Oh, baby, it’s cold outside! You can feel it – and often see it – on your skin. So, tonight, plan something soothing and rehydrating for yourself…take a relaxing olive oil bath. Yes, many generations have known the secret to beautiful winter skin can be found in your kitchen. How intriguing is that?

Often, secrets from the past catch up to our present to change the future. Researchers recently revealed that the superfood olive oil is also an ancient key that unlocks the door to beauty as it creates a moisture barrier for your delicate skin while vacationing on sun-kissed beaches, skiing on wind-swept slopes, hiking through canyons, or just relaxing at home.1

Our bodies naturally produce squalene, a molecule that helps skin retain moisture, but its effectiveness starts to decline heavily in our 20s. Antioxidant-rich olive oil helps maintain skin’s elasticity and softness by nourishing, hydrating and rejuvenating skin cells while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. While many expensive anti-aging skincare products contain olive oil, using natural organic products (found in your kitchen!) is a healthier alternative. Organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is recommended.

Dr. Oz describes olive oil as “an anti-aging wonder food with head-to-toe benefits that is also liquid gold.” He encourages everyone to use it daily. So what’s the secret?

Gorgeous Italian actress Sophia Loren adds two tablespoons of olive oil to her bathwater. Australian model Miranda Kerr swears by mixing olive oil with a little lemon juice for shiny locks. “It’s a home recipe my mother taught me, and I have yet to find a better way to repair my split ends,” she told French Elle Magazine. My personal secret is adding a drop to moisturizer and perfume for longer-lasting hydration and fragrance.

Consuming olive oil also nourishes nails, hair, and body from the inside out. Pairing it with another of my favorite beauty secrets from the kitchen, apple cider vinegar, gives you a tasty inflammation-fighting dressing to spice up salads and dishes. Research shows consuming a daily tablespoon of apple cider vinegar has health benefits for type 2 diabetes, may help arthritis, heart health and promotes weight loss.2

Here are tips for the perfect olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing:

Use the 3-to-1 rule: 3 Tablespoons olive oil to 1 Tablespoon vinegar
Rinse lettuce, add oil and toss. Residual moisture distributes the oil evenly and keeps lettuce from wilting from vinegar acids.
Drizzle vinegar onto lettuce and toss.
Season with your favorite herbs to taste.

So, there you have it. The secret to beautiful winter skin can be found in your kitchen. Use olive oil inside and out for healthy hydration all season long.

Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos of Rancho Mirage is a survivor, author, dream expert, speaker, TV/radio host/producer and has been featured on Dr. Oz and The Doctors. For more information, visit KathleenOkeefeKanavos.com.

References:
1) https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/basics/the-facts-about-olive-oil-and-skin-care/85377;
2) https://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/how-to-use-apple-cider-vinegar-for-weight-loss/