Looking for natural skincare alternatives has become a way for us to customize and control what is being applied to our skin, as well as what specific concerns the ingredients are targeting.
While researching and shopping for specific ingredients in mind is one way to find the skincare solutions you are looking for, some of those ingredients already exist in our own homes, and more specifically in our kitchens!
DIY at-home skincare ingredients are a unique and effective way to find the solutions to specific concerns you are looking for, often without even having to leave the house.
One of the ingredients that seems to receive a lot of buzz, both in professional skincare products as well as at-home remedies, is honey. It is a multi-use powerhouse ingredient that can target a variety of different skincare concerns.
Whether you are looking to target acne-prone skin, you want to even out discoloration, or you want an additional soothing and hydrating ingredient added into your skincare routine, honey seems to be the product to do it all.
However, while it can effectively treat certain areas, there are also some concerns with how the skin will look and feel after its been used, and whether it will darken or lighten specifically treated areas.
So, does honey darken skin? Honey will not darken skin. In fact, it has been shown to brighten and even out the skin tone. Especially in regards to acne scars or blemishes, honey uses its natural properties to fade and brighten the skin so you are left with an even and clear complexion.
Below we go into detail on how honey performs on your face as a skincare ingredient, what benefits this natural substance delivers, and how best to incorporate it into your skincare routine.
Can You Use Honey on Your Face?
Honey is a naturally derived ingredient that can absolutely be used on the face as a skincare ingredient. Most recently it has become a popular, at-home ingredient that can be used in many different methods to treat and soothe the skin.
It is a natural substance that is mixed with the bacteria, plant matter, and enzymes that naturally exist in the plant it derives from, and made and sourced from bees.
The live bacteria and the enzymes found in honey have many healing, soothing, and hydrating properties when used on the skin.
However, if you plan to incorporate honey into your beauty routine, in order to receive its benefits and have an impact on your skin’s appearance, it is important to make sure the honey is raw and unprocessed.
Raw honey, such as Manuka honey, has all the natural property benefits still intact and retains its active ingredients.
With all of the benefits raw honey offers the skin, it is an ingredient that is suitable for all skin types. It works particularly well for dehydrated and dry skin types, as well as for those with frequent acne breakouts or scarring.
As honey is sourced from bees and is a natural ingredient, allergic reactions or skin irritation is possible. While there are no known side effects of using raw honey on the skin, doing a patch test prior to using the substance all over in a mask or wash will prevent an unexpected allergic reaction.
If you have an allergy to bees or bee venom, or pollen, it is best to skip using this ingredient for your skincare and look for another natural ingredient that can provide similar benefits.
Does Honey Darken Skin?
One of the main benefits of using raw honey as part of your skincare routine is its ability to brighten and even out the complexion. While it does not darken the skin, honey can be used as a method to ridding your skin of dark marks or discoloration.
Among its many active ingredients, raw honey also contains traces of hydrogen peroxide, which has the ability to lightly brighten the skin.
Being able to brighten areas of the skin works ideally for acne scars, or general scarring. It can lightly fade the marks left behind by scars, while also encouraging the skin to repair itself.
If you have acne-prone skin, or are prone to having breakouts leave an area of discoloration behind, raw honey can be a natural solution for reducing acne marks and evening out the skin tone. With steady and continued use over time, scars can fade and the overall complexion can appear brightened.
Raw honey is also a natural exfoliator, which can also contribute to the skin appearing brighter and more even in tone. As it can exfoliate away any dry or dead skin cells, the new and clear skin underneath is revealed, resulting in a complexion that looks brightened and even.
The exfoliation helps prevent skin from appearing dull, by eliminating the dead skin cells, but also helps to fade any darkness left behind from acne scars.
Benefits Of Using Honey On Your Skin
As mentioned above, there are countless benefits for using raw honey in your skincare routine.
Aside from the advantages of brightening and evening the complexion, honey also helps reduce breakouts, speed skin recovery, reduce any inflammation, and hydrate the skin. It also works to reduce excess oil for oily skin types by deep cleaning the pores to help reduce breakouts.
Raw honey is rich in antioxidants, which helps to protect skin from harmful aggressors in the environment. It is also an ingredient that is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory.
It works well not only to protect the skin, but to soothe the skin as well. Raw honey is a powerful ingredient that can be used to calm skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema.
Honey is also used topically to treat injuries, as it encourages and increase the skin healing process. It works well to soothe wounds or burns, while also aiding in the recovery process by promoting the skin cells to heal. Its anti-inflammatory properties also help to soothe and heal the injured skin in general.
As a natural humectant, honey can be ideal for hydrating the skin. Humectants work to attract moisture, while also protecting the moisture already existing in the skin. By locking in skin’s moisture, as well as exfoliating away any dry, dead skin cells, honey is a perfect ingredient to incorporate with dry skin types.
By hydrating the skin, while also soothing and comforting, it helps the skin to feel soft and supple. Combined with its brightening effects, the skin will be left to look clear and glowing.
Breakout-prone, oily skin will also benefit from using honey on their skin, as the exfoliating properties deeply cleanse the pores of excess dirt and debris, which helps the overall appearance while also reducing the chance for breakouts.
How To Use Honey On Your Skin
Much like the many different benefits honey has for the skin, it can also be used in various different ways for the best results. Most commonly honey can be used as a face mask treatment, but it can also be used as an exfoliator or spot treatment, too.
