Honey Skincare

Not too long ago my parents became beekeepers. In Miami. Are you laughing? I did at first. I mean, who raises bees in Miami? Granted, my parents are unusual in that they own what is probably one of the last square acres of land in Miami, but bees? It started after a family of bees moved into the walls of their garage. There is an old saying: when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. For my folks, it is more like: when life hands you bees, make honey. They moved the hive out of the garage and into proper bee boxes. My brother was assigned the job of tending to the bees. He even bought one of those beekeeper hats that are so funny looking. Below is a picture of my brother and my dad checking the hives. Apparently the smoke calms the bees.

Look close, you can even see the bees in this picture:

Anyway, I love honey. Sweet, sweet honey. Upon hearing they were raising bees I became super excited. Heck yeah, I could finally have unlimited access to free raw honey! Unfortunately, after a few months the queen flew away, taking her hive with her. I never became the recipient of any of that honey. Alas, now I secretly hope this blog will help to inspire them to make another attempt at raising bees.

Most people probably think of honey as a food ingredient. After all, it tastes delicious and makes a great sweetener, particularly in tea or on a hot bowl of cereal. But honey is also great for skincare. In fact, many skin care products boast on their packaging the fact they contain honey as a main ingredient. It is becoming more commonly known that honey contains natural antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that are great for skin. Honey also absorbs impurities from the skin without stripping it. What is great is that honey can work for all skin types. It is a natural remedy for combating acne, yet it is also a great cleanser for even extremely dry skin because it helps the skin to retain its natural moisture. Raw honey works best, but in a pinch any old honey will so.

I use honey as a daily facial cleanser. The easiest way to use honey as a cleanser is simply to dampen your skin and rub honey on it. Massage for a minute or so and then rinse.

Sometimes a grittier texture is needed to exfoliate, in which case honey can be mixed. I often mix honey with baking soda. This combination will remove any dead skin cells and leave your skin glowing. For a gentler approach to exfoliation, honey can be combined with oats.

For acne prone skin, honey mixed with a few drop of tea tree oil can work wonders. Studies have found that tea tree oil can be effective against mild to moderate acne without the harsh effects that benzoyl peroxide can cause. Throw some baking soda (or cinnamon) into the mix for a deep scrub and leave it on for a few minutes. I have heard of people leaving a mixture of honey and cinnamon on overnight, but it sounds so messy I have not tried it. As a side note, I have read that honey and cinnamon can also help with hair growth. I once mixed it, snuck up behind my husband, and plopped it on his head. He didn't think that was funny, but my kids sure did! ;)

Notably, all of these cleansing combinations can be used as a mask. Just leave on for 10-20 minutes and rinse. For a clay based mask, that will draw out impurities and toxins, honey can be mixed with kaolin clay.

For those of you looking for full body skincare, simply add some milk and honey to bathwater, hop in, and relax.

Now, off I go to sip some tea with honey. Bye bye!