7 Surprising Uses for Olive Oil That You Probably Didn't Know about ...

One of the more unusual uses for olive oil is when you need to remove paint from your skin. When you're painting the house or a piece of furniture, you can absolutely guarantee that you'll get paint on yourself. It's bound to happen when paint is so runny. Rub the oil into your skin, leave for a few minutes, then wash off with soap and water.

Olive oil also makes an excellent wood polish. All you have to do is mix some with lemon juice as if you were making salad dressing. Rub it into the wood with a soft cloth (this is a great way to use old clothes). I've used this method with a wooden chest of drawers I rescued from the street, and the unit looked fantastic when I'd finished.

Is a squeaky door hinge driving you mad, but you don't have any lubricant handy? Reach for the olive oil as a substitute measure. Use a cotton bud to apply the oil to the hinge, and you should find that annoying squeak disappears. You could also use olive oil to sort out squeaky draws or the chain on your bike.

Is there anything more annoying than realising you've run out of makeup remover? There are probably plenty of things, but that doesn't help when you've got a face full of makeup and nothing to clean it off! Well, as long as you've got some olive oil you're ok. Just apply a small amount, but do be careful when removing your eye makeup that the oil doesn't get in your eyes.

You can also use olive oil as a leather conditioner, but don't try it on a valuable designer bag or expensive shoes. Try it on older items that are still in reasonably good condition, but not particularly valuable. It's also best to test it on a small hidden area though, for example the back of the sofa.

Olive oil can also be used to make a simple scrub for your face or body. Mix the oil with granulated sugar - it couldn't be easier! Be sure not to scrub too roughly, and follow up with moisturiser once you've rinsed the scrub off. If you want something more scented, try adding honey and lemon juice. You can also add a few drops of essential oils if you're making a body scrub.

Finally, olive oil is a useful hair conditioner if you've run out or want a natural conditioner. You'll only need a small amount, less than a teaspoon depending on the length of your hair. Massage it in and wrap your hair up, leave for 20 minutes and then shampoo out. It's important to shampoo after applying the oil, otherwise you'll have very greasy hair!

Olive oil is cheap, easy to find, and most of us have it in the kitchen. So it's a very useful ingredient for all kinds of uses - not just cooking! Do you have any other amazing uses for olive oil?