Natural honey skincare

Honey Skincare, Naturally

Honey skincare is an effective way to nourish and rejuvenate dry and damaged skin. While honey is already a key ingredient in our honey-based beauty products, it can also be applied directly to the skin for all skin types. Did you know our raw honey can be a natural skincare solution?

Honey dripping down a woman's face

The Magic of Honey for Your Skin

If you're like most people, you might experience some rough patches with your skin from time to time. You may have tried various skincare products in your personal regimen but still struggle to see any noticeable improvement. Despite your efforts, you may still encounter the following skin issues:

  • Blemishes

  • Dry skin

  • Fine lines

  • Oil patches

"Imperfections are part of being human, even in our own skin tone. But with honey skincare, we can help you achieve a glowing complexion."

HONEY SKINCARE THROUGHOUT HISTORY

Influential women like Cleopatra and the Duchess of Cornwall have used honey-based skincare products. Different skin tones but the same reliance on honey and bee venom for youthful, radiant skin. A good honey-infused product can improve your skin's health and appearance. Milk and honey are Cleopatra's secret for better-looking skin! Nature has given us hints about honey-based skincare benefits for ages.

Girls using Harvest, Sea and Tea, and Bee Inspired face masks.

HONEY SKINCARE BENEFITS

There are several benefits of using honey skincare:

  • Fighting discoloration and dull complexion

  • A natural humectant that gleans moisture from the air

  • Helps with redness and to brighten the skin

  • Combats skin issues such as wrinkles and acne

  • Moisturize and smooth the skin

  • Protect against dryness

Honey contains trace amounts of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and natural antioxidants. These can combat free radicals on the skin, making it a powerful beauty tool. Honey also has a lower pH than most bacteria can stand.

As a natural humectant, honey is a moisturizer that attracts and seals moisture on dry and patched skin - without making it oily. When you combine honey with other ingredients, such as plant oils, botanicals, and butter, you can create natural skin repair remedies, such as:

  • Honey cleanser

  • Honey face oil

  • Day cream

  • Body Butter and Scrub

  • Soap

The possibilities are endless! Even on its own, honey is a simple, effective solution to what ails your skin. If you want to learn more about the scientific power of honey, read about other ways you can use honey and products from the hive to treat the skin.

Putting Honey Skincare to Use

Used in many commercial moisturizing products to provide a calming effect, honey is an ingredient commonly found in:

  • Cleansers

  • Exfoliators

  • Creams

  • Day cream

  • Shampoos

  • Shower gels

  • Conditioners 

If you are not able to make it to your favorite spa for your well-being, no need to worry! Honey skincare can be done in the comfort of your home with home remedies. Licensed massage therapist Karen Lee Miller touts the benefits of DIY honey body scrub-making (and even includes us in her recipe!). She points out, "There are all sorts of salt and sugar scrubs on the market averaging $30-120, or you can save money (about 2/3 the cost) and make your own body scrub that results in glowing skin."

Raw ingredients for the bee well DIY face mask including clay oats and salts on pink table with palm leaf and paint brush

NATURAL SKINCARE AT HOME

Relax in the evening and let a new and effective skincare regimen take your stress away!

You likely have all the necessary ingredients in your pantry. Mixing honey with other natural products can create even more beneficial results! Here are some of our favorite products to mix with honey:

  • Sugar

  • Seaweed

  • Milk

  • Coffee grounds

It is important to note that honey contains at least 18% water. Because of this, it is very important, especially if you are mixing it with other ingredients for treatments, that you only make enough to use for one treatment. On more than one occasion I have had deep and meaningful conversations with green beauty experts who revel in honey being its own preservative system. It is NOT. While it can slightly contribute to a preservative system, other plant-derived and synthetic components are necessary to stabilize the formula to be safe for more than a day or two.

Mixing it with sugar will create a natural scrub that you can use to exfoliate and soften the skin. Check out our Honey Oat Scrub recipe, which is gentle enough to use on your face and will leave your skin feeling lifted. Apply to the skin in a circular motion and provide a great service to yourself.

DIY Honey Oat Scrub in honor of National Oat Month, in glass with spoon with side-dish of honey

Another beauty secret that will delight and please is mixing seaweed with honey. The results are dramatic. Try this DIY Spirulina Face Mask and revel in smooth skin results with fewer wrinkles.

You can also add honey to your bathtub for a moisturizing, balancing soak. Simply add a few tablespoons of raw honey to a warm bath and swirl. The honey will dissolve and help pull moisture into the skin while delivering head-to-toe nutrients. If you want an even more nourishing treatment, look into our Oatmeal Bath with Milk and Honey recipe for smooth skin.

