Photo by Barba-gris
Aww, honey, honey… doo do do do do dooo!
Honey has an incredible number of uses and properties; it’s
an antimicrobial, a mild laxative, helps the body retain calcium, a
moisturizer, aids weight loss, and never ever
goes bad. Woo, and that list isn’t even close to comprehensive. Best of all,
though, honey has been a beauty secret to famous women throughout history.
Here are some uses I’ve gathered from my own experience and
the experiences of friends and acquaintances that were generous to share them
with me. They don’t quite add up to a jillion, but if enough be people share
their own secret uses for honey, we could get close! Well, kind of close.
So without further ado…
A Jillion Uses For Honey
Facial Moisturizer: Spread a thin layer of honey on your
face, let it sit for five minutes, and then rinse it off. When the seasons
change (like now), my skin gets super dry, so I try this trick before bed and the
honey leaves my skin is super smooth! Come morning, my face is still moisturized. It’s great for all
skin types because it won’t clog pores and has antimicrobial properties which
discourage the growth of bacteria (one of the causes of breakouts and acne). Be
warned, however, rinse the honey off really
well. More than once I’ve made the mistake of missing a spot, and woke up
to mysteriously sticky pillow cases.
Facial Scrub: This is a variation on the above; add some rolled oats to the honey before you spread it on your face, then massage it into your skin. The oats act as a gentle exfoliater that removes dull, dead skin cells without the risk of over-exfoliating and irritating delicate skin.
Bathtime: Add a few squeezes of honey to your bath for moisturized, soft skin when you step out and dry off.
Hair Conditioner: In the shower, I’ll sometimes squeeze a
small palmful of honey into my hand after shampooing, and coat the ends of my
hair. I wait a few minutes before thoroughly rinsing out, and voila! No frizz, no flyaways. It’s like magic.
Shine Serum: Mix a tablespoon of honey into one cup of very warm water, then put the mixture into a spray bottle. Spritz onto damp hair and comb through. Then, style as normal and prepare for hair so shiny, you’ll stop traffic with one toss of your locks.
Lip Balm: Add a few drops of honey to a small amount of
petroleum jelly and you’ve got a tasty moisturizing lip treatment. From there,
depending on how creative you want to get, you can add various essential oils
and food coloring and experiment with different colors, scents and flavors. Vaseline
sells these teensy baby jars of petroleum jelly, which work perfectly.
Shave Balm: Mix together one part honey to two parts cream and slather on your legs instead of shaving cream. It’s way more hydrating than soap or shaving cream and cuts way down on razor burn and irritation.
Mani/Pedis: Before soaking your tooties for a pedi or your
fingers for a mani, rub a little honey on your cuticles or rough spots (like
heels and the balls of your feet) to soften them.
That’s all I got! What are some of your favorite uses for honey?
Great ideas there.. honey is a relaxant and can have a calming effect in tea or coffee after a stressfull day… of course a spoonful with some lemon in hot water is the worlds best recipe for sore throats… It’s a preservative too, put fruit into jars of honey and they will keep for ages. Works well with plums, apricots, dates…
My family has honey at their ranch. We just harvested some! I like to make a skin healing balm that includes the beeswax and honey.
I love Honey! I’ve used it in the bath and as a skin scrub. And I usually buy the lip balm made out of honey from organic stores.
Stav: Apricot honey would be delicious, especially in tea. One of my favorite uses for honey (non-beauty-related, that is) is drizzling it over peanut butter and banana sandwiches…mmm…
EviesEarth: That healing balm sounds incredible! It must be rad to be able to be so close to the source, you’re completely cutting out the middle man. I’m a city girl, so people who grow/harvest produce and goods fascinate me to no end.
berlinlife06: Once you start incorporating honey into your regular beauty routine, it’s tough to stop! How can anyone resist when it has so many uses and tastes and smells so great?
If only people knew so many uses of pur honey…we’ll not be wasting money on buying so many products for facials, cleansers, shampoos, etc.
