Honey. Golden brown, sweet, sticky honey. Honey has been a staple ingredient for many centuries. Dating back to ancient Egypt, Cleopatra herself was known to use it in her famous beauty baths to keep her skin youthful and beautiful. I use it for everything! Hair, skin, food, illness, burns and cuts, you name it. I want to really get into the benefits of honey and why you absolutely need a jar (or two, or three….or four)
“My son, eat thou honey, for it is good” — King Solomon – Proverbs: 24:13
There are many different types of honey and it can be a bit overwhelming. The most common (and easy to find) are
- Wildflower
- Orange Blossom
- Clover
- Manuka
The key to picking honey is to look at the color. Dark honey tends to have higher antioxidant levels, while lighter golden brown honey tends to have little to no antioxidant properties. The next step is to read the packaging. You want to look for words like “raw” “unfiltered” “unprocessed” “pure” etc. Stay away from the little plastic bear dude you grew up on as a kid, that honey is overly processed and has little to no beneficial properties. The prices of raw honey can range from $7 to about $100 depending on the type you’re buying. Be sure to keep it tightly sealed and away from water as it could contaminate the honey and cause it to spoil. If stored properly, honey can last you a lifetime.
Honey is a natural antibacterial with a PH of 3-4.5 which means it’s high acidity is great at killing bacteria and fighting off infections. Honey also contains a minute amount of hydrogen peroxide which is great for healing fresh wounds and cuts. As far as internally, honey can balance the blood sugar, soothe a sore throat or cough and also contains probiotics.
Now that we’ve gotten all of the characteristics of honey out of the way,
Here are the different uses for it:
- Skin – add to a mask, use on skin/face alone to add moisture and softness, mix in with a sugar or salt scrub, mix with milk powder and lavender in bath water for radiant skin
- Hair – add in to a conditioner or shampoo, make a hair mask with honey, olive or coconut oil and avocado to add moisture and shine to strands (it’s also been said to work on naturally lightening hair)
- Cuts & Burns – apply onto a wound, or cut to keep infections at bay.
- Illness – Mix a bit of honey with warm water and lemon with a bit of fresh ginger to start your day, For colds and flus, mix honey with warm water, apple cider vinegar and lemon
What do you use your honey for?
Leave a Reply