A glass of milk, a bowl of dried oats, and a bowl of honey sitting on a counter top together

For all of the above treatments, we recommend using darker honey. Sometimes, dark Buckwheat has a higher concentration of antioxidants than Spring honey, making it more powerful on the skin. Whatever you choose, ensure it is pure, raw, and straight from the hive for the maximum skin-boosting benefits.

If you need help reducing the appearance of stubborn cellulite, mixing honey with coffee grounds may be the answer. Coffee has been proven on some level to shrink cellulite, and the honey will keep your skin feeling soft and moisturized.

DIY COFFEE SCRUB

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 c fresh coffee grounds

  • 1/2 c sunflower oil

  • 1 Tbsp Bee Inspired Honey

  • 1/2 c brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well

  2. In the shower, apply the scrub in circular motions to the problem areas

  3. Rinse off after massaging the scrub into the skin

This scrub is coarse, so expect your skin to turn pink or red. Don't worry about this, though - it is caused by increased circulation to your skin. I notice softer skin, though you must do this consistently to get any significant cellulite reduction.

HONEY SKINCARE AS A CLEANSER

Crystallized honey is a great treatment for skin prone to acne, discoloration, and dryness. To use plain honey on the skin, simply take a tablespoon from the jar and apply it to a freshly cleansed face. Since it is messy and sticky, this is best done before your morning shower. Here are some simple instructions to help you easily achieve the best results:

  1. Cleanse the skin with your daily cleanser

  2. Apply the raw honey mask (be sure to pull your hair away from your face)

  3. Leave the mask on for 10-15 minutes while you shower

  4. Rinse off with warm water while gently massaging the skin

When you rinse off the mask, you don't need to follow with a second cleanser - the honey will help to pull away impurities from the skin, leaving your face soft. Just follow with your favorite toner, serum, and moisturizer, and you'll be good to go!

This treatment can (and should!) be done daily as part of your morning or night facial routine. This allows you to cleanse and exfoliate your skin every day gently, and fairly quickly, you can see acne marks, redness, and dryness fade away.

DIY Honey Body Scrub on marble table in package with part of a plant ready to use

Crystallized Honey is perfect for at-home facial treatments. One ingredient skin treatment.

HONEY SKINCARE AS A SCAR TREATMENT

Honey can also be used on the skin to help gradually fade the appearance of light scars and marks. This is partly due to the chemical compounds in the honey, which deliver nutrients and moisture to areas of the skin that need regeneration.

Gently massage a teaspoon or two of honey on cleansed, slightly damp skin for a few minutes and then rinse off with warm water. Your marks can gradually lighten by delivering moisture to the affected area and increasing blood flow (via massage). Repeat this process daily, morning or night, until your scar fades away.

Mature woman applying a honey under-eye mask wearing white robe

Deeper than the Skin

Honey has many health benefits beyond just skincare. Clearly You's Kathleen McCoy, a professional beauty, education, wellness and healthcare analyst, identified other scientifically verified health benefits of honey and bee products.

McCoy notes that:

  • Honey can help treat kids' nocturnal coughs more effectively than cough syrups

  • Honey helps faster healing by decreasing inflammation, especially in head and neck wounds

  • One diluted bee venom injection temporarily improves chronic pain and may help in chronic pain management

  • Royal jelly protects cells against nicotine and smoking damage

  • Hippocrates used bee venom for medical treatments because it contained melatonin and anti-inflammatory agents hundreds of times stronger than cortisone.

  • It is argued that Manuka honey benefits skin with healing qualities, but that would need to be in New Zealand, not after it has been irradiated. AND. All Manuka honey is irradiated when it arrives in the USA.

We call it nature's medicine, and it has proven time and time again that bees seem to expedite healing processes throughout the human body. If you try any of these honey beauty tips, let us know! Stop into our Retail Honey Store in Owings Mills, Maryland, to try out any of our honey-infused skincare products, or simply shop our selection online.

More Honey Skincare and Beauty Recipes

Bee Well DIY Face Mask
Halloween Skincare: Dry Mask Magic
Best Face Forward Beard Oil Recipe
Honey Under-Eye Mask

Don't forget to tag us and use the hashtag #beeinspired so we can see your gorgeous faces!

Updated March 4, 2024

Don't forget to tag us on Instagram and use the hashtag #beeinspired so we can see all of your gorgeous faces!

Honey Skincare, Naturally Tall Pin

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