The benefits of using honey in beauty

Honey tastes great on toast and is fabulous at making your fairy cakes taste extra sweet. It's not only good for eating, honey is full of goodness that makes it your must have beauty essential. Honey is a natural product created by bees collecting nectar, pollen and resins from flowers. It has lots of nutrients, antioxidants and healing compounds which means it has tons of hair and beauty benefits. Such benefits include the ability to moisturise, fight bacteria and fight the signs of ageing. The best kind of honey is raw honey as it has not yet been heat treated or pasteurised so it has the most goodness. Here's some top tips to get honey incorporated into your  beauty routine.

Honey makes the perfect moisturising mask
Honey naturally draws moisture from the air so is perfect for hydrating and plumping the skin.
Top tip - use one teaspoon of raw honey on clean, dry skin and leave for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with water.

Cleansing time
It may sound crazy in view of how sticky honey is, but you'll find honey is great for keeping your pores clear. Raw honey has enzymes that can clean the skin and keep the pores bacteria free. The antibacterial properties help to prevent any further bacteria building up and leading to unwanted breakouts.
Top tip - use one tablespoon of raw honey in conjunction with two tablespoons of jojoba oil or coconut oil until the mixture has a spreadable consistency. Apply to clean, dry skin and massage in a circular motion. After a few minutes rinse the product off with water.

Exfoliate the gentle way
Honey as you know is full of antioxidants, enzymes and other useful nutrients that skin loves. Baking soda is a very gentle powder that also works as a natural exfoliator to help remove dead skin cells. Top tip - Mix two tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of baking soda together to create a exfoliator that will remove dead skin cells. Rub on your face in a circular motion then wash off.

Zap those spots
Spots love bacteria and as a lot of bacteria is naturally found on the face that's why some people suffer from a lot of spots or acne. The antibacterial properties in raw honey can help to reduce the amount of bacteria on your face reducing the amount of breakouts you  may suffer from. It's also great as a anti-inflammatory and will help to reduce irritation and calm redness.
Top tip - apply a bit of raw honey to your worst affected areas, leave for 15 minutes then wash off.

Reduce annoying scars
Amongst its other benefits honey has been used to help lighten skin. The anti-inflammatory properties and antibacterial compounds work to help decrease the appearance of scars and increase the rate the skin regenerates itself.
Top tip - mix one teaspoon of raw honey with one teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil. Apply to the affected area and rub in a circular motion for one to two minutes. Place a hot washcloth over the area and leave until its cool. Repeat daily for the best results. The two ingredients together will help to revive skin cells and regenerate cell recovery.

Bath time
Honey will also work as a bath aid to repair skin and protect it from environmental damage.
Top tip - mix two tablespoons of raw honey with one cup of hot water and leave until it's dissolved. Once the mixture is integrated add into your bath and enjoy.

Honey is great for hair conditioning
There's nothing worse than hair that lacks shine. Honey is great for use as a conditioner as the enzymes and nutrients in raw honey can give dull hair a gorgeous glossy shine without being too heavy.
Top tip - use one tablespoon of raw honey with two tablespoons of coconut oil to give hair shine and hydration. Aim for the bottom two thirds of hair and avoid the roots.

Take care of your cuticles
As honey is great for drawing moisture it's perfect for massaging into your nail cuticles. The nutrients and enzymes will help to nourish the skin and heal any problems.
Top tip - mix one teaspoon of honey with one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of coconut oil. Rub over each cuticle and leave for five to ten minutes before rinsing off. Coconut oil conditions and protects skin, acetic acid in apple cider softens hardened skin and balances PH for healthy growth.

Use honey as a shampoo booster
Honey is perfect to use in your shampoo as it draws moisture and helps to retain it. It's also been known to strengthen hair follicles to ensure healthy growth.
Top tip - mix one teaspoon of honey with a 2p size of your favourite shampoo.

Care for sunburned skin
Honey is fabulous for adding moisture so is great to help aid healing when your skin is red and raw from excess sun exposure.
Top tip - mix raw honey with aloe vera gel for a cooling solution that will aid the healing process. The anti-inflammatories in the honey will calm the redness whilst the aloe vera will cool the skin.

Budget hair highlighter
Don't waste all your money on expensive hair highlighters when honey can do it for next to nothing. There is a enzyme in honey called glucose oxidase that slowly releases hydrogen peroxide which as I'm sure you know is commonly used to lighten hair colour.
Top tip - mix three tablespoons of honey with two tablespoons of water. Apply to clean, damp hair, leave for a hour then rise. Apply weekly for the bet results.