Olive oil, as mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ according to Abdullah Ibn Omar: "Eat olive oil and massage it onto your skin, for it comes from a blessed tree."
Ibn al-Qayyim says that olive oil moisturizes and softens the skin, and delays the graying of hair.
In addition, you can prepare a mixture with one third olive oil, one third sweet almond oil, and one third honey, the latter helping to purify and moisturize the skin. Apply this mixture to the cracks, then leave it on for fifteen to twenty minutes before rinsing it off, and do this twice a day.
What the science says: wounds, burns, and scars, olive oil and the olive leaf
What published research says about the remedies mentioned above, for context only — the studies address material causes; healing belongs to Allah.
Wounds, burns, and scars
Honey speeds the healing of burns according to a meta-analysis (N Z Med J, 2009) and chronic wounds (Nutrients, 2024); aloe vera (Iran J Med Sci, 2019), propolis (Arch Dermatol Res, 2023), and rosehip oil (J Cosmet Dermatol, 2024) support skin repair. Precaution: a burn that is extensive, deep, or on the face, or a wound that is dirty or becoming infected, is a medical emergency; honey and oils are for a clean wound.
Olive oil and the olive leaf
"Eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it": a 2022 meta-analysis links olive oil consumption to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and mortality (Clin Nutr, 2022). The olive leaf, for its part, has shown an effect on blood pressure and metabolic profile in prehypertensive individuals (PeerJ, 2021) (Phytomedicine, 2011). Precaution: olive leaf extract potentiates antihypertensive treatments — monitor your blood pressure and talk to your doctor.
