The sticky bee-made liquid of honey has been around for so long, and people forget that even though its primary use is as a natural sweetener, it can do and be so much more. For example, honey has many beneficial healing properties that people may not know, including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial effects.
Honey is very rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc, as well as vitamin B, all of which provide advantages for your overall health. Honey can also be added to your hair and skin routines. In addition, it has natural healing properties; the key is ensuring that the honey you use is unpasteurized and raw.
So, what are the fantastic benefits that honey can offer for your hair, skin, and more? Here are some of the best ways to use honey and how it provides such significant advantages for your nail and skincare routines.
9 Powerful Benefits that Honey Provides for Your Skin, Hair & More
Use Honey For Acne Treatment
Make sure to utilize the raw unpasteurized honey (such as buckwheat honey), and you can use it as a remedy for acne. Since it has anti-inflammatory properties, honey will help to reduce swelling and redness in pimples. In addition, the antibacterial effects will help fight bacteria that cause acne, especially if you use the honey with its resin, propolis.
If you apply the raw honey directly to your acne spots or breakout area, you can leave it for about ten to fifteen minutes to do its work. Then, gently rinse it off and pat dry.
Use Honey As a Hair Conditioner
Since honey retains moisture so well, it makes for a perfect. An everyday honey leave-in conditioner for your hair will leave your hair feel so smooth and healthy. Applying raw honey when once dried, will also add softness and shine to your hair. You can say goodbye to those dry split-ends with a little bit of honey!
It is helpful to dilute some raw honey with water before applying it to your hair, but you can also mix it with your current conditioner. If you are feeling more adventurous with natural ingredients and looking for manuka honey benefits, mix honey with some mashed bananas and olive oil, and you can use it as a repair mask for the ends of your hair (leave on for about twenty to twenty-five minutes before rinsing).
Use Honey to Moisturize Your Face
Honey has a natural tendency to absorb moisture and lock it in. Lack of moisture in your skin can cause wrinkles, therefore, if you suffer from dry skin, honey can be a great addition to your skin. It helps keep the skin hydrated and balanced and controls the production of oil. It conditions and softens your skin, leaving it feeling nourished, fresh, and radiant.
Before rinsing with cold water, you can put raw honey right onto your skin for about fifteen to twenty minutes. You can also mix it with some coconut oil and gently massage it into your skin. In addition, raw honey contains other bee products that help boost collagen and smooth blemishes on your face.
Use Honey For Burns and Wounds
The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents found within honey can help treat skin problems. The honey helps prevent infection and protects wounds to heal faster, which also reduces scarring in most cases. In addition, antioxidants bring damaged skin back to life without any blemishes. The moisture helps with hydrating dry skin from too much sun if you forgot your sunscreen.
To treat a sunburn, cut, scrape, or other wounds, you can apply the honey directly to the area for a couple of minutes before rinsing off. If it’s uncomfortable or too sticky, there are honey-infused treatments you can find at the local drug store that won’t be as thick or sticky to use.
Use Honey on Your Cuticles
If you are big on giving yourself some at-home mani-pedis, you can use honey as a cuticle moisturizer to keep the skin from peeling. Look for raw honey that has royal jelly (that collagen-boosting property), rub it around your nails, and you will see your nails find new life with firmer skin around them.
You can mix it with some coconut oil and apple cider vinegar, rinsing after leaving the cuticles for about ten minutes. It will heal the nail beds and cuticles, leaving your nails looking like you just went to the salon.
Use Honey For Your Lips
Since it’s a great moisturizer, you can use honey on your chapped lips, too. The hydrating properties and minerals work well to keep lips from feeling dry, and they can help heal cracks on the lips from dryness. You can put the honey right on your lips for a few minutes before rinsing (or licking) off.
Use Honey As an Exfoliant
You can use honey as an exfoliant on the lips and the skin to rub off any dead skin cells and refresh. Since raw honey can have granules within it and feels grainy, it can work really well in exfoliation on your lips, legs, arms, and many other parts of the body.
Use Honey to Promote Hair Growth
If you’re having issues with thinning hair or hair loss, you might consider using honey to help your hair to grow. Massaging your hair with honey helps bring moisture into your stands, which results in less frizziness and dry ends. In addition to other nourishing hair tips, it brings strength to hair follicles, which can help your hair grow longer.
To do this effectively, massage your hair thoroughly with honey and olive oil together, leaving it on the hair for fifteen minutes before rinsing off. If you do this a few times a week, you will see your hair become more moisturized and grow.
Use Honey to Keep Dandruff Away
If you notice that your scalp gets flaky and dry during the dryer, colder months, honey could be your answer. It is a natural antiseptic, and its antibacterial properties can treat various scalp problems, including dandruff, psoriasis, and feeling itchy and dry. In addition, it can clean your scalp from dead skin cells, preventing any buildup.
Massage your scalp with honey mixed with a little bit of water, and leave it in your hair for a few hours. Wash your hair afterwards. You only have to do this once a week to see how healthier and softer your scalp feels.
Raw Honey Can Do So Much For You
Honey has so many beneficial properties that can contribute to your health. However, it is worth noting that you may want to be cautious before using honey if you are not sure of your allergies. Some people can be allergic to pollen, bees, or wax, not just the honey itself; but all of these agents are found within honey, so it would be wise to perform a patch test before using, particularly on the skin and hair.
While you may have already been aware of the advantages for your hair, you might not know about the benefits to your skin and the exceptional healing properties that honey can offer you. It is safe, natural, and provides skin, hair, and more.
