Salt Scrub

One of my favorite things to have handy in the bathroom all year-round is a salt scrub. So simple to make and so useful to exfoliate dry hands, feet, elbows, knees and more! Here is a great go-to recipe for personal use and gift giving!

1. First I gather all my ingredients together. For this recipe, I used:

16 oz – Fine Ground Salt
1 oz – Olive Oil
½ oz – Essential Oil

2. The salt I used is a beautiful Velvet Ground Breton Organic Grey Sea Salt (that was a mouth full!) Its texture is similar to sand, but lighter and softer. There are a ton of different salts out there, so work within your budget and needs. If you only have coarse salt around, grind it down to a fine consistency that will work well in a scrub. Weigh out your salt and olive oil in a large bowl and mix together. Find an essential oil or blend of oils to add to your salt. I added my favorite blend of lemon verbena, sweet orange, and honeysuckle. The way I always describe this blend is bright, but homey. This is your part to get creative. Let me know what blend you would use with this recipe!

3. You can leave the recipe at that or you can add something to make it a little more special. I decided to go with ground rose petals. Other great additives are ground oats, lavender petals, ground seaweed, or orange powder. Keep in mind what essential or fragrance oil you are using and how it all fits together.

4. As you can see I only added a few pinches of rose petals. I didn’t want it to overpower the blend, or be too messy in the sink when I use it. It adds some little specks of color in my salt as well.

5. If you’re making this for yourself, put it in a zip lock bag or mason jar and store in a dry place. Or find a cute jar and gift this salt scrub!

6. We always have cute jars and containers around our Abbey Brown shop. I found this mini milk jar that was the perfect size for my 16oz salt scrub. Tie a cute tag on with twine or wraphia and these make the perfect wedding favors or hostess gift!

- Kristina