Surprising Uses of Honey For Perfect Skin
(BeWellBuzz) The one hard and fast rule about creating your own skincare from scratch…is that there are no hard and fast rules about creating your own skincare from scratch. The name of the game is play, play, PLAY! You may need to spot test, checking to see whether your skin prefers, for example, a diluted, very diluted, extremely diluted, or undiluted combination. If you don’t like a certain fragrance, or you tend to have different ingredients in your pantry, many of these ingredients, such as oils, can be switched out with equivalents.
There is only one main ingredient here that is truly one-of-a-kind and not to be toyed with. It’s our special guest, our good friend, a sweet delight, a pantry staple, sometimes also lovingly referred as bee poop but we prefer to call it – HONEY!
Why Honey?
Honey is time tested and chick approved, honestly. Just ask Cleopatra. Thankfully, science has unveiled some of the treasures contained within honey so that we can see just why it has such a nourishing effect on our bodies, both in- and externally.
First of all, make sure you use raw, unfiltered, pure honey. If the goo is heated and processed it may be more goo than good as the processing diminishes her nutrient content. Pure honey contains B vitamins, amino acids, and trace minerals calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. It contains proteins and enzymes, aroma compounds and polyphenol antioxidants, oh my! It’s also antimicrobial, making it stellar for blemish or acne prone skin.
pH Balance
According to the National Honey Board, honey has an average pH of 3.9, and maximum of 6.1. This means that honey is more acid than alkaline, which is perfect for your skin. While the blood pH must be slightly alkaline for a healthy body, the skin is vibrant, healthy and well-guarded against environmental irritants with an acidic composition. Healthy skin pH ranges from 4.0-5.5.
When you apply honey to your face, your skin soaks in the nutriments. The acids in honey make it gently exfoliating, causing dead skin cells to loosen and be easily removed. For centuries it’s been used to stimulate new skin generation, an effect we modern people like to call “anti-aging.” The antioxidants in honey repair damaged skin cells and help to diminish scarring. Cleopatra is said to have luxuriated in a regular honey-bath beauty treatment…for good reason!
Is Honey For Combination, Oily or Dry Skin?
All of the above!
You may be surprised that honey leaves dry skin moisturized, and oily skin matte. It will help to dehydrate zits, and prevent future blemishes. Yet, the sugars are natural humectants, causing the skin to retain essential moisture. This is one of those things you may just have to “taste” and see. Try these recipes and let us know how it goes!
Sweet-Face-Maker Recipes
1. Honey Wash to Remove Makeup
(After using baking soda you’ll need to follow with an acidifying toner to restore a healthy pH. Toner recipes to-follow.)
Take equal parts honey and baking soda into your hand or, better yet, into a damp wash cloth. You just need enough to cover your face, maybe ½ teaspoon each. First pour the honey, then the baking soda, so the soda touches your skin first. Wet your face a little. Then apply the honey and baking soda, ever so gently scrubbing, not scraping, using the cloth to pick up makeup and surface dirt. Avoid your eyes. Say “mmmmm.” Be thorough. Then splash with warm to lukewarm water till all is removed. Check for any missed areas and repeat if necessary. Pat dry with a fresh towel.
TIP: To remove eye makeup, use extra virgin olive oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil or another of your favorite nourishing, cold-pressed oils. Douse a cotton ball with the oil and wipe makeup from your lovely lookers. Repeat if necessary. Done.
Tone Your Skin
Toners are useful
- to spot treat pimples
- to restore pH.
a) For use on blemishes, these toners will help to dry pimples out, while your honey wash will prevent your skin from freaking out and overproducing oils.
b) After you use baking soda on your face, your skin will have lost acidity and will be at risk for hyperactivity, causing either over-drying or excessive oil production. So, to restore pH, you can use wonderfully acidic food items. Try fresh lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar (ACV).
NOTE: both lemon juice and ACV are acidic pre-digested, but alkaline forming in the body.
Here are two recipes:
Lemon Toner: In a little glass bowl, dilute a squeeze of about 1 tsp lemon juice in ½ cup water. If this is too harsh, you can add more water; if it’s too mild, more juice. Dip your chosen vessel, I like cotton pads, into the solution and swipe all over face. You can leave this on for up to five minutes as well. Then rinse, if desired, and pat dry.
ACV Toner: ACV is powerful. Some people take it straight, others dilute it 2, 4, 8 or more times. Make a batch to your taste. If you have sensitive skin, start with an 8:1 dilution of water to ACV. Some people dilute it even more. You’ll know. Using a cotton pad or ball, soak it with the solution and spread over face. After a few minutes you can either leave as-is, or rinse and then pat dry with a cool damp wash cloth.
2. Sweet Face Honey Wash
First thing in the morning or on a day when you haven’t worn makeup, treat your skin to a pure honey wash. Take a nickel to quarter sized dollop of honey into your palm. Rub your palms together and spread it like liquid love all over your face. If you have the time, let it sit for five minutes or so, and then rinse with warm water. Pat dry with a cool, damp washcloth, or a dry towel. Stroke your baby soft skin.
Moisturize Your Face
If, at this point, you still feel the need to add a moisturizer, I love extra virgin olive oil because a) I always have it around and, b) it works for all skin types. I find that EV olive oil absorbs quickly into my skin and never causes breakouts to my otherwise blemish-prone skin. Others may find success with jojoba oil, or even a mixture of olive or jojoba oil with a few drops of vitamin E oil. I also like to use extra virgin coconut oil as an under eye treatment. Yum yum smell good and feel good.
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