Honey can be used on its own, or can be mixed with other at-home ingredients to target specific concerns with natural products.
Although the stickiness factor of honey can be a deterrent for some when wanting to incorporate this natural ingredient into their routine, once it is mixed with water the stickiness is reduced and it will not feel as tacky on the skin.
The main methods to using honey includes mixing it with water, no matter what type of skincare product you are looking to use it for.
Face Mask
To use the raw honey as a face mask treatment, apply the product onto damp skin, avoiding the eye area. Let the honey sit on the skin anywhere between 15-20 minutes to allow the active ingredients to deliver the full benefits to the skin.
Once the amount of time is up, rinse thoroughly with water and pat dry. Depending on your skin type and how your skin reacts to the honey mask, you can use this treatment multiple times during the week.
If you don’t want to use honey on it’s own or would like to experiment with different results, take a look at this video from iamvanessae on YouTube showing you several different DIY honey face mask recipes!
Exfoliant
If you are looking to use honey as a way to exfoliate the skin, you can mix the ingredient with water to do so. After cleansing the skin with your regular face wash, mix the honey with warm water and gently massage onto the skin.
Based on the natural exfoliation properties found in the ingredient, any dry or dead skin cells will be gently sloughed off to reveal a brighter and clearer complexion.
Spot Treatment
Raw honey can also be used as a spot treatment to target breakouts. The antibacterial benefits of honey are ideal for targeting breakouts, while the anti-inflammatory benefits work to reduce any irritation or redness that can occur with a breakout.
The honey can be applied directly onto the spot in question and left to sit for several minutes. After leaving the treatment on for about 10 minutes, it can be rinsed away and followed up the rest of your skincare routine.
Healing Salve
Honey has been used for decades as a healing salve, due to soothing and restorative properties. It can be used in this way on the skin as well, to fade and treat dark marks left behind due to breakouts and acne scars. It can be worked into the targeted areas generously, with the excess then rinsed away.
Most of these treatment methods can be used multiple times throughout the week, depending on your skin type, as well as the targeted concern.
The different methods can also be interchanged, as our skin is constantly changing. While one day it might seem like our skin needs a hydrating mask, the next we could see breakouts that we want to treat and eliminate early.
However, as mentioned above, before trying any of these methods it is crucial to do a patch test to ensure your skin will be receptive to the honey ingredient, and will not have cause for any breakouts or irritation.
Can You Use Honey With Other Ingredients?
Honey is an ingredient that can be used on its own, or in combination with other natural ingredients depending on the specific concern you are looking to address. As mentioned previously, the honey that you use on your skin should be raw and unfiltered and there are several options to choose from.
While Manuka honey has become the most popular to use in skincare products, Kanuka honey is also frequently seen and is an ideal choice for addressing skin conditions such as rosacea or psoriasis.
If you want to incorporate honey with other types of ingredients, especially in a DIY at-home capacity, it is important to make sure you do a patch test of all the ingredients first, to ensure an allergic reaction is not going to occur.
There are many types of ingredients that can also be used with honey, once you determine what type of concern you are looking to address. For example, if you have a dry skin type that is in need of additional moisture, doing a honey and papaya enzyme mask may be able to deliver the hydration you are looking for.
Conversely if your skin is more on the oily side or breakout-prone, you may find it a lemon and honey face mask to be more beneficial for your skin.
The lemon and honey mixture will be able to deeply cleanse and exfoliate the pores to reduce the appearance of any potential breakouts. The combination of the two ingredients will also work to fade discoloration left behind by acne marks or scars.
However, if you are using a lemon and honey mixture, it is best to also avoid excess sun exposure, as it can cause skin to be extra sensitive.
Overall, honey can be combined with many different ingredients depending on what your skin type, as well as what concern you are targeting.
Conclusion
As detailed above, honey has a myriad of benefits for your skin that include hydrating, soothing, and brightening the overall complexion. While it may be tempting to run to your pantry to start applying honey right now, it is important to note the type of honey you are using for skincare purposes.
Raw, unprocessed honey, especially one like Manuka honey, is what you want to look for when incorporating this ingredient into your skincare routine.
Many professional skincare brands have also started highlighting Manuka honey, or other raw honey, into their product line-ups. It is a powerhouse of an ingredient that works for most skin types, and also can work in conjunction with other ingredients, natural or otherwise, that already exist in your skincare routine.
Honey is an ingredient that can treat acne and breakout prone skin due to its anti-bacterial properties. It can work to soothe irritation for sensitive skin, especially for those with specific skin conditions, thanks to its anti-inflammatory nature.
As it is also an ingredient that includes traces of hydrogen peroxide, it can brighten and even out discoloration left behind from scars or acne marks.
Honey has been used effectively to treat burns, wounds, and other injuries for years, and it is now getting the attention and recognition it deserves for its beneficial skincare properties.
While honey works for almost all skin types, keep in mind that if you have any potential or known bee allergies, you should steer clear of this ingredient to protect yourself against an allergic reaction.
However, if you are interested in starting to incorporate more DIY at-home, natural ingredients into your skincare routine, working in a raw, unfiltered honey is an ideal place to start!
Related Articles
Types Of Facials And How To Choose – Complete Guide
Steaming Face With Lemon – Why You Should Try It
