15 Beauty Benefits Of Honey You Probably Didn't Know

For most of us, one of the earliest childhood memories would be that of our mothers and grandmothers coaxing us to have that one teaspoon of honey. And unlike the usual lot of bitter things that our mothers would force us to, this was something that was well acceptable to us as kids.

After all, honey did taste sweet and it was the favourite food of all time in childhood. Over the years, as we grew up, we came to realize the benefits of honey for our health. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that honey is a magic ingredient with immense benefits.

Raw honey has a good dose of skin-saving antioxidants and is enriched with a good load of antibacterial properties. The cumulative effect of all of that can save you a lot of money that you would otherwise give up on beauty treatments.

15 Beauty Benefits of Honey

This article explores 15 such magical beauty benefits of honey for your skin and hair.

1. Cleanser
Honey mixes very efficiently with natural oils and spices. The resultant mixture works very efficiently at dissolving makeup. In order to obtain the maximum benefits of honey as a cleanser, you can add it to coconut or jojoba oil and make a balmy mixture. To this, cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric is added.
This takes care of the antiseptic and aromatic properties. The mixture is then massaged all over the face. You will be impressed to see that the heavy makeup that you had put on for the day will come off very easily after this and it leaves your skin moisturized and hydrated.

2. Wrinkle Reduction
Certain properties of honey make it suitable for reduction of wrinkles. To make the most of it, all you have to do is mix two tablespoons of honey with a bowl of curd. Using a ball of cotton, dab your face with it, after which you can rinse it off with lukewarm water. This face pack is recommended for those who are above the age of 30. Ideally, this should be applied twice a month.

3. Spot Treatment
Occurrence of pimples is very common in the teenage days. Once the pimples go off, it leaves behind spot marks. Many women suffer from the occurrence of blemishes as well. The easiest and most natural way to deal with the same would be to dab a ball of cotton in honey and use that to apply the honey all over your face (while ensuring that all the spots and blemishes are covered).

Apply a thin coat of honey, so that you can hit the sack without having to take it off and the goodness of honey can work its magic on your skin throughout the night. You can wash it off with lukewarm water the next morning. If this process is done correctly for a couple of weeks, considerable spot reduction will be noted.

4. Honey Mask
Raw honey has chemical properties which makes it ideal for unclogging the skin pores. By applying a thin layer of honey to the skin that is slightly damp; you will ensure that moisture is delivered to the parched skin. The ideal way to go about with it would be to use your thumb and index finger for massaging in a circular motion, while applying the honey to your face. After about 30 to 40 minutes, you will notice that the honey has dried. At that point, you can rinse it off with cold water.

5. Hydration Of The Skin
This is particularly recommended for women who need to travel a lot and as a result subject their skin to the harmful effects of dirt and pollution. It is recommended that such women should add a dab of honey to their normal moisturizer and mix the same well.

The same should be applied once a day. This will ensure that the skin retains the moisture for a longer period of time and as a consequence, the effects of pollution are minimized. The fact that honey is a natural humectant and draws moisture from the air into the skin works in our favour here.

6. Lightens The Scars
Sometimes, old wounds leave scars that are very difficult to get rid of. Moreover, darker the scars, the worse they look. An easy way to get rid of scars would be to mix one teaspoon of raw honey with a teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil. The choice of oils should be based on the season that you are in. In the winters, you can go for olive oil, while for the summer months, the use of coconut oil is recommended. Once the oils have been mixed well, apply the same over the affected area and let it stand for 3 to 4 minutes, after which you can rinse it off.

7. Treats Rashes On Sensitive Skin
The treatment of rashes on sensitive skin is a tricky issue, as you cannot use most cosmetic cures here. In such a situation, one of the easiest ways to deal with it would be to prepare a natural pack at home. Here, all you have to do is grate a cucumber after taking its skin off. Add two tablespoons of honey to one cup of this paste. Gently apply the same over your rashes and let it stand for half an hour before rinsing it off. You will get immediate relief from your rashes and associated irritation.

8. Treatment Of Split Ends
If you find that your hair has split ends, chopping its length may not be the only solution. An easier way out would be the use of honey. Dab the ends of your hair with honey and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes before you wash your hair with the regular mild shampoo of your choice. Do this twice a week for a couple of months and you will notice a gradual reduction in the occurrence of split ends on your hair.

9. Gives A Natural Glow
Honey helps to bring out the best of the skin and gives it a radiance, which would otherwise be unimaginable. To get that glow, all that you will need is half a lemon and a teaspoon of honey. The honey is added on to the lemon piece. The same is then used for rubbing all over the face. This takes care of all the dirt and accumulated dead skin cells and gives your skin a natural radiance, without the use of any artificial chemicals.

10. As An Exfoliator
A gentle scrub can be prepared by adding two parts of honey and one part of baking soda and mixing it well. In this mixture, baking soda is responsible for providing the light exfoliation, while honey takes care of soothing and smoothing of the skin. Ideally, this should be applied once or twice a week to obtain the best benefits.

11. Anti-ageing Properties
Honey has a number of natural antioxidants. Thus, it does not have to be mixed with anything else in order to be used as an anti-ageing element. You can simply apply it as a homemade mask. The simple process will reduce fine lines and age spots by increasing the elasticity of the skin and make you look younger than your years.

12. Lightens Skin Complexion
For this, take the juice of one tomato in a bowl and to that, add a teaspoon of honey. You can store this mixture in the refrigerator. Twice a week, massage your face with this mixture, making sure that your hands move in an upward circular motion. In a couple of months, you will notice a significant lightening of your skin tone.

13. Tackling Hair Fall
One of the main causes of hair fall is the lack of nourishment to the scalp. One of the easiest ways to ensure that your scalp gets the nutrition that it deserves is to massage your scalp with a mixture of curd and honey. The mixture contains equal proportions of both curd and honey. If you apply this before you shampoo your hair, significant reduction in the hair fall that occurs after a hair wash will be noted. This is particularly recommended for people having dry hair.

14. Honey Bath
Add two cups of honey to the running bath. Soak yourself in it to reap all the benefits. In order to make the most out of it, you can go ahead and add a cup of baking soda for the last 10 to 15 minutes of your bath. This will enable you to get rid of all the dead skin cells on your skin without much of an effort on your part.

15. Treatment Of Sunburn
Honey provides nutrition to the damaged tissues and plays a very important role in reducing inflammation of the skin. This makes it an ideal solution in the treatment of sunburns. Here, all you have to do is take one part honey and add it to two parts of pure aloe vera gel. Once that is applied to the sunburn skin, it is left undisturbed for an hour, after which it is rinsed off. If this process is repeated for more than a week, significant improvement in the sunburn and associated changes can be noted.