Raw Honey

Washing my face with raw honey has made a huge difference in my skin!

My skin is oily, acne prone, sensitive and now aging as well. I have tried a huge range of cleansers - cheap, expensive, cream, foaming, etc. over the years. None of them have performed as well as raw honey. You can't use regular honey you get at the grocery store in the squeeze bottle. It needs to be raw (aka unpasteurized) honey so you get the beneficial bacteria. I mix a quarter to a half a teaspoon of honey with water, spread it over my face and use my Clairsonic brush. My skin is both less oily *and* more moisturized at the same time. My acne is reduced and my skin is far more radiant than with any conventional cleanser I've used.

This is also extremely inexpensive - I pay $12 for 2.2lb of raw honey!! Considering how little I use this goes a long, long way. Honey does not go bad unless you mix it with water - so as long as you store it in a cool, dry cupboard there is no reason not to buy in bulk.

The only annoying thing is that honey is very sticky. If you don't rinse it all off your face or it drips down your wrists you will find sticky spots all over throughout the day. Because of this, I tried to switch to a gentle, non-foaming cleanser but the results just weren't the same so I've gone back.

I have not tried using manuka honey which has stronger anti-bacterial properties so I'm not sure how it compares to regular raw honey. It's a lot more costly but I may give this a try soon, anyway.

Pros
-balances your skin
-fights acne
-gives your complexion radiance
-natural, non-toxic
-very, very inexpensive

Cons
-sticky, requires a lot of rinsing
-not great for traveling

UPDATE: A pro I forgot to mention (because it's not beauty-related) is that supporting beekeepers is very good for the environment. Honeybees have been dying in huge numbers in recent years due to the use of neonics (a type of insecticide) so purchasing honey from local beekeepers can help them keep their hives going!!

My entire life, I have had dry skin. I just thought that's they way I was born, and to deal with it. An esthetician friend told me "honey washing" would be an excellent way to moisturize my dry skin. To be honest, I changed much of my skincare routine after that conversation, so I can't give all the credit entirely to the honey, but I do believe it is the most effective part of my routine. I say this since I had tried countless methods/brands of moisturizing over the years and nothing ever had the effect of correcting my dry skin.

I have been "honey washing" my face in the morning for a little over 8 months. I do this every morning. Make sure you are using raw, unprocessed honey. Do not use the cute little bear squeeze bottle. Must be raw/unprocessed. I use Wee Bee Honey since my ShopRite carries it. Otherwise go to a farmer's market, Vitamin Shoppe or GNC.

I put my hair up in a headband and take anywhere from 1-2 teaspoons to a tablespoon (it's cheap - who cares how much you use) and massage it all over my face. I do warm it a bit in my fingers first to make it easier to spread during the cold months. I personally do not add water. I then let it sit there while I make coffee, make breakfast, read email, etc. Some days it sits for 10 minutes, and some days longer. I then splash water on my face to remove, and follow up with a wet washcloth to make sure all honey is removed from the hairline.

I now say that I have normal skin. Not dry. I am so happy I learned about honey.

=====

So I mentioned that I had changed much of my skin care routine at the same time as starting the honey washing - this is mainly a complete changeover to all my moisturizers being from Shea Terra Organics. I am NOT affiliated with Shea Terra at all, I just LOVE the products I use.

I used to just use the Shea Terra (ST) Argan Oil followed with Olay Complete moisturizer, morning & night. Now I use the ST Argan oil, ST Kigelia gel and ST Marula moisture face creme, in this order, in the morning. In the evening, I use Shea Terra Rose Hips oil, ST Kigelia gel and ST Marula moisture face creme.

