Dry skin patches can appear due to a variety of factors, including how your skin reacts to environmental influences. Moisturizing your skin often with a product that traps is moisture is one of the most effective ways to deal with dry skin. Olive oil is one option that can provide relief from dry, irritated, itchy skin.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a non-fragrant, natural skin-care product, making it particularly appropriate for people with sensitivities to fragrances and dyes. It has different antioxidants that may combat skin aging as well as skin cancers. As a skin moisturizer, it contains linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, compounds that help to keep water in the skin.
Dry Skin
The outer layer of skin, called the stratum corneum, protects your body by keeping bacteria and other germs out. The stratum corneum contains oils, cells and water. Whenever the stratum corneum comes in contact with harsh substances such as soap, chemicals and environmental pollutants, those substances can strip water and oil from the skin layer, causing it to dry out. Along with these factors, skin diseases such as eczema and other dermatological disorders, can cause dry skin patches.
Using Olive Oil
Apply olive oil to a dry skin patch to moisturize it and return it to a smoother state. Rub the olive oil into damp skin. The Daily Green website recommends using cold-pressed olive oil since it has the highest amount of nutrients; processing the oil with heat damages the nutrients in oil. Olive oil is greasier and takes more time to absorb into the skin than lotion or ointment moisturizers, but olive oil is more effective at trapping in moisture. Mix the olive oil with a little sea salt to exfoliate the dead skin from the dry skin patch.
Other Tips and Warnings
If your skin becomes red, inflamed or itchy after you apply olive oil to it, stop using the olive oil immediately. If you do not see improved results from using the olive oil on your skin or if the condition worsens, contact your physician or a dermatologist.
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