Raw local honey is one of my pantry staples. I use it both for cooking and for DIY bath and beauty recipes. Honey has a lot of benefits for your skin and hair, so it's a great natural ingredient for many different recipes.
Since I have color treated curly hair, it can get dry. Honey naturally helps combat dryness and help make my hair look and feel better.
I use honey for DIY face masks as well. It has vitamins and minerals to naturally help nourish and moisturize the skin, and it has natural enzymes to gently exfoliate for a better complexion.
With all of the honey benefits for skin and hair, you'll want to go out and buy a bottle to keep in your pantry. Just make sure you know what you are buying. Fake honey is hidden in many stores, and you don't want to use that in your recipes because it won't have all of the benefits that real honey does.
HONEY BENEFITS FOR SKIN AND HAIR
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WHAT IS RAW HONEY?
There isn't actually a true, legal definition of raw honey. Manufacturers use raw to describe honey that hasn't been filtered or heated. When I buy raw honey locally, they explained it to me that it has been filtered because there could be bits of bees like a leg or a wing in the honey, so it is filtered but not heated. Raw honey could have bee pollen that doesn't get removed. Bee pollen is high in amino acids and protein, which are important when you're using honey in hair and skin recipes.
Often when you buy honey in a grocery store, it's regular honey. It's been heated to 158 degrees Fahrenheit and then cooled rapidly so it's easier to filter and bottle. This also makes it look better when it's on the shelf.
The high heat in pasteurization can reduce the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in honey. The filtering removes the pollen, too.
Why do they filter and pasteurize honey? To keep up with demand. The demand for honey is higher than the supply, so manufacturers started producing low-quality honey or import it from China. Some even add high fructose corn syrup and other additives to stretch the honey. According to Food Safety News, three-fourths of honey sold in stores isn't even honey!
There are conflicting results, but eating raw local honey might help your allergies. It's thought that eating it exposes you to small amounts of local pollen, which can help reduce allergies.
I will only buy raw local honey. I'm lucky to live in a rural area, so there is no shortage of local honey. I have friends who have bees, and I can also find it in bulk in many bulk food stores. I'd rather support small farmers or friends than big businesses, and it keeps my dollars in the local economy.
If you live in an area that doesn't have a lot of beekeepers, then you can buy raw honey online.
HONEY BENEFITS FOR SKIN
NATURAL MOISTURIZER
Honey is often used in DIY beauty products because it's a wonderful natural moisturizer. I have oily skin, and honey moisturizes without making my skin oily. It has enzymes that allow it to penetrate into your skin, so it moisturizes and softens your skin below the surface.
PORE CLEANSER
If you have large pores like I do, honey can help! It's naturally antibacterial and full of anxioxidants to help combat blackheads and acne. Clogged pores and bacteria can turn into acne and blackheads, but honey can help remove the debris from your pores and hydrate your skin. It also helps tighten pores for smaller looking pores.
EXFOLIATE
The top layer of your skin has several layers of dead skin cells. This can make your skin look dull. Honey has enzymes to naturally remove the top layer of dead skin cells, which reveals better looking skin and a brighter complexion.
SCARS
If you have acne scars, honey just might help. It can reduce inflammation and may help the skin heal better. It also exfoliates to help reduce scars. The antioxidants can also help the skin repair itself.
SUNBURNS
Honey is one of the best natural treatments for sunburns. It reduces inflammation while nourishing the skin with vitamins and minerals.
NATURAL ACNE TREATMENT
Since honey is naturally antibacterial and a natural anti-inflammatory, it can help clear pores and kill the bacteria that can cause acne. It also helps reduce inflammation from breakouts.
HYDRATION
Hone is what's known as a humectant. This means that it pulls moisture from the air and draws it to the skin. It can help hydrate your skin long after you rinse it off!
HONEY BENEFITS FOR HAIR
NATURAL CONDITIONER
Honey is a humectant, so it pulls moisture from the air to your hair. It also softens your hair while your using it, so you'll reap the benefits of a honey hair treatment for hours after you use it.
DANDRUFF AND FLAKE FIGHTER
If you have dandruff or flakes from dry skin, honey can help. It's naturally antiseptic, so it can kill the fungus or germs that cause dandruff. It's also moisturizing and a natural exfoliatant, so it can help reduce flakes from dry scalp.
NOURISHING
Even though your hair is actually dead, it can benefit from the minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants in honey. Honey is also good for your scalp health, which in turn means better looking hair.
SMOOTHER AND SHINIER HAIR
Honey clarifies your hair and adds shine, your hair will look better. It can also smooth the hair cuticle, which makes your hair look shinier and be more manageable.
LIGHTEN HAIR
Honey has some hydrogen peroxide in it, which makes it antimicrobial and also gives it a lightening effect. While it won't turn brown hair blonde, it might give you some nice natural looking highlights.
Unlike storebought lighteners, honey won't damage your hair. It actually makes it look better, so it's a safer alternative to using bleach.
HAIR GROWTH
While honey itself may not make your hair grow, it does support a healthy scalp. This can mean thicker, stronger hair. Since it protect your hair, it's less likely to break. If your hair breaks, it can't grow longer, so honey can indirectly lead to longer, stronger hair.
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