Fabulously Green

The best part of your health & beauty regimen may be hiding in your kitchen.

My friend Edmund, who works with eco-rocker Sheryl Crow and introduced me to chemical-free cleaning, lives by a simple rule:

if you can’t eat it, don’t use it — and for
Pete’s sake don’t ever put it on your skin.

Much has been written about the chemicals found in cosmetics that may contribute to rising statistics of breast cancer in young women, testicular cancer, infertility and learning disabilities (check out this article “The Chemistry of Beauty” by Sena Christian). Stats aside, it doesn’t take Madame Curie to question what the downsides might be of slathering ourselves with chemical compounds does it?

It’s time to replace and revive. One of the first natural products worth giving a try may be found right in your own kitchen: olive oil. Julia Ormond’s character washed her hair with it in the film the English Patient, and the Hellenic men of Sparta were said to have oiled themselves at the gymnasium to bring more visual definition to their bodies. So whether you’re male or female the beauty secrets go on…

OLIVE OIL: FIVE TO TRY

• Makes for a great shave.
• Moisturizes cuticles, legs, elbows and feet right after shaving, showering or waxing.
• Controls frizz on humid days. Dab on the way you would any other hair laminating product.
• Removes your make up. Just rub on, wipe off.
• Exfoliates. Mix in with some sugar or sea salt — scrub and relax

BUYING TIPS

• Consumer Reports recommends Goya Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a solid all-purpose oil.
• Stick with cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oils.
• Choose oils stored in dark bottles or opaque containers since light can make oils turn rancid.