The cost of beauty over the span of a lifetime can run some women thousands of dollars. And not only are they expensive, independent studies have shown that some are not even effective and the safety of these products has not been tested thoroughly by any government agency. The Food and Drug Administration does not require cosmetic labeling to undergo pre-market approval as it would a prescription drug, so there’s no guarantee that what you’re putting on your face or body is even working. Honey is an ingredient that is found in many beauty treatments, so instead of buying a $50 bottle of a watered-down and expensive product, just go to the root of the source. Raw honey has many medicinal and cosmetic uses for everyday beauty treatments. Here are a few of them: 1. Facial Hair Removal: If you’re tired of spending thousands of dollars annually on waxing and hair removal, this hack might come in handy. All you need is a teaspoon of honey (more for larger sections), a tablespoon of sugar and a few drops of lemon. Take the three ingredients and mix them together in a microwavable bowl. Then, pop the entire thing in the microwave for about 3 minutes (check your microwave settings, more or less time may be required), until the mixture forms a paste. Making sure that the paste isn’t burning hot, take the warm mixture and apply it to the places where hair needs to be removed. Take a muslin strip or a piece of cloth and place it over the paste, wait a few seconds, hold your skin taut, and pull the cloth in the opposite direction of hair growth. Your skin might be a little red after, but that’s normal, adding a little bit of aloe gel can help to ease this. 2. Acne Honey possesses antimicrobial properties, and according to the National Institutes of Health, since honey is so viscous, it also adds a protective barrier to any type of infection while healing it with its antibacterial traits. Just dip a clean cotton swab into some honey and apply it to the pimple, let it sit for about 20 minutes, and wash it off. Or you can leave it on overnight, but that might leave a mess on your pillows. 3. Exfoliator During the cold winter months, skin can become dry and flaky. Exfoliating is not only helpful, it is necessary for maintaining beautiful glowing skin — it aids in blood circulation in the skin and gets rid of old skin cells so that new ones can come to the surface. Take brown sugar, honey, and lemon juice and make this into a mixture that is thick enough to rub all over your skin. Apply it your body or face for about 30 seconds in a circular motion and then rinse off. Do this around three or four times per week depending on your skin texture. 4. Hair Mask Take one teaspoon of honey, one teaspoon of coconut oil, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and mix this together. After shampooing, apply this to your hair from root to tips. While it won’t reserve the effects of any existing split ends, it will add moisture to your hair. Honey also has humectant properties, meaning that it will keep hair moist — the same with coconut oil. Apple cider vinegar is great because it will help to cleanse the scalp and will help to remove any dirt of other buildup. Source
According to the National Nutritional Database, honey has: 64 calories in one tablespoon protein calcium Iron phosphorous potassium sodium zinc vitamin C Thiamin Riboflavin Niacin Vitamin B-6 Honey doesn’t have any fat or cholesterol. In addition to having a significant number of nutrients and minerals, honey has other health and healing properties.
Honey also has many healing properties. It is both an anti-inflammatory and an anti-bacterial. It’s commonly used to alleviate sore throats. As well, you can use it as a cough suppressant instead of cough medicine. A spoonful of honey will coat the throat and reduce pain and soreness.
