About
The original massage and body oil of the ancient world, olive oil is deeply nourishing, rich in oleic acid, squalene, and polyphenol antioxidants. Its distinctive green aroma and heavy texture limit its use in modern blended massage, but it remains excellent for dry and mature skin, scalp and hair treatments, and holds enduring therapeutic significance.
Olive oil is among the most ancient and culturally significant oils in human history, with cultivation dating back over 6,000 years to the Eastern Mediterranean. Homer called it 'liquid gold.' Used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome for cooking, lamp oil, religious ceremony, and body care, its use is documented in texts from every major ancient Mediterranean civilisation — including as a massage and skin conditioning treatment.
Benefits
- ✓Rich in oleic acid and squalene for deep moisturisation
- ✓High polyphenol antioxidant content
- ✓Traditional wound healing and skin conditioning
- ✓Excellent for very dry skin and hair treatments
- ✓Rich cultural therapeutic history — the original massage oil
Pairings (13)
Olive oil's heavy texture and strong natural scent can compete with and diminish lemongrass's fresh aromatic character.
Olive oil's strong, characteristic scent can overpower bergamot's delicate aroma; best used in very small proportions within a carrier blend.
Olive oil's strong characteristic scent can interfere with Rose Otto's delicate aroma; best reserved for very small percentages in a blend.
Olive oil's strong characteristic aroma competes with and muddies rosemary's fresh profile; best reserved for therapeutic rather than aromatic applications if combined.
Olive oil's strong inherent scent can compete with Tea Tree's aroma, and its heaviness is less ideal for skin blends where Tea Tree is typically employed.
The oldest recorded therapeutic combination in Western aromatherapy — ancient Mediterranean physicians used olive oil infused with lavender for skin and muscle care. A historically and therapeutically significant pairing.
A sacred pairing with ancient roots across Mediterranean, Egyptian, and Middle Eastern traditions. Both have documented anti-inflammatory and skin-supportive properties, and their combined history spans millennia of therapeutic use.
Properties
- Aroma
- distinctive, fruity, slightly grassy
- Consistency
- heavy
- Absorbency
- slow
- Shelf Life
- 18 months
Contraindications
- ⚠Strong distinctive aroma — not universally acceptable in massage; check client preference
- ⚠Heavy texture — blend with lighter carriers for most massage applications
- ⚠Extra-virgin preferred for therapeutic use; refined has less aroma but fewer actives
- ⚠May aggravate eczema in infants — avoid for baby massage