Seven months ago I stumbled upon a natural face wash that revolutionized my skin care regiment. I thought it was very cruel that at age 40 I was suffering from both mild acne breakouts and wrinkles! I stumbled upon several discussions of how honey is a miracle cure for both acne and wrinkles, and I was intrigued. I decided to give it a try–after all, I had honey sitting in my cabinet and thought nothing ventured, nothing gained. I expected it to be really sticky and messy, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that if your hands and face are damp, the honey isn’t sticky at all. It has been a true miracle in skincare for me!
Why Honey?
As I’ve read up on why so many people use either plain honey or honey mixed with a couple of other ingredients, I’ve learned a lot about the health properties of honey.
Honey is rich in glycolic acids. These are the natural acids used in expensive face creams and treatments to remove past sun damage and scarring. overlooked pantry staple has a whole lot going on under the hood. Honey has been a beauty trick of some of the most beautiful women in history, including Cleopatra.
Here’s what honey does for the skin:
- Honey is naturally antibacterial, making it an excellent treatment for those who are acne-prone.
- Honey is a natural humectant, meaning it attracts and retains moisture on the face.
- Honey is gentle, so it is good even for those with sensitive skin. (Like me!)
- Honey tightens pores in the skin.
- Honey brightens up skin, giving it a youthful appearance.
How is it Used?
There are three main methods to using honey as a face wash, and I’ve tested all of them.
- The simplest method is the one I use most often–simply slather a tablespoon or two of raw, organic honey onto your face. Let it sit for 60 seconds or so, then wipe off gently with a warm wet cloth. It isn’t nearly as sticky as it sounds. Surprisingly enough with hands that are only slightly damp, the honey slathers easily and feels like a thick cream, not like the sticky, gooey mess that I’d expected it to be.
- For a gentle exfoliation, use this mixture: mix 1 tsp baking soda with 2 tablespoons of honey. Spread on your face and rub gently, then wipe off gently with a warm, wet cloth. I’ve found that if you let the baking soda and honey mixture sit for a few minutes in a bowl before you use it that it will foam up ever so slightly and feels really nice on your face. I use this method once a week to exfoliate. As winter approaches, make sure to get your lips too–get that dead skin off!
- For heavier acne or more damaged skin, try this mask: wash your face as usual to make sure it is clean. Then take a warm wet cloth and lay it over your face for a few seconds to open up your pores. Then spread a few tablespoons of honey onto your face in a thin layer. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with a warm wet cloth. Your skin will feel smooth, look brighter and your pores should appear smaller. The honey will also work on any acne or scars, working to cause them to fade quicker.
So far I’ve had amazing results. Really, I can’t believe I used to pay so much for cleansing rituals (and I still had breakouts and blotchy skin) when this inexpensive miracle cleanser has been sitting in my kitchen pantry! After two weeks of the daily face wash my age spots were almost invisible. I have to really look hard to see them–and they were pretty dark to begin with. Those little laugh lines around my eyes are getting harder and harder to spot. I’ve had NO breakouts since starting this, something I was used to getting periodically. My skin isn’t blotchy anymore, with enough of a change that I don’t mind going out without makeup from time to time. And my skin is smooth–and soft. Oh so smooth and soft!!
I do use organic honey, but it was what I had on hand. I’m told that it works best but that the regular honey you buy in the store will work as well–just not quite as well.  I spent $6 on my bottle of organic honey, and I expect it to last me several months.
Have you ever tried honey for your face? What have your results been?
I will be trying this idea over the weekend. Genius!
Love this! Will be sending a link to my friend who has started bee keeping.
One note: I went to an exhibition on bee keeping once. He said that the honey at the supermarket is cut with corn syrup (or some kind of sugar syrup) and that there is no regulation for it (or something to that effect). So I would assume that buying locally harvested honey or organic at a health food store would be a smart idea.
Yes, it is best to do this with raw honey. There’s been some controversy over store honey, the kind in the little bear jars. (or almost any honey that isn’t organic or raw.) apparently China was producing a majority of the world’s honey, and adding large amounts of antibiotics and other things to it? I’m not sure what the deal was. Anyway, the US government banned it. It was recently found that many companies were still using it, imported via other countries, where the pollen had been removed fully from the honey, so that it couldn’t be identified. The overall scandal showed that for most of the common stores and brands of honey, it isn’t real honey. It’s some synthetic or watered down stuff with lots of other things added. We go through tons of raw honey around here–tastes so good!
I’d heard of this scandal not too long ago! Made me so thankful that we’ve been using local raw honey for years 🙂
Heather, this is so great! Another blogger who linked up this week at Tiny Tip Tuesday, shared a recipe for natural astringent, and I told her that since I do the oil cleansing method, as well as washing in the morning with honey, that I’d use her astringent recipe in an upcoming blog post about my entire face wash routine. Well, I wasn’t sure who I’d link up to for the honey face wash section, but now I know! Your post is so helpful because it included not just the benefits, but you have a lot of great extra notes on what works, what doesn’t work, etc. So, I’d like to link your post with my future post, if that’s ok with you! 🙂
Also, I like to do an exfoliating scrub with just a baking soda/water paste about once a week or so, but I NEVER would’ve thought to mix with honey first! I can almost imagine exactly how that would feel on the face – can’t wait to try that!
Thanks again for a wonderful post and for sharing on Tiny Tip Tuesday! I’m pinning this 🙂
Thanks Sarah! Yes, feel free to include it in your tips. I always stop by there every Tuesday to learn new things. I’m on this journey to simplify and go more natural where I can, and roundups like yours have really helped me find good info in one place!
I am going to start this weekend using the honey. I am 60 and still have breakouts (thought this was done years ago) because of oily skin. Hopefully, I will be one of the success stories soon.
Let me know how you do!
Have you tried raw honey and ceylon cinnamon on your skin? My 17 year old started last week and loves it! You can even eat it on toast in the morning…Here’s some links to help you:
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-and-cinnamon.html
http://healthmad.com/alternative/10-miraculous-health-benefits-of-honey-and-cinnamon-combo/
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/honey-and-cinnamon-benefits.html
These articles should get you started on your research of using Cinnamon and Honey for your health.
Hey, 🙂
you know i have a oily skin.every time i wash my face and very soon it become oily.i used baking soda and honey but my face become oily faster so acne is still creating problem.plz help.
Thanks for the post. What kind of cleanser were you using prior to the honey? Was it a natural, organic brand, or a commercial non organic brand? I’m just wondering if the change in your skin could be due to switching to a natural product, rather than the honey in particular???
Oh my goodness, I had tried so many things! This was written over three years ago, so I am not completely sure what I was using at the last–but I had tried everything from natural to prescription to fancy brands. I think I was using an Aveda product towards the end. I’d had acne since I was 12, and discovered the honey method when I was 39. So I’d tried a lot of things in between!