Honey is made from flower nectar by bees and the liquid contains fructose, glucose, and monosaccarides. People use it as a food sweetening alternative to sugar and its chemical properties make it ideal for inclusion in recipes for baked foods. Throughout history, honey has also been used to treat ailments and fight infection. It has become a popular skin care ingredient and many people enjoy using a honey face mask to cleanse, moisturize, and treat their skin.
Honey is considered a humectant, which is a substance that attracts moisture from the air and directs it to skin. It is used in moisturizing face masks and scrubs, often combined with other natural ingredients such as fruit or brown sugar. A special type of honey, UMF active manuka honey, is used to make face masks to treat acne due to its possible antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Honey has many skin benefits including:
- anti-aging, treating mature skin
- anti-fungal
- antioxidant
- cleansing
- exfoliating
- healing, repairing scarring and other skin damage
- calming inflamed skin
- moisturizing
- repairing
When honey is used to make face masks, it either should be naturally runny or warmed to create a runny consistency. Warming can be done in the microwave or by putting the honey into a glass container resting in hot water. An acne mask is made from 1/3 cup of warmed honey, one to three crushed aspirin, and three tablespoons coconut, olive, or almond oil. After adding the crushed aspirin to the blended honey and oil, apply the mask to skin. After ten to 15 minutes, rinse off the mask, and pat-dry the face.
Moisture is important for all types of skin, but people suffering from acne should not use lotions and creams that clog pores. A face mask that moisturizes and fights acne is the perfect solution. It is made from one teaspoon each of plain yogurt and warmed honey. Mix the ingredients, apply the mask to the face, leave on for between ten and 20 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water, and pat the face dry.
There are also honey face mask recipes designed for people seeking anti-fungal, anti-aging, exfoliation, and skin calming benefits using only natural ingredients. With several items from the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, people can whip up honey-based face masks to treat nearly any skin condition. Not only will they save money, they will also avoid applying unknown and potentially harmful substances to their faces.
