All About Honey
All About Honey |
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Natural Beauty With Honey |
Homemade Beauty Recipes |
Natures Wound Care |
The Bigger Bee Picture |
More Than Skin Care |
History & Quick Facts |
Since the days of Cleopatra, Honey has been used as a beauty treatment. It continues to be popular
today in both homemade and manufactured products for the skin and hair. The skin's ability to retain
moisture is crucial to softness, suppleness, and elasticity. With age and exposure to the environment,
the skin looses it's ability to retain moisture, and may become dry and wrinkled. Honey is a natural
humectant, meaning it attracts and maintains moisture. The natural hydrating qualities of honey make
it perfect for skincare products. Since it is all-natural and does not irritate skin, it can even be
used on very sensitive skin types.
In addition to honey's moisture retaining benefits, it also has natural antioxidant properties.
Antioxidants play a role in protecting the skin from UV rays, and aiding in skin rejuvination.
Extended exposure to the suns' UV radiation can cause skin damage, premature aging, and even skin cancer.
Honey, because it is a natural antioxidant and is non-irritating to sensitive skin, holds promise
for use in sun protection products.
Minor acne flare-ups may also benefit from honey's natural antimicrobial properties and the naturally
occuring presence of Hydrogen Peroxide. Honey is antimicrobial due to it's high sugar content, which
limits the amount of water available to bacteria, it's high acidity (low pH), and it's low protien
content, which deprives bacteria of nitrogen needed for growth. As an added bonus, honey does not dry
the skin like many commercial products.
Research is underway to create alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) from honey. AHAs are a key ingredient
in many skin products because they help exfoliate the skin. Exfoliation accelerates the renewal of skin
cells and gives skin an younger, more vibrant look. Unfortunately, exfoliation with AHAs can also
cause skin irritation, so honey's natural moisturizing abilities and gentle qualities would be a welcome
addition to AHA products.
Fine, handcrafted skin care products featuring honey can be found in our
Online Store.
Below are several simple Homemade Beauty Recipes featuring Honey. You'll be delighted with the results
and equally delihgted to find most of the ingredients already in your home!
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Honey Almond Facial Scrub |
Mix 1 Tablespoon of honey with 2 Tablespoons finely ground almonds and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Rub gently onto face. Rinse off with warm water. |
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Honey Exfoliating Mask |
Use pure 100% raw honey instead of alpha hydroxy masks. Because of its high acid content, the Honey exfoliates dead cells, while also being gentle on sensitive skin. |
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Honey Facial and Hair Mask |
Mix 3 parts honey to 1 part olive oil for a skin and hair treatment. Apply to face and wet hair and allow to set for 10-15 minutes. Follow up by washing face and hair thoroughly with a gentle cleanser. |
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Honey Firming Facial Mask |
Whisk together 1 Tablespoon Honey, 1 Egg White, 1 teaspoon glycerin, and 1/4 Cup flour. Smooth over the face and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse well with warm water. |
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Milk & Honey Moisturizing Treatment |
Mix 2 Tablespoons Honey with 2 teaspoons of whole milk. Smooth over the face and throat, and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, and finish with a splash of cold water. |
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Honey 'Dry Patch' Lotion |
Mix 1 teaspoon Honey with 1 teaspoon Olive Oil and 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice. Apply to hands, elbows, heels, or any other problematic dry patches of skin. After 15 minutes, rinse well with warm water. |
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Chapped Lip & Acne Treatment |
Honey works well on chapped lips and for acne because of it's antibacterial properties. Apply a small amount of 100% pure Honey directly to the lips or acne blemishes as needed. |
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Honey Hair Rinse |
Mix 1 teaspoon Honey with 4 Cups warm Water. For blondes, add the juice of 1 Lemon. Mix all together and use as a hair rinse. Don't rinse it out of your hair; dry as normal. This mixture will give your hair a silky shine. |
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Honey Mouthwash |
Mix 1 tablespoon of Honey with 1 Cup of warm Water. Use it as a mouthwash. Honey cleans teeth and dentures, and kills germs in the mouth. |
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Skin Softening Bath |
Add 1/4 cup Honey to running bath water for a fragrant, silky bath. |
New Zealand biochemist Peter Molan concluded after nearly 20 years of research, that honey cleans
and heals wounds better than most medicines used in hospitals. There have been 50+ studies, published in the
British Journal of Surgery and others, that support this conclusion. The studies state that
honey, applied to wounds or burns, creates a moist healing environment that kills infection, encourages
new skin growth, and prevents scarring.
In the production of honey, bees add enzymes to nectar from plants to turn it into honey. One of these
enzymes creates hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid, both of which are helpful in cleansing wounds and
killing bacteria. . Hydrogen Peroxide is released slowly from honey, so it is much gentler to the
skin than commercially produced Hydrogen Peroxide. Honey's thickness also provides a natural barrier
for wounds and burns during the healing period. Simultaneously, the sugar in honey absorbs excess
moisture which might otherwise be used as a food source for unfriendly bacteria. In fact, many types
of bacteria cannot survive at all in honey, allowing wounds to heal, swelling to cease, and healthy
tissue to grow back.
Dressing removal is eased by the presence of honey on the wound, also. The osmotic action of honey
draws out and creates a layer of liquid between the tissues and the dressing. This allows the painless
removal of dressing without tearing the re-growing cells. There are reports in medical journals
of large sores which would have otherwise requred skin grafts, that have been healed without scarring
after honey treatment.
For minor scrapes and skin irritations, try our all natural
Healing Balm
, made with pure beeswax and other natural healing herbs.
