The Bees Knees Facial Treatment

While pouring honey over your hot crossed buns this Easter, pour over these interesting benefits of honey in skincare.  Maybe even pour a little on your face for an amazing skin treat.

What makes honey so great?

Honey is mostly made up of sugars (fructose and glucose).  It also has some peptides, amino acids, and vitamins but it is the protein glucose oxidase that makes it so great.  In short, this enzyme slowly releases hydrogen peroxide that acts as a bactericide.  This process also provides preservative, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Perfect for all skin types to help cleanse, moisturise and improve the skin's surface.

The low water content in honey also makes it great for treating pimples and breakouts.  It works two–fold by:

1. Starving microbes of moisture so they can’t grow.
2. The natural acidity of honey can kill off most microbes.  It has a ph level 3.2 – 4.5 similar to AHA cleansers.
   

Which honey should I use?

Not all honey that you buy is equal.  If you are looking for the antibacterial and skincare benefits of honey, then please do ensure you purchase pure honey. 

This is great short video on how to tell if your honey is pure:

Manuka Honey

As a rule, the darker the honey, the stronger the anti-oxidant effect.  I personally prefer Manuka Honey because its unique anti-microbial profile has greater anti-bacterial properties than other honeys.  It also does not smell or taste as sweet.  The pack should have a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating.  The higher the rating, the higher the anti-bacterial benefits.  If it does not have a rating, then it’s unlikely to be pure manuka oney.

How to use honey at home

As mentioned, honey is great for all skin types.  It will help treat pimples and inflammation, moisturise your skin and leave it feeling silky soft and smooth.  Use it neat to clean your face or leave it on for a deeper cleansing and moisturising mask.  The best part is it easily rinses off in water.

Happy Easter!