I don’t like honey, I find it far too sweet, but I have been told that local honey helps to deal with hay fever symptoms do I encourage my son to eat it.
I am sure some of you know how honey with luke warm water and a squeeze of half a lemon is very good if you drink it first thing in the day. It actually helps loose weight.
The sovereign house remedy for both jangled nerves and a sour stomach is a nice hot cup of peppermint tea with a generous teaspoon of honey. Cures both.
My cousin, who lives on a farm, has even used it to soothe insect bites and help draw out the stingers!
Lindsey, I didn’t know you could use it for insect bites, I will keep that in mind because the insects always seem to pick on me.
Evie, your balm sounds great… any chance of a free sample?
Justontime, the link to hayfever is well established over here. The theory is that honey from local bees, helps the sufferer build up an immunity to local pollen…
I share the sentiments about honey, I remember some time ago my coworker sold me some virgin honey, he has a apiary and that was his first crop. That honey was super.
Wow, there are some great ideas here! I use local honey for my daughter’s allergies and it seems to be helpful.
I think I will have a cup of tea with honey right now.
I always have it on hand but I forget to use it in tea!
Its really useful as a homeopathic remedy, too. Because it coats the throat and stomach and has antimicrobial properties, it can help with a sore throat or a stomach bug.
Very true with the sore throat… I have a recipe for a lemon and honey ”tea” for sore throats and it really does help
Last year I bought a jar of honey from a farmers market with part of the honeycomb still in the jar. What is the purpose for them to do that?
Responses to Katharina
All natural unheated raw honey. The wax of the honey comb is fine to eat, chew too if you like. When it is natural like that, you know it is unheated and natural. In bottles, you can only trust that it is raw, or guess. In the comb really is the best. Spread it on toast, put it in a drink, it is okay.
If I get a cramp in my leg I have a teaspoon of honey and it relaxes the mussel straight away. It is an amazing feeling as the mussel relaxes. Try it next time you get a cramp and see if it works for you.
in medieval times, honey was used as an antiseptic in wounds. It’s healing, soothing properties, are well known.
I have found honey to be EXCELLENT for taking nasty tasting pills. (Like ceftin) I just take a teaspoon, ass a bit of honey, sit the pill ontop the honey, then coat the rest of the pill with more honey, take the pill with the spoon, and take a drink of water (or anything you want to drink). The pill will go down so smoothly, with absolutely NO bad taste! (& Ceftin is the worst!)
Thanks Albert… Sure wish I would have known those things when I had that jar! I really need to buy more at the farmer’s market.
I found out recently that what I should be buying for my daughter’s alleries is the wildflower honey, not the clover that I’d been buying.
Stav is correct; wounds big and small react well to honey. Especially if you have a cut that seems to be taking along time to knit back together, rub a little honey gently onto the cut every day and see what happens.
My Mom has a problem with acid reflux and it has recently become so bad her thoat is burnt and she is having trouble eating. She started taking a teaspoon of honey to soothe her throat. What a difference it has made!
Honey is used for baby during teething period.just use it to rub the gum twice daily.I have try it
Responses to Rizqiyyah
WARNING: You should NEVER give honey to an infant. It can cause botulism poisoning!!!
I would not be without honey or vinegar ever. They are two of the most valuable substances in my house. You did not mention some of the most valuable uses. I wish there was a book with all of the uses.
We should all have at least three jars of honey. Why three? One in the kitchen for eating and cooking, one in the bathroom for first aid treatments and one on the dressing table for our beauty needs. What other natural substance is there where you have these choices? None that I know of. However, please choose the honey you use wisely. Try to make your purchase from a local beekeeper if possible as this will be raw honey and is by far the best. If this is not possible and you buy from a store then check your labels carefully to ensure it hasn’t been blended with other products such as corn syrup. Remember, you get what you pay for.
[...] have nothing against natural remedies – I’m a fervent champion of honey and its many many uses. (I use it mixed with my conditioner and occasionally with crushed aspirin tablets as a facial [...]