The Benefits of Using Olive Oil for Acne

Raiding your mom’s bathroom cabinet as a kid never seemed so fun… Until you pulled the olive oil from the Bloomingdale’s bag your mom brought home.

Moira Hodgson’s 80s New York Times article featuring olive oil excited the masses, preparing for a new stock of olive oil in Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. Mom planned to use the fancy, new, expensive olive oil in every way she could -- cooking, skincare, haircare, you name it. 

But not before her kid got to it first. Cue to the oily, slimy mess all over your face. 

Still a 6 year old at heart with olive oil on your face but not sure what to do with it?

We’ve got your back. And your face. 

Read on with us and we’ll tell you how using olive oil for acne can work. Don’t worry, this article will reassure and encourage you to keep using olive oil for your face -- just perhaps not so messily.

Properties of Olive Oil

Olive oil has always been revered by the ancient world, used by Greeks as hair oil, among many other things. It’s no wonder that olive oil holds a place as an important part of life because of everything it offers. 

Made from natural oils from olive trees, olive oil is used for various purposes, the main one being cooking.

But the properties of olive oil range much further than you think -- from health benefits to skincare. 

The fatty acid in olive oil is why it’s so great to cook with, adding flavor and oomph to your meals. Olive oil also holds antioxidants, helping your body reduce inflammation and protecting your cholesterol.

It can also prevent strokes and heart disease, and help arthritis. It even has antibacterial properties. 

Among all of this, olive oil is beneficial for your skin. Rich in vitamins, olive oil contains vitamins A, D, K, and E. Vitamin E has been used as a topical ointment for skin issues such as psoriasis and eczema -- and olive oil’s use for acne surges vitamin E to your skin.

Olive oil’s benefits for psoriasis are great, so you can rest assured that it’s safe for the skin.

Since olive oil is antioxidant and moisturizing, it can fight bacteria and nourish your face, and using olive oil for acne does work.

Olive Oil for Acne

Everyone’s skin is different. So keep in mind that while olive oil is mildly comedogenic, it could be your saving grace.

Used alone or mixed with other ingredients, olive oil can clear your acne up and moisturize your skin -- all it takes is just the right combination.

Moisturizing and using olive oil over that will bring out the occlusives in olive oil: the hydrating barrier that locks in your moisturization. Olive oil, when used right, can seal your skin’s moisture and even add its own hydration to your skincare.

Olive oil is hydrating for your cells, and by maintaining moisture, your skin might even take on a plumper look.

Along with olive oil’s anti-inflammatory properties, its antioxidants can prevent skin cancer and protect you from harmful UVB-induced damage.

Using olive oil for acne can reduce acne scars and prevent new ones. When you use an olive oil routine to fight oil already on your face, the excess sebum on your skin will strip away (slightly) to reveal healthy skin underneath.

Olive Oil at Work

Olive oil does several things when put to work. A cleansing agent, olive oil allows water to mix in and clean out oil and dirt. You can use olive oil to wash away makeup and grime, cleansing and hydrating simultaneously.

Olive oil also contains emulsifying properties, allowing ingredients to mix -- such as olive oil and moisturizer or as a mixer in its own range of skincare products. It’s also an anti-wrinkle agent, used to alleviate aging symptoms. 

Moisturizing your skin, olive oil forms a protective barrier on your skin and hydrates your skin cells. You can even heal some scars by using olive oil as a spot treatment.

Your acne scars are nowhere to be seen with olive oil, and adding this as a preventative will help your skin in the long run.

After sun exposure, you can even slather olive oil on your face to prevent sunburn and help heal sun damage. For those days where you don’t have sunscreen in your cabinet, olive oil can save you.

But by using olive oil for acne, you can find a happy medium in how to use it for your skin. Oil cleansing is beneficial when massaged into the skin, dissolving other harmful pore-clogging oils. 

Acne is encouraged when your skin has an excess of sebum and oils, meaning that using an oil to fight harmful oils just might work for your skin. This also means you aren’t getting rid of all the oil on your face -- which would just harm and dry out your skin. 

Using olive oil for your acne will counteract the harmful oils while supplying another type of oil. This type of treatment for your skin might introduce a new skincare routine and an all-natural alternative to harmful chemicals. 

How to Use Olive Oil Safely

You can try removing makeup with olive oil by dipping a cotton pad or washcloth in olive oil, wiping away your makeup, and rinsing with warm water.

You can also do the same to moisturize your face. However, we recommend using one of our olive oil skincare products to do so.

Olive oil can repair wounds -- so dabbing olive oil on a wound or acne scar can begin the healing process right away.

Of course, just slathering on olive oil alone might just make you feel greasier, but using olive oil safely with other skincare products might be what it takes to save your skin. 

Olive oil’s properties can alter or change when used with other ingredients, so experiment with it for a bit to see if you have a rhythm with the oil. It’s recommended that you take a few weeks to gauge if your skincare routine is working, giving your skin time to react and build up.

Is It for Me?

Olive oil for skin can be mildly comedogenic, meaning that it might clog your pores even more, but it’s also a stripping agent for harmful oils. Using this for your acne might yield great results.

Again, everyone’s skin is different. Trying olive oil as part of your skincare regimen can be extremely successful or just a moot point, but why not try it at least? 

You can try olive oil straight-up or in a skincare product. We recommend using olive oil for the first time in one of our highly rated skincare products, since olive oil is known to act a little different when paired with other ingredients. 

Since our products feature olive oil while still paired with other beneficial ingredients, you get the trial of olive oil for your acne without diving headfirst into using the oil by itself.

Our Face Products Featuring Olive Oil

With trying olive oil for acne for the first time, we know it can be stressful. That’s why we have a curated line of face products that feature olive oil and its healing properties.

A customer favorite that we recommend for first-time users is our Olivella Moisturizer Oil. This all-natural product uses squalene from olives, bringing you moisturization from the best source. This is a great multi-functional product, available to use for your nails, skin, lips, and heels. Simply dab 2 drops of this moisturizer to smooth onto your skin alone or with other products and you’re good to go.

We also offer an Olivella Moisturizer Cream, which is so lightweight that you can use it under makeup or after showering. You can use this cream in all seasons, ensuring hydration, morning to night. The properties of olive oil in this moisturizer promises supple skin and happy cells.

Our Olivella Counter Clock Hyaluronic Face Serum is also a great treatment for acne -- targeting the skin’s redness and inflammation. Using this skin protectant along with one of our other products will make your skin happy and healthy.

A Happy New Relationship With Olive Oil

Using olive oil for acne might work wonders for you. Whether you plan to use it alone or with one of our olive-oil-infused face products, this treatment might reduce your acne and soothe your face.

Finding your happy medium will take experimentation and determination, but might bode well for your skin’s future. Try your new skincare regimen for a few days and see what your skin thinks. At least then you’ll know how your body takes olive oil for benefits other than cooking.

You can bypass your childhood experimentation with mom’s makeup and skincare products and find your own groove with olive oil. Maybe now your mom will come to you with advice on skincare!

If this article did wonders for you like olive oil does, check out our article on all-natural olive oil soaps. Visit our shop to take a look at our sets and free samples as well!