The amazing benefits of Honey on your Skin
“Doctor, How to use honey on my skin? Will honey suit my sensitive skin? How to use honey for wrinkles?”
These questions seemed like a puzzle until I researched scientific data on the benefits of honey for skin. I soon realised that there is a lot more than allopathy when it comes to skin care. One such proof is this article.
My research about honey coincidentally clashed with analysis of an anti-wrinkle cream. To my surprise, benefits of honey on the skin were more than that of anti-wrinkle creams. In fact, much, much more!
Honey for anti-ageing:
Why use honey for anti-ageing?
Honey is loaded with anti-ageing ingredients, as shown below in the table:
| Benefit | Honey (Ingredient source) | Anti-wrinkle cream |
| Moisturizer | Yes | Glycerine and water |
| Vitamins | Six (riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C) | Four (tocopherol, niacin, vitamin C, pantothenic acid) |
| Anti-oxidants | Multiple (Chrysin, pinobanksin, catalase, pinocembrin) | One (green tea) |
| Minerals | Zinc, selenium | None |
| Amino acids | 18-20 amino acids mostly Proline | None |
| Organic acids | Many especially Gluconic acid | None |
| Anti-septic | Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties | None |
| Preservative | Natural | Synthetic |
After this analysis, I was but convinced that honey is must try natural ingredient for skin care. This study further reconfirms that honey is emollient, humectant, soothing; it retards wrinkle formation and regulates pH.
How to use honey for anti-ageing?
You can avail anti-aging benefits, by applying honey on your clean face for 15 to 30 minutes either alone or use this anti-ageing face pack once a week.
Honey for acne:
Why use honey for acne?
Honey reduces pimples especially the red ones due to its anti-bacterial properties.
How to use honey for acne?
- Put raw honey mixed with turmeric directly on red pimples, leave for 15 minutes to 3 hours. Wash and see your pimple shrink.
- Mix neem, tea-tree oil, neem turmeric and Multani mitti to make a highly effective home remedy for acne.
Honey for exfoliation:
Why? The organic acid in honey like gluconic acid accelerates shedding dead skin cells just like a scrub but without mechanical rubbing. With age, dead cells stick to skin surface giving dull and patchy look because their shedding is delayed. Hence, honey helps in improving the dull, patchy look of your skin.
How? Mix honey with grounded oats or almonds in dry skin type, and with chickpea flour in oily skin type. Massage on the face for a minute or two and rinse off.
Honey for sensitive skin:
Why? Honey is rich in anti-inflammatory factors that soothes your sensitive skin, provided you are not allergic to honey perse.
How? Pure honey might sting sensitive skin, so always dilute it with rose water, aloe vera and cucumber water to make a thin paste before putting on your sensitive skin. Leave for 5-10 minutes and rinse off.
Honey as a moisturiser:
Why ? Honey is hygroscopic like glycerine. No wonders, it is part of many moisturising lotions. Honey moisturises your skin by absorbing water from the environment. Therefore, it should not be used alone especially in dry weather because it might extract water from your skin making it drier.
How? Mix Honey 5 ml honey with 15 ml of coconut oil. Apply it on your dry skin 30 minutes before bath.
Honey for fungal infections
Why? Honey especially Manuka honey can be used to treat fungal infections of skin commonly called as ringworm.
How? You can put raw honey on ringworm twice a day until they heal or combine honey with neem, tea tree oil etc. to make this anti-septic cream.
Honey for weight loss:
Why? Ayurveda recommends honey as one of the remedies for reducing weight because it aids in digestion.
How? Mix a teaspoon of honey and few drops of lemon juice in a warm glass of water. Drink it slowly in the morning after getting up.
How to make sure that honey is raw or processed?
Honey is time-tested ingredient when it comes to skincare, but did you know you that raw honey benefits are much more than the processed one? Here are few tips to look for raw honey:
- You can put a drop of the honey on your thumb. If it spreads or spills, it’s not pure. If it stays intact, it’s pure.
- Put a spoon of honey in a glass of water. Raw honey settles at the bottom and dissolves gradually on stirring. Processed honey starts dissolving as soon as it is put in water.
- Raw honey crystallises on storage, while processed honey remain like transparent syrup no matter how long you store it.
- Raw honey looks milkier and has fine textured crystals. It contains flecks made of pollens, honeycomb bits and broken bee wing fragments. On the other hand, processed honey looks lucrative, but is devoid of medicinal ingredients that are destroyed upon heating.