Typical Honey Contents
Source: Sugar Alliance
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Easy on the Body, Tough on Bacteria Honey is easily digested by even the most sensitive stomachs, despite it's high acid content. This is because sugar molecules in honey can convert into other sugars (e.g. fructose to glucose). When accompanied by water, honey diffuses into the bloodstream in 7 minutes. It is a good source of antioxidants and is repouted to play a role in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. Despite the high sugar content, honey has a low caloie level; it yields 40% less calories than table sugar. So while providing a great energy source, it does not add weight as quickly as refined sugar. Honey also provides an important part of the energy needed by the body for blood formation. In addition, it helps in cleansing the blood, and it has some positive effects in regulating and facilitating blood circulation. It also functions as a protection against capillary problems and arteriosclerosis. Honey does not accomodate bacteria. This bactericide (bacteria-killing) property of honey is named "the inhibition effect". Experiments conducted on honey show that its bactericide properties increase twofold when diluted with water. |
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Honey and Your Digestive System In treating diarrhea, honey promotes the rehydration of the body and more quickly clears up the diarrhea and any vomiting and stomach upsets. The anti-bacterial properties of honey, both the peroxide and non-peroxide, are effective in the laboratory against MRSA strains of bacteria which are notoriously resistant to antibiotics and are sometimes responsible for the closing of hospital wards. Honey may also be effective in the treatment of ulcers. In Europe, honey has been used internally to help cure ulcers, particularly stomach ulcers. There is evidence that honey diluted in water will help with stomachaches and dehydration. | |
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Honey and Your Allergies Approximately one half of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from crops pollinated by bees. Today honeybees are an essential part of a healthy agriculture economy. Honey can be beneficial to allergy sufferers. Because bees use pollen from local plants, some of this pollen can be found in locally produced honey. Studies have shown that consuming locally produced honey can prevent seasonoal allergies. | |
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Honey and Antioxidants
Scientific research from the University of California, Davis reveals that honey consumption
raises antioxidant levels. In the study, 25 people were told to eat between four and 10 tablespoons
of buckwheat honey, depending on their weight, each day for a month. They could eat the honey in
almost any form, but it couldn't be baked or dissolved in tea. Many chose to eat straight from the spoon.
Antioxidant levels rose in the participants. Antioxidants provide defense against free radicals,
which cause cell damage.
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Honey or Sugar?
Sugar is a crystalline carbohydrate extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets. It is a
non-nutritive empty calorie that robs the body of vitamins and minerals. Sugar is addicting.
High fructose syrups kicked off in the US in the 1970s when the country developed new technologies
to process this bulk calorific sweetener. The ingredient, an alternative to sucrose, rapidly gained
in popularity and is now used extensively by soft drinks makers such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
Soft drinks account for one-third of our total sugar intake.
Health-promoting compounds found in honey could make this ingredient a more attractive option
for food makers currently using bulk sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup and looking to
jump on board the growing health foods trend, say scientists in the US.
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First Recorded Uses of Honey
The first known usage of honey was in Ancient Egypt around 40 B.C. It was a common food in
most households and often was used as a form of payment or tribute. Ancient Greeks used honey
as balm for sores and cuts. They also believed it to be the food of the gods and used it as an
offering to the spirits. In the New Testament John the Baptist ate honey, as did the prophets
Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament.
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A Land of Milk and Honey And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey: unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. -- Exodus 3: 8 Addressing Moses from the burning bush, Yahweh announces his plan to bring Israel out of Egypt to a "land flowing with milk and honey." God means Palestine, the land he promised to Abraham (Genesis 12) and again to Jacob (Genesis 28). He doesn't mean, though, that milk and honey wash over the land -- as "flowing" might suggest -- but rather that his people can look forward to a booming economy. Milk and honey were dietary staples for the semi-nomadic Israelites of biblical times, so Palestine would indeed be a promising home, abounding in goats and swarming with bees. The soil would be fertile also. | ||
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The 'Honey' in Honeymoon Mead (honey wine) has for centuries been renowned as an 'aphrodisiac' and the word Honeymoon is derived from the ancient Viking custom of having newly-weds drink mead for a whole moon (month) in order to increase their fertility and therefore their chances of a happy and fulfilled marriage. | ||
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Historical Honey Beauty Secrets
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Honey Formation
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Types of Honey
The flavor and color of honey is largely determined by the nectar source. Common flavors of
honey include orange blossom honey, tupelo honey, buckwheat honey, clover honey, blackberry, and
blueberry honey. In Australia, the most common honey is from the eucalyptus trees, such as redgum,
yellow gum and stringybark. Tasmanian leatherwood honey is considered a delicacy for its unique flavor.
In 2005, New Zealand had 320,000 beehives that produced an average annual crop of 8,600 tons of
honey. These honeys cover a huge range of flavor types and properties. From mild to very strong
flavored, light to dark coloured, delicately perfumed to pungent and even honeys with significant
antibacterial properties.
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Disclaimer - This page is provided for informational purposes only; Consult a qualified
herbalist or physician to ensure safe and proper use of any essential oil or herb, or to obtain
more complete information prior to use.
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Pure beeswax is one of nature's most perfect products. Beeswax is made from the nectar of
flowers. The honeybees produce beeswax from wax glands on the sides of their body and use it to
create "cells" in which Honey is stored. Beeswax possesses a subtle aroma, the fragrance of
honey ingrained with the other scents present in a beehive. On the average, eight pounds of honey
are consumed by the bees for each pound of wax made by the colony.
Pollen is the male portion of a flower. Bees pack the particles of pollen onto a special part
of their leg to bring back to the hive. The beekeeper places a trap in the beehive that causes the bees
to drop some of the packed ball of pollen into a container that is removed daily. The bees use this
nutritious product for the development and growth of the young bees. A chemical analysis of bee pollen
reveals that it contains every nutrient required to sustain life. Some people, both young and old, eat
pollen for the high concentration of the nutrients that it contains.
