There’s probably no pantry staple that has been studied more than honey for skin care. Here’s an overview of all the honey skin benefits that have been researched throughout the years.
Honey is synonymous with sweetness, we all know that. But usually when you think of honey as being sweet what you’re actually thinking about is the taste.
Honey is basically world-renowned for its sweetness. It’s a healthy way to add a bit of sweetness to your meals.
People will put it in their tea as an alternative to sugar or artificial sweetener, they’ll spread it on their pancakes or toast or even mix it into a bowl of yogurt or cereal.
And that shouldn’t be understated because despite the fact that it tastes like candy, honey, in a number of its forms including manuka, eucalyptus and also the similarly harvested royal jelly, actually does have a lot of genuine health benefits.
Honey is packed with nutrients, it’s an antioxidant, it can help lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol.
Even diabetics can enjoy some honey without it having much of an adverse effect on their sugar levels.
But eating it is not the only way to reap the benefits of honey, nor is it the only way to harness the sweetness.
You can use honey to get your skin looking sweet too. Let’s look a little closer at how honey can help your skin.
Honey Heals Wounds
Another aspect of honey is that it’s a natural antiseptic.
When you get some kind of cut or abrasion, it can be a little bit difficult to get it to heal and you might have to deal with the pain of an open wound for a little while.
This is because of the fact that open wounds do have a propensity for infection, and infection in its least threatening form will just slow down your healing time but it can also get pretty nasty if left untreated.
This is why you’re always recommended to use antiseptic cream or wipes if you end up getting cut. But those things are always made with chemicals and can often cause you unnecessary pain or further irritation.
Of course, it will usually be the better option if you have a very serious wound, but you should go for the gentler option if you’ve got something relatively mild that you’d like to speed up the healing process of.
And honey will fill this role for you.
All you need to do is apply raw honey to your wound and let it sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off.
You can also use it to help scars that you’ve got to fade.
Especially if you can find some honey that’s infused with a substance known as propolis.
This will increase the anti-inflammatory properties of honey enough to help a scar heal without looking too severe.
Honey Exfoliates
Before I go into how honey can help to exfoliate your skin, it has recently been brought to my attention that not everyone actually fully understands what the word exfoliation specifically means.
We all know what exfoliated skin feels like and we all feel compelled to do it, but what are you actually doing when you exfoliate?
And what do all of these exfoliation treatments actually do to your skin?
In simple terms, exfoliation is the act of removing dead skin cells.
These cells are constantly dying but they stay on the surface of your skin afterwards. It usually takes about 30 days for these cells to naturally shed.
This is the process of natural exfoliation, but it’s not really a foolproof thing. Oftentimes the cells won’t shed completely and you can end up with clogged pores or dry and flaky patches on your skin.
Exfoliating helps that, but much like the products that you would use to heal wounds, most exfoliation products are chemicals and granular scrubs.
And these are often cause for irritation or for a negative reaction, but honey won’t have the same effect.
Raw honey crystallizes over time and this results in the growth of tiny granules that work as an excellent natural exfoliant.
Because these granules break down when they come into contact with water, the resulting scrub is nowhere near as harsh as others you’d come across.
Honey Clears Spots
Honey is one of the more effective treatments for spots and acne, mainly due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Acne is caused when your pores get clogged by oil, dead skin, and various other bacteria.
We’ve already discussed how useful honey is in removing dead skin, but these antibacterial properties will help here too. As well as the fact that inflammation is a big part of why spots are such a problem.
The inflammation makes them red, swollen, painful and unsightly so anything that can reduce that inflammation is key. And honey is perfect for that.
If you are looking for an easy DIY face mask, this homemade honey and cinnamon face mask is the perfect spa treatment for acne.
In addition to being effective it’s also natural which as we’ve discussed at length, makes it an excellent choice.
The recurring theme here as I’m sure you’ve noticed is that honey is natural.
You can do a lot of this stuff with other products too, and in more severe cases you will need more than honey, but it’s a great way to solve certain problems without resorting to chemical solutions.