The Legend of Olive's Creation

According to an old Greek myth, the first olive tree was created after a heavenly dispute between Poseidon and Athena over the Acropolis possession. Tired of their dispute, Zeus, the god of all gods and goddesses, decided that whoever would invent something useful to human would be the one to claim the possession. Athena ultimately had the call as she created the first olive tree on Earth. This may be a myth but olive oil has proven to be of great use and value to mankind since ancient times - as culinary essentials, medical remedies, and even more widely used as cosmetic ingredients because of its soothing and healing power.

The Origin of Olive

Think of olive, and you will easily associate it with something from Italy. Whilst Italians have been famous for using olive oil, olive tree is not an indigenous plant of Italy. The exact origin of olive tree cannot be traced but one thing for certain is that it has been here long enough to command respect from mankind. It is believed that olive tree was first spread to Egypt and Greece from Southwest Asia and then to South Italy, probably sometime between the 7th and 8th century B.C. Olive oil was highly valued by the ancient traders because it could be used for a great variety of purposes. Phoenician navigators even called olive oil "liquid gold".

The Many Faces of Olive

Archaeological finding revealed that ancient people preferred using olive oil to make fine cosmetics , instead of using it as salad dressing. Apart from using it as anti-aging/anti-wrinkles skin care supplement, ancient Egyptians were aware that, combined with other natural ingredients like milk and wax, it produced a great nourishing effect to the hair. Similarly, the Greek used olive oil for body care and particularly, therapeutic massages. It is known from historical records that athletes in ancient Greece applied olive oil to their body to warm their muscles.

Ancient Romans were also serious about olive tree cultivation and even made their subjects to pay yearly tributes in olive oil. The use of olives in culinary practice can be traced back to the ancient Romans who used olive oil as dressing of different plates and in many great recipes. Like their Egyptian and Greek counterparts, Romans also used olive oil in making cosmetics and for body care, e.g. perfumes, healing ointments, body creams, massage oil and even teeth whitener. Later olive oil was used as a major natural ingredient for making soap.

The Use of Olive Oil in Cosmetics

You may be surprised by now to know that the use of olive oil in making cosmetics and body care products is not a "modern" invention. It has a long tradition as its use in culinary art. As our ancestors had discovered, olive oil works extremely well on our skin. Why? Simply because:

• its acidity is closely compatible with the skin and is therefore easily absorbed by the skin;
• it revitalizes and tones our skin, making it soft and smooth;
• its protective qualities make it an effective agent against free radicals which cause skin aging;
• it nourishes and heals our skin and works especially well on sun-damaged skin;
• it has good antioxidant properties and protects our skin from damages caused by ultraviolet rays.