The humble olive plant is known scientifically as Olea europaea. Mention of olives brings to mind Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Since the 8th millennium BC (10,000 years ago), olive oil has been used in cooking, skincare, soaps, medicines and even as lamp oil.
Olive oil is extracted using a cold press process. The ripe fruit are first ground into a paste which is then spread on fibre discs. The discs are layered one on top of another and placed into a large press. Pressure is applied to squeeze the liquid out of the paste. This liquid contains the olive oil and vegetable liquids. The liquid is then placed into a centrifuge to separate the oil from the liquid. It is important that the oil has as little liquid as possible because the liquid can cause degradation by microorganisms thereby reducing shelf life.
Olive oil contains flavonoids which acts as an antioxidant that repairs damage from free radicals and fights aging.
Olive oil also has Vitamins A (retinol), E (alpha-tocopherol) and K. These vitamins improve skin colour, elasticity, reduce wrinkles, reduce inflammation and help in healing.
Finally, olive oil has an emollient (softening) and moisturising effect on the skin. This can prevent dry skin from occurring which can lead to itchiness and skin damage due to scratching.
We include olive oil into ioula for its emollient, moisturising and skin nourishing properties.
images courtesy of Lucio Patone and Roberta Sorge