DO YOU LIKE OLIVES?

“The olive tree is surely the richest gift of Heaven”

Thomas Jefferson

Olive, or Olea europaea, is a small tree that belongs to the Oleaceae family and grows in the Mediterranean region, Southern Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Africa and some regions of North and South America. The olive tree is an evergreen short tree with a twisted trunk, usually it is not more than 8-15 m. The leaves have silvery colour and are quite oblong, the flowers are small and white. The fruit is represented by a drupe, or stone fruit. It is usually small and oval-shaped. In fact, olives are commonly harvested in the green to purple stage in autumn and winter. Sometimes people use chemicals to turn olives black while canning them.

Useful Components

·       High content of vitamin E. Olives also contain vitamins A, K and B.

·       Antioxidants such as oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleonalic acid and quercetin.

·       Fiber and carbs

·       Iron, copper, sodium, calcium

 Interesting Olive Facts

·       Since ancient times olives have been considered to be a symbol of peace, glory and fertility.

·       The average life span of olive trees ranges from 300 to 600 years but some olive trees can even live for thousands of years.

·       Usually olive trees start to bloom after 4 years and begin to give fruit only after 15 years

·       Olives can’t be eaten immediately from the tree, their fruit usually have a very bitter taste. They acquire pleasant flavour only after being processed with brine.

·       Olives are one of the most broadly grown fruit crops in the world. They are cultivated on a vast territory worldwide, only coconut trees and oil palms occupy more space.

·       Of all the harvested olives only 10 % are used as table olives and 90% are processed into olive oil.

·       Olive oil is presupposed to be the reason why Greeks and Italians live to a very old age

 Methods of Use

Olives can be consumed as food either in the form of olive oil or as table olives. Moreover, olive oil and olive leaves are an important ingredient of different kinds of cosmetics, e. g. shampoos, conditioners, scrubs, creams, lotions, soup.

It’s a well-known fact that olive oil is an essential part of modern cosmetiс products and helps to improve the state of our skin and hair. So we would like to share a very effective hair mask recipe.

Olive Oil Hair Mask

What you need:

·       1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

·       1/4 cup of honey

·       3 capsules of vitamin E (optional)

Take a glass container and mix honey and olive oil with the help of a whisk. Make sure your mask isn’t too sticky, in case it’s sticky add more olive oil. You can also add some liquid vitamin E in capsules to this mixture (it’s great for damaged hair). Whisk your mask until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Apply this mask to your hair with the help of a brush paying special attention to the hair ends. Then cover yourhead with a shower cap or a plastic wrap and wait for about 90 minutes. After that rinse your hair in warm water, then use a shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair.