Tuesday, October 21, 2008

All in the name of science

A few months ago I was at a pool party at a friend's house and I couldn't help but notice that one of the other guests had quite possibly the most perfect skin ever. I figured she had to be at least my age if not a few years older just given the crowd but she looked amazing. And not just her face either, her stomach and arms were flawlessly smooth also. After a glass of wine (or three) I finally accosted this poor woman in the kitchen and confessed my desire to touch her. Rather than baking away from the crazy stalker lady she smiled and said, "olive oil dear. I use olive oil instead of lotion."

Seriously y'all... She. Looked. Amazing. And her age? 47. (A total faux pas to ask I know but I had already all but petted her so I figured there was no harm in asking.) Now even if I am realistic and think that 50% of her fantastic skin is genetic I was still fairly convinced I should try it. Then I remembered reading something on another blog about it back in the winter and I was convinced. All that remained was waiting until the weather ceased to be in the triple digits, because while I am desperate for soft skin, I don't much fancy cooking myself in olive oil.

Oh. My. God. You guys simply have got to try this! I've done it a couple of times over the last two weeks and my skin feels SO great. Also, it is totally decadent and pampering to rub yourself with oil. Kind of like a poor girl's massage. And other than an intense craving for a thick slice of crusty bread, I haven't noticed any side effects on my otherwise S-E-N-S-T-I-V-E skin.

A couple words of wisdom though:

~ Use sparingly. Seriously. The first time I tried it I just grabbed my entire bottle of olive oil from the kitchen and started slathering up. Thirty minutes later I was still as greasy as a sea bird after the Exxon Valdez incident. A little goes a long way.

~ Which brings me to, it's probably best to try this at night. Unless you are unemployed (as I am) and/or have very accommodating roommates who don't mind if you wander around the house naked while it soaks in. I certainly wouldn't recommend getting dressed right away in anything light colored or dry-clean only. I've taken to letting it soak for about 5 - 10 minutes and then, because patience is a virtue I do not possess, I just throw on an old pair of cotton pants and a t-shirt.

~ Watch out for your pets. If you have an inquisitive furry friend you might want to make sure they aren't in the room while applying the oil. That first day my kitty managed to lick himself into an olive oil induced coma. Which, while the vet assured me wasn't going to harm him, probably isn't good for him either. I'm just saying is all.

Also, oddly enough in the way that once you have an idea about something you see it everywhere... I was watching a sort of biography online about Sophia Loren and she claims to have used olive oil on her skin all her life. There are worse things than looking like Sophia Loren right? And at my salon the manicurist uses olive oil instead of more traditional cuticle oil in her manicures. I've even read you can use it as a deep conditioner/sealer for your hair! I might try that next.

Stay tuned for more stories of D-I-Y waxing and hair coloring!

3 comments:

Liz said...

I am sure this is frowned upon but I pictured you naked hopping from one foot to the other trying to get away for Mr. Sniper. I laughed so hard I choked. I have also been intrigued about olive oil but don't want to resemble an overfried chicken wing.

Anonymous said...

i've heard about this from my esthetician friend before. she uses oo for every freaking thing. it's like miracle grow for humans. lol.

Michele said...

Very cool! Did you use it on your face too or just your body?