Honey has been used for thousands of years as a sweetener and for health benefits. But did you know, that honey can also be amazing for the skin due to its antibacterial and anti-aging abilities.
Honey has been used for hundreds of years
Honey is a bee-derived, supersaturated solution composed mainly of fructose and glucose, and containing proteins and amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and other minor components. Historical records show that honey skin uses date back to the earliest civilizations who used it for therapeutic reasons.
Affordable Beauty Benefits of Honey
Most skincare products are made with chemicals and additives that can be toxic for your health. While these ingredients pass regulation tests, more and more people prefer to have all-natural skincare products. One issue for folks is that those products often cost much more than people are looking to spend.
Honey contains no chemicals when it’s bought in an all-natural form. When you use all-natural honey, you’ll enjoy all the benefits it has to offer, compared to the sugar-based honey made by corporations.
Honey has the following benefits on your skin:
- If your skin gets red due to excess exposure to the sun, applying honey reduces the redness.
- If your skin is inflamed due to eczema, rashes, or psoriasis, honey helps with the irritation caused.
- Suppose you have acne issues where there is a buildup of oil, sweat, and dust in your pores. In that case, honey is a recommendation for its antibacterial properties. Honey also has anti-fungal properties that help to rid the face of impurities.
- If your skin is prone to over-drying, then honey is a natural choice for a gentle cleanser.
- Another benefit of honey is that it maintains the correct acidity level that your skin is supposed to have.
- Naturally, honey helps to improve the cells that make up your biggest organ.
- Honey also helps eradicate bacteria that can result in breakouts in your skin.
The aging process does not happen overnight. It takes years of bad eating habits, exposure to the surrounding elements, lifestyle choices, among other things, to get to the irreversible stage.
Using honey on your skin
Dermatologists give guidelines on ways to reverse aging. The below list is not exhausted, the following are some recommended steps:
- Using a gentle face wash
- Increase vitamin A intake.
- Use face cream rich in moisture.
- Eat well.
- Exfoliate weekly.
There are over-the-counter items to address the aging process. However, taking a more organic approach is excellent for your skin. Let’s look at how one organic product- honey- is used to fulfill all the above recommendations.
1. For anti-aging, use honey as a face wash
If you have dry skin or if you have acne, raw unprocessed honey is your best option for treating both. You can use the bee-formed substance with additives such as lemon juice to wash away dying skin cells and kill off any bacteria. Honey has antibacterial and antiseptic properties. It also acts as an antioxidant and causes your pores to open up and expel dirt and blackheads. Use a small amount of honey to moisturize your face and rinse with warm water. In thirty seconds, your face is free of impurities.
2. Use honey as your retinoid substitute for anti-aging
Your skin naturally loses elasticity as you get older. When this happens, you start to get wrinkles and look older.
Using honey at least three times weekly gives you smoother skin. One way to use your anti-aging golden liquid is to use it as a face cream. Remarkably, if you have bags, you can apply honey under your eyes to help restore the skin and hide your darker circles and wrinkles if they exist.
3. Honey is a moisture-rich option for anti-aging
Honey is a humectant- it not only retains moisture but absorbs it as well. The moisture level in your skin helps improve elasticity. When the sticky golden juice is applied to your skin and left for a period exceeding 30 minutes, the end product is soft and supple skin.
4. A good diet helps with anti-aging
Honey has many health benefits. If you add it to your diet, you will see how it helps reverse aging for you.
The darker the golden liquid, the richer it is in antioxidants. The cells in your body get protection from dangerous substances that lead to cancer, heart disease, and other such illnesses with the antioxidants found in honey. When you eat, your body takes apart the food and produces free radicals. These are the atoms that cause aging and many diseases. Honey is the counteractive ingredient in your diet that helps you fight against free radicals.
5. To reduce aging, exfoliate with a honey-based exfoliator
Do not be agitated if you see your honey crystallizing. Raw, unprocessed honey should respond by thickening when you leave it for any length of time. As the honey crystallizes, it will form small grains that will act as your exfoliator. To exfoliate your skin, massage the crystallized honey into your skin. Dead skin that is on your facelifts away when you wash your face off at the end.
6. Reduces scarring
Because honey is a natural healing agent, it reduces scars while it closes up minor skin openings and abrasions. It’s used in the medical community to reduce the chance of scarring in patients with wounds that would otherwise leave significant scars. When used at home, it heals old scars and makes your skin appear younger.
Takeaway
Honey has proven medical science behind it. These are just some of the ways in which you use honey as part of your anti-aging therapy.
References
Honey in dermatology and skin care: a review Bruno Burlando 1 ,
Affiliations
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PMID: 24305429
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DOI: 10.1111/jocd.12058
Honey: A Potent Agent for Wound Healing? Lusby, P. E. BappSci (Med & App Biotech); Coombes, A. B Med Lab Sci; Wilkinson, J. M. BSc, PhD, GradDip FET Editor(s): Pieper, Barbara PhD, RN, CS, CWOCN, FAAN
Author Information Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing: November 2002 – Volume 29 – Issue 6 – p 295-300