Did you know that honey is good for your skin? Often it’s passed off as an old wives tale, but there is some truth (and some science) in it...
Now, we talk a lot about the healing benefits of honey (in particular, our heather honey- click here for blog), but it’s not just on the inside where you can feel the difference. Your skin is one of the best places to see changes made by honey.
Our heather honey has similar constitution to what people know as raw honey and Manuka honey, which have both been known to balance the ph of bacteria that lives on your skin. Some call these honeys ‘anti-acne honeys’ as they help heal the cells of your skin quickly, and reducing the longevity of spots, reducing scaring and creating a nice even tone on the skin. In some places these honeys are used for healing wounds and is even used in clinical settings by doctors.
It’s no surprise really that honey has these effects, considering how it is created; using bits of plants, enzyme activity and live bacteria from the bees. So what is the best way to ‘apply’ or consume the honey to ensure your skin gets the most out of it?
Whether you apply it to the skin or ingest it, the good bacteria will still work. Often people feel a bit odd about lathering their face in honey, and so your skin can still improve by eating it. For a more direct impact, we recommend rubbing some directly onto your face. Try a small bit to begin with incase for whatever reason you have an allergic reaction to it. Once you’ve tried a section, if it’s had not adverse effects, try your whole face, avoiding the eyes and inside the nose. Do not try this is you are allergic to pollen, celery, honey or other bee-products. The consistency of these honeys means it’s a natural exfoliator. It removes dead, dry and flaky skin attached to the surface and shows new fresh skin.
This can then be applied as a face wash style, or as a mask which you leave on for several minutes before removing with warm water and a cloth. You can also combine it with other ingredients - we will be doing a separate blog on honey facemasks in the near future. One of the most effective is a combination of honey and cinnamon which has both antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties.
It’s important to remember you won’t ache the same effects with any old honey from your local supermarket. Many honeys that aren’t pure and have sugars, syrups and other nasties added in to five you the sweet more-ish taste. These are not as good for your skin as the natural enzymes from pure honey. As we talk about in our other blogs many honeys are incorrectly labelled, claiming to be pure and raw when they are not (read here), so do your research on the company and what’s really inside your jar. In order to work, honey has to have the healthy natural bacteria
So when you spread on your toast, why not try a little on your skin too, you never know, it might make you look on the outside how you feel eating it on the inside!
