How to Achieve Softer & Shinier Hair with Olive Oil 

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Olive oil is one of the more popular oils, which has been around for a long time. It is obtained from the olive, a traditional tree resident to the Mediterranean by crushing and pressing the oil from the olives at room temperature. Some industries use heat to try and extract more oil from the olives but this process degrade the quality and flavor of the oil obtained.

Olive oil contains the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid, linoleum acid, palmitic acid, steraric acid, vitamin E & oleuropein. It also contains traces of squalene. Olive oil is usually virgin or extra virgin. There’s a post coming up shortly discussing the differences between virgin and extra virgin olive oil.

5 Benefits of Olive Oil for Hair

• Fatty acids in olive oil coat the hair shaft, giving it a smoother and healthier appearance.
• It’s a natural hair moisturizer for the scalp due to its lightweight nature.
• Tames frizzy hair and flyaways.
• It softens hair and adds shine.
• Combats dandruff when combined with essential oils.

Barbera Lorenzo Organic Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How to Use Olive Oil for Softer & Shinier Hair

• The best use of olive oil is as a hot oil treatment alone or mixed in with other oils such as castor and almond oil.
• As a treatment for dandruff or flaky scalp, you can add 7 – 10 drops of tea tree, eucalyptus or rosemary essential oil into the mix then massage into scalp before the hot oil treatment or leave in overnight and wash out the next morning with a mild shampoo.
• For a mild protein treatment, beat an egg yolk thoroughly, add in a ½ cup of olive oil, mix thoroughly and apply to your head with or without heat. Let it sit for up to 30 mins then wash and condition hair as usual. If the smell of eggs makes you gag, you can add in a few drops of ylang ylang or lavender essential oil to mask the scent of the egg.

Personally, I prefer olive oil in my hair treatments rather than applying it to hair after treatment. For that, I go with other oils such as coconut oil, almond oil and argan oil.

Best Brands of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For a complete list of the best brands of olive oil, read Guide to the Best Brands of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Hair, Health & Beauty.

Fast Fact: The top oil producing countries in the world are Algeria, Argentina, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia & Turkey. Greece, Italy & Spain have the highest consumption of olive oil in the world. Go figure :). 

If you would like to know more about how to use natural oils for specific purposes to get more effective use out of them, you may want to check out How to Grow Hair Healthy & Long with Natural Oils, a guide which goes in-depth into which specific oil (s) works for each hair issues for optimal length and health.