Summer is here, bringing with it the desire for summer lunches, mozzarella and tomato by the pool, or rice salad on the beach. Summery flavours and dishes, which can all be improved with a good quality oil – preferably extra virgin olive oil, of course. However, did you know that every type of oil has alternative uses to its normal role as a condiment and can be the perfect solution to summer’s little problems?   For example, how can you stop your hair becoming dry, brittle and dull due to lengthy exposure to the summer sun? The answer – which should always be combined with the essential hair solar protection products available on the market – is flax seed oil: thanks to its lineoleic acid content, which helps to regulate skin moisturisation and enhances suppleness, and its surfactants, which make it delicate and not too oily, this oil is ideal as a mask for use on the hair to keep it manageable and glossy even at the seaside.   Olive oil, on the other hand, can be the best friend of our skins, “mistreated” by sun, sand and salt on summer holidays: its high percentage of vitamin E and A and unsaturated fatty acids makes it perfect for rehydrating the skin and also as a soothing product (as well as the specific commercial creams/gels) for alleviating the tension caused by light sunburn on the skin.   You couldn’t resist the temptation to join in a beach volleyball game but didn’t warm up properly, so now your muscles are stiff with fatigue and heat? Sunflower seed oil comes to your aid: regenerating for the epidermis cells, emollient, refreshing and moisturising, it can be used as a base for massages for rheumatic pains or stiff muscles.   So in summer, every problem has its oily remedy!