“Doctor, How to use honey on my skin? Will honey suit my sensitive skin? How to use honey for wrinkles?”

These questions seemed like a puzzle until I researched scientific data on the benefits of honey for the skin. I soon realized that there is a lot more than allopathy when it comes to skincare. One such proof is this article.

My research about honey coincidentally clashed with the analysis of anti-wrinkle cream. To my surprise, the benefits of honey on the skin were more than that of anti-wrinkle creams. Don’t agree? Read further to see the table that compares the composition of honey and anti-wrinkle cream. Also, have a sneak peek at the eight researched benefits of using honey for the face, along with recipes!

8 Benefits of Honey

1. Honey for anti-aging:

Honey is emollient, humectant, and soothing; it retards wrinkle formation and regulates pH according to this study Honey is loaded with anti-aging ingredients similar to an anti-wrinkle cream as shown below in the table:

Benefit	Honey (Ingredient source)	Anti-wrinkle cream
Moisturizer	Yes	Glycerine and water
Vitamins	Six (riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C)	Four (tocopherol, niacin, vitamin C, pantothenic acid)
Anti-oxidants	Multiple (Chrysin, pinobanksin, catalase, pinocembrin)	One (green tea)
Minerals	Zinc, selenium	None
Amino acids	18-20 amino acids, mostly Proline	None
Organic acids	Many especially Gluconic acid	None
Anti-septic	Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties	None
Preservative	Natural	Synthetic

You can avail yourself of anti-aging benefits by applying honey on your clean face for 15 to 30 minutes or using this anti-aging face pack once a week.

2. Honey for acne:

Honey reduces pimples, especially red ones, due to its anti-bacterial properties. You can put raw honey mixed with turmeric directly on red pimples. Leave for 15 minutes to 3 hours. Wash and see your pimple shrink.

Besides the above simple recipe, you can try this homemade acne spot treatment by mixing neem, tea-tree oil, neem turmeric, and Multani mitti. I have personally seen this recipe work like magic in stubborn red acne.

3. Honey for exfoliation:

The organic acid in honey, like gluconic acid, accelerates the shedding of dead skin cells just like a scrub but without mechanical rubbing. Dead cells stick to the skin’s surface with age, giving a dull and patchy look because their shedding is delayed. Hence, honey helps improve your skin’s dull, patchy look.

Mix honey with grounded oats or almonds in the dry skin type and with chickpea flour in the oily skin type. Massage on the face for a minute or two and rinse off.

4. Honey for sensitive skin:

Honey is rich in anti-inflammatory factors that soothe your sensitive skin, provided you are not allergic to honey per se.

Pure honey might sting sensitive skin, so always dilute it with rose water, aloe vera, and cucumber water to make a thin paste before putting it on your sensitive skin. Leave for 5-10 minutes and rinse off.

5. Honey for cuts and burns:

Honey, especially Manuka honey, is used as an antiseptic. Maluka Honey has been used in patients of burns and resistant bacterial infections.

The antimicrobial properties of honey are due to the release of H₂O₂ or the presence of active components, like methylglyoxal in manuka, according to this study. The best part is that microbial resistance to honey has never been reported. Thus, honey should be used as a first-line anti-septic at home.

You can put raw honey with turmeric on minor burns, cuts, abrasions, boils, ringworm, etc., twice a day until they heal. Another option is to make this anti-septic cream by mixing honey with neem, tea tree oil, etc., at home. Put this homemade anti-septic cream on bacterial, fungal, and viral skin infections until it heals.

6. Honey as a moisturiser:

Honey is hygroscopic, like glycerine. Honey moisturises your skin by absorbing water from the environment. Therefore, it should not be used alone, especially in dry weather, because it might extract water from your skin, making it drier. Always mix Honey 5 ml of honey with 15 ml of coconut oil. Apply it on your dry skin 30 minutes before the bath.

7. Honey for fungal infections

Honey, especially Manuka honey, can be used to treat fungal infections of the skin, commonly called ringworm. You can put raw honey on ringworm twice daily until they heal or make this anti-septic cream.

8. Honey for weight loss:

Ayurveda recommends honey as one of the remedies for reducing weight because it aids digestion. Mix a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of lemon juice in a warm glass of water. Drink it slowly in the morning after getting up.

How to make sure that honey is raw or processed?

Honey is a time-tested ingredient when it comes to skincare. But did you know that raw honey benefits are much more than processed ones? Here are a few tips to look for raw honey:

• You can put a drop of honey on your thumb. If it spreads or spills, it’s not pure. If it stays intact, it’s pure.
• Put a spoonful of honey in a glass of water. Raw honey settles at the bottom and dissolves gradually on stirring. Processed honey starts dissolving as soon as it is put in water.
• Raw honey crystallizes on storage, while processed honey remains like transparent syrup no matter how long you store it.
• Raw honey looks milkier and has fine textured crystals. It contains flecks made of pollens, honeycomb bits, and broken bee wing fragments. On the other hand, processed honey looks lucrative but is devoid of medicinal ingredients that are destroyed upon heating. Hmm..all that glitters is not gold:-).

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