Four years of Mother’s Days in front of the tulips on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. :)

More Wordless Wednesday and even more WW at 5 Minutes for Mom

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After being plagued with seriously dry skin, as well as some patchy red spots on my face for the entire winter, despite putting on moisturizer and Kiss My Face hand lotion (figuring I needed all of the moisture I could get in Colorado’s dry climate), I have finally found something that has fixed the problem. It’s natural, non-toxic and most likely located somewhere in your kitchen. What could this miracle moisturizer be? OLIVE OIL!

I recall reading something a long time ago about using olive oil as a skin moisturizer, but then, not having a need for it at the time, it slipped right out of my head. However, I’d been racking my brain the last few weeks wondering if I would ever get over this skin condition and if maybe I needed to see a dermatologist, when the olive oil idea popped back into my head.

It certainly couldn’t hurt, I thought. So I went to the cabinet, got out the bottle of extra virgin olive oil, put a small amount on my fingertip, headed to a mirror in the bathroom and applied it to the dry patches on my face.

The very next day my skin looked a little bit better, so I started a nightly regimen with the oil. It only took a few days for there to be a dramatic difference and I’m kicking myself now for not taking before and after pictures.

Before you think I’m crazy, I will tell you that I did a Google search on using olive oil as a moisturizer and came across this post at The Frugal Life where a woman says, “I use olive oil for a moisturizer on my skin. It does a great job and I get compliments all the time.” I also found this thread on Thrifty Fun where a woman advises, “You should never use on your face something you cannot actually eat!” Good suggestion, especially in light of the recent findings on sunscreen. (Check out Skin Deep to find your moisturizer’s or any other cosmetic or personal care product’s safety level.) And then there’s The Olive Oil Source that recommends, “You’re not going to be using that much so use the best olive oil; extra virgin. Pure and Light olive oil has been chemically processed, avoid it.” So I’m a little relieved to find I’m not the only one who is doing this, though I wonder what Rachael Ray has to say about using EVOO on the face? ;)

Honestly, my face doesn’t really smell like pizza. :oP The only possible bad side effect that I can think of is if you apply the oil before going out in the sun you’ll likely cook your face. So I advise only putting it on before bed, and only a very small amount at that.

And now I’m kicking myself again for buying nearly $11 Cetaphil lotion (recommended by a dermatologist) this weekend to treat the dry skin on the backs of Ava’s arms. I totally should have tried EVOO first!

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