What is Olive Oil Lotion?

Olive oil lotion is a skin-care and beauty product that is used to help moisturize the skin. Olive oil in itself is a natural emollient that has been used for centuries to moisturize the skin and the hair, in addition to being used to flavor and cook foods. In fact, some people find that olive oil is a great lotion all by itself and will rub a few drops into their skin as needed. Other people find that this method makes their skin too oily and use an olive oil lotion to receive the skin benefits of olive oil without having to deal with greasy skin.

In most olive oil lotion formulas, the olive oil is just one of the emollients that is included in the ingredients. Sometimes other natural emollients such as shea butter are added to the lotion. It is most common for olive oil lotion to be made for the hands, feet, or body. It is usually considered to be too strong for the face. Olive oil lotion may be used, however, to treat severely dry skin on the face. On other types of skin, such as balanced skin and oily skin, olive oil lotion is likely to cause the skin to be too shiny and feel too oily.

Many companies that produce and sell olive oil lotion assert that the nutrients in the product that are so revered as part of a healthy diet can also benefit the skin. It is believed by some that olive oil contains antioxidants that, when absorbed into the skin, help to protect the skin and keep it healthy and looking youthful. Olive oil easily absorbs into the skin and helps to improve skin's elasticity. In so doing it prevents the skin from small tears and roughness, which keeps the skin in good condition.

Olive oil has a mild fragrance of its own, but it is often combined with other scents and essential oils when it is added to olive oil lotion recipes. Sometimes this kind of lotion is scented with vanilla extract. Other times it is scented with fruitier essential oils. Although there are some brands of olive oil lotion that claim to be unscented, this only means that no extra scented product — such as essential oil or fragrance — was added to the formula. It is quite likely that the product will still have a natural scent that comes from the olive oil.