Honey is an ancient beauty aid that is being rediscovered. Its moisture-rich, antimicrobial properties make it the perfect moisturizer for your skin.
We use it in our home a lot – in tea and in coffee, in warm milk for the kids, as a replacement sweetener in recipes. And of course, peanut butter and honey sandwiches are always a huge hit! We even use bee pollen regularly as a nutritional food.
I’ve known for awhile now about the uses of honey for skin care and beauty purposes, but have only recently begun to utilize them for myself. Truly, I have no idea why I waited so long! We have started using raw honey, which has been hard to come by on the grocery store shelf, but it easily accessible online.
Did you know, that one of the things Cleopatra was well known for was her beauty regimen – which included bathing in a bath of milk and honey. How luxurious! If you want to rediscover some healing beauty recipes for yourself, here are some recipes for you to try out at home.
Before you begin, you want to make sure you have raw, unfiltered, andpreferably organic honey.
Try a Simple Face Mask
After rinsing your face with warm water, you simply apply honey directly to your face in a thin layer. Leave this honey mask on for about 25 minutes, and then rinse with warm water. Finish up with cool water to tighten up your pores. You can repeat this mask on a weekly basis.
Indulge in a Honey Bath
Simply add 1/3 cup of honey to hot bath water and soak. Add a cup of whole milk or cream for a rich honey-milk bath. I find this so relaxing – and nurturing – at the end of a long day.
Get Creative with a Homemade Body Scrub or Facial Exfoliant
For this one, you want to mix together:
* 1 cup honey
* 1 cup coarse sea salt or kosher salt
* 1/4 cup oil such as sweet almond oil or olive oil
Apply this mixture to your skin with a circular motion. Rinse thoroughly afterward, and pat your skin dry. This one is incredibly refreshing! And the glow your skin takes on afterward is a sweet bonus.
Luxuriate in a Homemade Hair Rinse
To 4 cups of warm water, you want to add 1 teaspoon of honey. Mix or shake this up well, and use it as an after-shampoo rinse over your hair. Do not rinse it out, but dry as usual after applying. This one makes your hair feel super healthy, with some added shine.
Go for Some Deep Conditioning
For this excellent recipe, mix the following together:
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2 tablespoons olive or sweet almond oil
* 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel (you can scrape this out of your aloe plant yourself or purchase the gel – just make sure it’s pure gel and not a product containing aloe vera gel)
Take this mixture and work it through damp hair and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse your hair, and towel it dry. I find one to have best results when I let my hair air dry as much as possible.
Refresh Yourself with a Honey-Cucumber Facial Mask
In a blender or mortar and pestle, puree a peeled cucumber with a tablespoon of honey. Apply the mixture to your face and leave it on there for half an hour. Rinse your skin, and pat it dry with a towel. Super refreshing!
Moisturize Your Kisser with an Overnight Lip Balm
Mix a teaspoon of honey with 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil. Blend this mixture together and apply to lips before bedtime. This one is so wonderful for conditioning the lips – and of course it tastes good enough to eat!
Even a few years ago, I found it a bit difficult to get appropriate containers for these projects. Now there are so many options, and much more affordable! This is such a soothing and relaxing crafting project to embark upon. No more excuses not to get started!
I love stuff like this and I like making myself rather than buying it!
I totally need to try the deep conditioner especially after all the time in the pool this summer. Thanks for all the homemade remedies.
I love making my own beauty products. My granddaughter and I just made a bunch of out own sugar scrub.
I’ve recently been looking into more natural beauty products and cosmetics. Thanks for these awesome honey “recipes”!
Wow! I had never thought of using honey as part of my “beauty” routine! I’m going to try these! 🙂
A couple of these are new for me. I think I’ll try the lip balm tonight. Thanks!
I really like the idea of using natural beauty recipes. The hair rinse sounds great and so does the lip balm!
I’ve used it as a face mask but never on my hair! Might give it a try tonight!
Totally trying the honey bath! I take baths all the time. Love baths! Take them 2-3 times a week.
I’d like to try it for a face mask. I’ve only been eating it and isn’t that just silly?
This is awesome! I’ve been using honey to heal mouth sores and it’s amazing to see the other natural uses for honey
I love using honey for my hair and skin. It keeps it so healthy!
That lip balm could be a lifesaver in the winter when my house gets dry. Bookmarking!
I would have never thought to use honey for hair, but it makes sense.
I’m obsessed with natural facial mask and need the honey cucumber one I usually do honey and the egg white mask it’s really nice to shrink pores and tighten your skin for a couple of hours
Honey is amazing, the hair rinse sounds really nice, I bet your hair is super soft and smells good afterwards!
Thanks – I love honey and I love making my own products! Pinned your post
I love homemade beauty treatments! We will be doing some of these this summer with the girls!
A friend of mine was just telling me about the benefits of honey. So I could probably impress her with all these recipes! Very cool! Thank you!
Wow – you had me at peanut butter and honey sandwiches! This is a great list and I hardly ever use honey!
Your blog is soo cute and helpful can’t wait to read more posts!
Thank you so much for the kind words! You’ve made my day 🙂
Love this! I recently posted about the honey facial scrub as a fun (and natural) beauty hack. http://lifeaslynn.com/2017/11/11/3-kinda-scary-beauty-hacks-tested/
The alternative to salt that I used is sugar. It may not keep as long as one with salt, but it made me less afraid of getting it in my eyes and it tastes pretty dang delicious xD