Did you know that some of the best beauty products for your skin rely on natural ingredients for their effectiveness? Why pay for expensive brand names when you can get those same benefits from natural ingredients already in your cupboard?
The market is full of expensive beauty products that claim to improve your skin. Many of these products use harsh or suspect ingredients, and they test their wares on lab animals. The good news is, many of the more thoughtful beauty brands know that natural ingredients can be just as effective as artificial compounds and are creating ethically sourced and tested products. The even better news is that these natural products' primary ingredients are often easy to find and inexpensive to buy. This means you can mix up your own skin treatments at home with products straight out of your fridge or pantry.
Pure Honey
Honey is used in countless beauty products because it has several different traits that benefit your skin, all wrapped up in one golden ingredient.
Honey is naturally antimicrobial. Honey's antimicrobial properties are so powerful (and well-documented) that doctors use it to protect skin wounds from infection. This property is helpful in fighting acne, which can be caused by harmful bacteria getting into pores.
Honey is an emollient. By definition, this means "having the quality of softening or soothing the skin." Honey adds moisture to the skin, not unlike a lotion, helping it stay soft and hydrated. It also helps calm red patches and even mild sunburn.
Honey is full of antioxidants. These aid honey's emollient properties and may also help slow the signs of aging. Much of the skin's visible aging process is attributed to UV damage and free radicals. Many studies suggest that the antioxidants in honey (both when eaten and when applied topically) help slow -- or even reverse -- this process.
Honey's sticky texture is also beneficial to your skin. It acts as a very gentle exfoliant, pulling away outer layers of dead skin cells without any harsh scrubbing or grit. This can be particularly useful on the delicate skin of the face. A gentle honey massage may be just the thing to soothe red skin while gently whisking away dirt and other debris.
One Important Note: Make sure you're buying pure honey or raw honey for any skincare uses. Many products labeled as "honey" are actually a blend of honey with other sugary compounds, usually corn-syrup. These do NOT have the same properties and are NOT good for your skin. They're not great for your insides, either. Buy the real thing to get the real benefits of raw honey. All Don Victor Honey is pure raw honey. It's the good stuff.
Honey Sugar Body Scrub
The beauty of this body scrub is its simplicity. Sugar provides the granular texture for exfoliation. Honey adds moisture, antioxidants, and antimicrobial action. A tiny bit of coconut oil boosts the moisturizing benefit while smoothing the exfoliation.
4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon pure raw honey
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
Warm coconut oil just until melted. Mix in sugar and pure honey until evenly combined.
For best results, rinse skin with warm water before applying the scrub.
Scrubbing is easiest to do in the tub or shower. That way you have warm water handy and you don't have to worry about making a mess. Scoop a small amount of scrub onto your fingers and gently massage it into your skin. Use it anywhere you need a little exfoliation, especially on dry areas, such as knees and elbows. Take your time and work gently. Let the sugar particles do the work for you.
After scrubbing, rinse off with warm water. Your skin should feel smooth and soft, with just a hint of the coconut oil left behind to moisturize.
Dry skin and apply a moisturizer. Exfoliated skin is primed to soak in moisture, so give it the hydration it craves.
Store scrub at room temperature in a sealed container. It should keep for around a month.
Since the skin on your face is more delicate than the rest of your body, it's better to avoid all but the gentlest of scrubs. Save the previous recipe for your body and use the following mask for your face. This honey face mask exfoliates your face very very gently. The stickiness of the honey lifts up dead skin, and the tiny grains of turmeric are just enough to scrub without irritating delicate skin.
Soothing Honey Face Mask
Turmeric face masks are great for evening out skin tone and soothing redness. The yellow spice shares several of honey's main skin benefits, including high antioxidants to soothe inflammation and natural antimicrobial properties that discourage acne-causing bacteria. Double-up on these skin-beautifying ingredients in this easy natural beauty blend.
1 Tablespoon pure honey
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Mix turmeric into honey until well combined.
Wash all other products off your face. Using warm water (but not too hot!) will help open your pores so the mask can do the most good.
Apply the mask gently all over your face, leaving clear space around your eyes. Since both ingredients are edible, you can even apply this mixture to your lips for the same soothing benefits. It's also pretty tasty.
Relax with the mask on for 20-30 minutes. Be mindful for the occasional drip!
Rinse the mask off with warm water. The fine particles of the ground turmeric will act as a very gentle exfoliator if you use small circular motions with your fingers when washing it away.
Apply your favorite gentle moisturizer once your face is clean.
Give one or both of these honey skin treatments a try, and let us know what you think!
Does your skin feel hydrated and soft? Do they taste delicious?
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