Olive oil is one of nature's best kept beauty secrets. Full of antioxidants, vitamins, and heart healthy fats, you may be up to date on why it's good for your gut or how daily consumption supports brain health, but did you know it's even more powerful when applied straight to your skin? That's why people around the world have been making soap with olive oil for generations!

The first ever soap made with olive oil dates back to 2000 BCE in the Fertile Crescent, thanks to a healthy population of Mediterranean olive trees. And Castile soap, which originates from the Castile region of Spain, was traditionally made from 100% olive oil. It's even rumored that Cleopatra used a bar of EVOO soap back in the day! Although you can make soap from any kind of olive oil, a high quality extra virgin olive oil—like Graza's single origin options—are going to be the most potent sources of vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids like oleic acid (the key to creating a moisturizing lather).

So what makes olive oil a skin superfood? 

Good for All Skin Types

Olive oil soap is safe to use for all kinds of skin! That's because it's gentle enough to cleanse the skin and restore your natural barrier—which in turn helps treat dry, itchy, or inflamed skin, and conditions like psoriasis and eczema. 

It's also non-comedogenic, which means that it doesn't clog your pores. If you have combination or more oily skin, olive oil soap makes for a great option that works to balance moisture levels in your skin, keeping your pores clean, and preventing breakouts from trapped sweat and bacteria.

Face and Body Safe

It's easy to focus on your face skincare and forget about the rest of your body—grabbing a body wash or soap out of convenience and not thinking much (or at ALL, let's be real) about the ingredients beyond its scent.

But in the same way that "you are what you eat," your skin is a living, breathing organ. That's why the types of products (and their ingredients) you use matter! And we should share the same standards we apply to the foods we buy that fuel us day to day to what we put on our skin.

Extra virgin olive oil soap is made from natural, plant based ingredients, and gentle enough to be used for both your body and your face, leaving your skin silky smooth. 

A Natural Anti-Aging Secret Weapon

Naturally high levels of antioxidants like Vitamins A and E, polyphenols, as well as beta carotene make olive oil soap a dermatologist favorite.

Free radicals attack our DNA, protein, lipids in our cells, and affect how we age. Polyphenols work to reduce the free radical damage and oxidative stress caused by environmental factors we're exposed to everyday like UV radiation and pollution.

Beta carotene is a skincare time machine, promoting cell regeneration and boosting skin elasticity. And because EVOO soap is so moisturizing and rich in fatty acids and oils like squalene, it helps replenish the natural oil in our skin, preventing wrinkles and filling in dry spots and wrinkles to give your face a smoother appearance.

Kid Friendly

Yup, all that good stuff applies to the kiddos as well! Since olive oil soap is super mild and gentle, it's long been recommended by pediatricians as a great option for babies and children to cleanse the skin without leaving it dry.

You can even cut off a piece and run it under water when starting a warm bath for a more moisturizing, natural alternative to your typical bubble bath. Though thanks to its rich lathering abilities, you're still guaranteed plenty of bubbles!

Hair Softness & Shine

Did you know you can swap your shampoo for EVOO soap?? Naturally cleansing, olive oil soap helps moisturize the scalp, prevent split ends, and even can help get rid of dandruff. The natural oils coat your locks, leaving them soft and shiny. Plus the vitamins and antioxidants soak into your scalp, helping promote stronger hair and new growth.

Wanna get your hands on soap that you know meets the Sizzle and Drizzle standard? Check our own new collab with creative studio metahaiku: "Sudsy," a soap made with Graza extra virgin olive oil!

Wanna learn more about the science behind olive oil? Check out more articles here!