Honey for Skin and Face: Benefits & Uses

Eating honey has a lot of health benefits (most people already know that). But, what you might not know is that honey is also widely used as a natural skin product.

Using honey as a natural alternative to skincare products (that are usually filled with chemicals) is a great idea and it actually works.

In the following article, I am going to talk to you about things such as: what does honey do for the face, as well as different ways you can use honey for skin care.

So, sit back, relax, and let me take you on a journey into a magical world of honey and its advantages as a beauty product.

Benefits of Honey for Skin and Face

There are many benefits that come with using honey as a natural alternative to skincare products. Most of the benefits are due to the special properties that honey has (and those properties can positively impact different skin conditions).

Applying honey to “troubled spots” (or just using it as a face mask) can have a lot of positive effects on your skin. 

Here are just a couple of reasons why using honey to treat your skin is a great idea!

P.S. Prefer video format? Watch here:

Anti-Aging 

Honey has been used as a natural skincare product since the time of Ancient Egypt. There is even a story that suggests that Cleopatra herself used raw honey as part of her skin care ritual. So, the question is, why is honey good for your skin?

The reason for honey skin benefits is the special properties present in raw honey.  

KEY FACT

Honey has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties [1].

Because of its chemical structure, honey is considered to be a humectant (what the hell is a humectant, and how do you pronounce that word?). 

As far as pronunciation goes, I wish you all the best in figuring that out on your own. But, what I can tell you is what humectant means.

A humectant is a substance (in this case honey) that is great at preserving moisture [2]. 

So, the reason why honey is good as an anti-aging agent is that it helps your skin stay moisturized without making it oily. 

It’s great for people with dry skin. Why? Because honey does not contain any “nasty chemicals” and will not irritate the skin (like so many non-natural skin products).

Raw honey and/or manuka honey, are your best options if you want to use honey as an anti-aging agent.

Skin Treatment

Apart from being used as an anti-aging agent, honey can help with many different skin conditions.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Because of its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, honey is used as a natural treatment for acne. Honey will moisturize the skin, and will keep all the excess oil from your “troubled areas”.

Applying honey on your face will also lead to clearing out the blocked pores, which is one of the main reasons behind pimples and acne “breaking out”.

Healing Wounds

One of the great things about honey (apart from being used for the treatment of acne) is that it can be used for healing wounds (especially if the wound in question belongs to a burn victim).

Because honey has amazing anti-oxidant properties (raw honey, more than other types of honey) as well as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, it’s often used as a way to treat different types of injuries.

KEY FACT

The two types of honey that are most used for healing (and skin repair) are raw honey and Manuka honey.

Manuka honey is a special type of honey that’s made from manuka bush (most common in New Zealand and Australia) [3]. 

Now, the reason why many doctors use manuka honey to heal different types of skin injuries is that manuka honey is cytotoxic (the easiest way to explain is that it kills bacteria).

Pore Cleanser

Honey is an excellent pore cleanser. Raw honey is especially good at cleaning out pores and helping your skin get rid of blackheads. 

After the pores are clean (no little specks of dust in them), honey then moisturizes the skin and tightens the skin as well. 

Because the skin is tightened, it becomes virtually impossible for specks of dust to get in your pores, and create blackheads, pimples or acne.

All of the above-mentioned reasons is why many people use honey as a treatment for acne.

KEY FACT

Honey is a great pore cleanser!

Hydrates the Skin

Honey is naturally a great moisturizer and will help moisturize even the driest of skins. Apart from that, honey is also good at removing dead skin cells, and because of enzymes (that are present in honey), it works extremely well as an exfoliator.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Honey will lighten scars and is often used as a spot treatment. Honey will also reduce the inflammation of the skin, making it one of the best natural beauty skin products.

If you are interested in getting your hands on some of the best, 100% natural skincare products, be sure to check out our shop.

Honey for Face

I will now show you how to use honey for washing your face, and why this is a good idea.

Washing Your Face With Honey

Washing your face with honey is a great idea, but before you do just that, there are a couple of things you should do beforehand.

Don’t worry, it’s simple to make and there are only a couple of steps. This process best works with raw honey, as it has the most beneficial properties when it comes to washing your face.

First, remove any makeup you might have on your face. It’s up to you how to do that. The second thing that you should do is to splash your face with warm water.

Take around half a tablespoon and gently massage it on your face. The process is the same as with any other face cleanser except with honey your face won’t “feel tight” and will retain natural amounts of moisture.

Afterwards, wash your face with warm water, and you’re done (see, I’ve told you it was easy!).

Honey Mask

Honey may be used as a natural face wash, and it can also be used as a natural face mask. The honey face mask is as easy as the name suggests. You just have to apply honey to your face.

KEY FACT

The types of honey you should use for a honey face mask are manuka honey and raw honey. Raw honey does not go through the process of pasteurization. 

A honey mask will not only help your skin glow but will also rid your face from excessive oil and any unwanted bacteria. Akin to the best spa beauty treatments, honey face masks produce great results.

After you’ve applied honey to your face, you should leave it there for about 20 minutes before rinsing. 

Afterwards, gently wash your face, and enjoy your reflection in the mirror! 

Honey will also lighten your complexion and will help reduce any inflammation caused by acne or other skin conditions. 

Possible Side Effects

Does using honey as a skincare product have any negative side effects? Well, if you keep reading this article, that’s exactly what you are going to find out.

As far as negative effects on your health go, honey is pretty benign. Unless, of course, you are allergic to it. And, that is where most of the negative side effects come from (people being allergic to bees or bee stings). 

Some people are allergic to bee pollen (made by bees, obviously) and for those people, I only have one thing to say: Check with your doctor before getting near a jar of honey, let alone applying it on your face!

Apart, from people who are allergic to honey (or its individual components), using honey as a way to treat your skin is generally completely safe. 

The Bottom Line

Honey is amazing for your skin and is used as an ingredient in many beauty products for the face. Honey can lighten your complexion and can help get rid of any “nasty scars” you might have.

It’s extremely healthy for your body (especially raw honey), it’s sweet, viscous and it goes great with a piece of toasted bread.

What’s great about honey is that with it you can create one of the best face masks that will not only help you moisturize your skin, but will also remove any dead skin cells from your face.

If you are looking for honey that has the most antioxidants (when compared to other types of honey) and is most beneficial to the overall health of your body, you should look no further than our HoneyJoy shop, and our flagship product – Australian Raw Honey.