I have combination oily acne prone skin. Ive been using alot of drying things on my face to combat the oil and acne, whilst that worked i ended up with severe eczema all over my face. I decided to use honey to cleanse my face morning and night. First couple days my skin looked healthy and glowy, it even dried up a few pimples, but best of all my eczema patches disappeared. I continued to use raw honey as a cleanser until i noticed all my pores were clogged and i was developing really painful red spots all over my forehead and cheeks. I stopped using raw honey as a cleanser and used only cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer on my skin. The pimples that the honey caused went away almost immediately. So 2 weeks went by i really did like how the honey made my skin so soft and how it took away the eczema patches and calmed my skin. I decided to use it as a mask after i cleansed my face , left it on for an hour. I washed it off my face felt nice and smooth then i went to sleep. Woke up to new painful pimples, lovely now i will never use honey on my face again. Such a shame because it did feel great on my skin.

I DID HONEY MASKS FOR ABOUT A MONTH,IT DID MAKE MY FACE LOOK LIFTED I DONT KNOW WHY,MY SKIN FELT GREAT WAS SMOOTHER,MADE MY DRY SKIN KIND OF DISAPPEAR,BUT IT REALLY CAN DRY YOUR SKIN OUT,IT SEEMED TO CREATE A DEEP WRINKLE ON MY CHEEK AND IT HAS STILL NOT WENT AWAY.MY SKIN PEELED AFTER I STOPPED USING IT,I RECOMMEND FOR OILY SKIN,DO NOT GET ON YOUR FINGERNAILS IT GAVE ME RIDGES AND THEY HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YEARS RUINED MY NAILS.

raw honey is amazing. i've been using it as a cleanser for a month. i never use my facial wash again. only honey in the morning and at evening.
i massage it around my face and then leave it for 30mins , after that i wash it off with warm water.

my skin feel smoother and no more new acne. and its really work for acne scar and dark spot. i had new acne scar and its disappeared in about 3 days? totally disappeared. i havent seen any significant progress for my old acne scar. i think it takes a while.. :)

well, raw honey is my new facial wash! <3 i want to try manuka honey, which i heard it works much much better.. but they dont have it in my country..

I am super impressed with honey for skin care! My skin can get extremely dehydrated and dull looking and I've been really loving natural skin care. I use honey to clean my face in the morning, and it leaves my skin perfectly balanced!! Soft, almost poreless, and glowing. I still use the OCM at night, because honey does not remove makeup... but I love waking up in the morning now because I feel like I'm treating my skin so well when I put honey on it. It makes the getting up and getting ready feel less stressful because I know I'll love my skin afterwards.

I use raw organic honey (locally farmed) to wash my face every morning. The raw organic is grainy and creamy. On the first few uses, you may feel a little flushed but it goes away pretty quickly. I keep a jar in the shower and this is my go to wash. I find that my breakouts have decreased, my skin is balanced and overall much healthier. I suffered from cystic acne on my chin and jawline for nearly twenty years and since I started this I've gone from having four or five cysts a week to one every few months. Give it a chance and try it. It works!

In Ginger Garrett's book 'Beauty From the Bible', honey and olive oil are mentioned as two of the ingredients that work wonders for the skin. Yes, indeed!

I follow Garrett's technique of applying honey with moist fingertips, on the face. It soothes the face. Honey is also a humectant and antiseptic (assuming one uses raw, unprocessed).
Her book also has a recipe for a skin creme, with only beeswax, honey and olive oil in equal parts. This creme too, is awesome! Apparently, the ingredient mix is close to that in the 'Egyptian Magic' cream that costs several times over.

I have also found out that Manuka honey is working great for my skin and hair. A honey-egg yolk mask on the hair, makes it incredibly shiny and silky. I also noticed silkier/softer results when I used raw Manuka honey instead of raw generic honey.

Honey (diluted with distilled water and triphala churna) also works miracles for the eyes.
A honey eye wash will clean out any impurities or bacteria and cure dry eyes. I often use honey eye wash, with a drop of honey in a teaspoon of distilled water and some triphala.

Better to use honey than skin products containing chemicals like propylene glycol etc for retaining moisture! Love love love the scent of honey.

I wanted to take a few weeks to use honey to see how it worked on my skin before i wrote a review. It's been about 4 weeks since i started and i've experimented with different ways before finding how it works best for me.

Ok first off I got RAW honey from whole foods, the darker wildflower kind. First I used it as a cleanser in the shower. I noticed small red bumps afterwards around my chin and jaw. Nothing horrible i think that was just my skin adjusting to it. I stopped using it as a cleanser though and started wearing it over night pretty much all over my face. It was horrible to sleep with... i kept waking up with my face stuck to my pillow or a blanket (lol) and my hair would stick to my face. I also noticed that when i used it every single night my pores began to clog a little.

So i stopped using it all over my face overnight and instead i just used it as an overnight spot treatment. It's very effective for bringing down the redness of a big pimple, especially an annoying under the skin one. The final method i use with honey is a 30 min mask before a shower, usually every three days. Which is AMAZING. It makes my skin literally glow. Its best when I'm about to put on makeup afterwards, which preps my skin nicely. It makes my makeup go on nicely (light liquid to powder foundation by loreal, which is the best, fyi)


My overall review of this product is that it is very effective but not when used overnight all over the face or as an everyday cleanser. I found that the results are better when you use it as a mask every few days. NOT every single day. i have very mild acne and mild acne scars with the occasional big pimple or cyst. Ever since the honey, if pimples form they go away very fast. I also use aveeno moisturizing bar to cleanse twice a day and witch hazel as a toner twice a day. My skin looks great.

UPDATE: I'm still using honey on my face but i switched brands because the kind i was using turned out to not actually be RAW honey... the label said raw but the consistency was clear and syrupy, which i read online that real honey is not like that at all. So I got another jar of actual raw honey which is COMPLETELY different in texture and color. It works soooooo much better and it doesnt clog my pores, which was happening last time because it wasnt actually raw honey. I also use it on my lips and it makes them plump and soft

First off, all honey is NOT created equal. Your "basic" honey is the kind in the honey bear squeeze tube - do not use this on your face! It has been refined and robbed of all the good stuff and enzymes that you want when using it as a face wash or mask! For a couple dollars more you can get RAW honey; unpasteurized, unrefined, and hopefully organic. This is what you want for your face. Next step up would be Manuka honey, which apparently has way more antibacterial properties, but is a great deal more expensive (around 20 dollars for a small jar) and I have yet to make that kind of commitment! I bought a jar of raw, organic honey at Trader Joes for around $5.00. Perfect.

This is now my HG face wash!! I have been using raw honey as a cleanser for a little over 3 weeks now. First, I oil cleanse with grapeseed oil to take off my makeup, follow up with the hot steamed washcloth, and then cleanse with the honey. If I have time, I'll leave it on for 30 mins to an hour before washing it off. You will be left with clean, even, dewy skin. I seriously see such a reduction in redness every time I wash with this. Ever since cutting out all toxic chemical face products, my skin has been MUCH happier. The only thing i use on my face anymore that has chemicals is foundation and makeup, which I am in the process of switching over to more natural products. Also for the first time in FOREVER, I am actually confident enough to be seen without makeup. This is BIG for me, so that's saying a lot about how much my skin has improved.

TIPS :)
- There was an adjustment, or some say "purging" phase. Don't let this freak you out! For me, I think it was just my skin adjusting to not having any chemicals or soaps put on it! I had a few cystic pimples (but not really any more than usual for me) and then they cleared up pretty quickly and now I haven't had a cyst in like two weeks which is unheard of for me.

- If you are leaving your cleanser on for some time after, apply it to a slightly damp face. It will be way less sticky and stay on much better. Also, use a headband! It is pretty sucky if it gets in your hair.

- My favorite tip is to buy the liquid version of raw honey - not the solid form. Then you can pour it into a repurposed pump bottle and it is WAY less messy to use! Makes it way more convenient and sanitary than sticking your fingers into a jar each time.

- Last but not least, play around with it! I've taken to adding essential oils into my honey (my favorite is lavender, the two mixed together is absolutely divine) but you can add whatever essential oils you like. Sometimes I add turmeric, oatmeal, or brown sugar if I want exfoliation...the possibilities are endless!

The point is this stuff is all natural and AMAZING for your face. Try it, and cut out all the processed chemicals you put on your skin. Your face will love you for it.