Raw honey (also called unpasteurized honey)  provides a gentle and affordable alternative to your facial cleanser.

There are many benefits of using raw honey to wash your face:

– Honey gently removes dirt and impurities without stripping the skin of natural oils. Foaming cleansers and soaps frequently strip the skin of these protective oils and cause the skin to overproduce oil.

• The natural antibacterial and probiotic properties of raw honey effectively reduce breakouts and prevent new acne.
• Since it is so gentle and nurturing to the skin, it is ideal for very sensitive skin, rosacea, and eczema.
• It works well on all skin types. It balances oily skin and moisturizes dry skin.
• As far as excellent facial cleansers go, it is much cheaper than store bought options!
• Although any raw honey works excellently, manuka honey boasts superior antibacterial and healing properties. It is recommended for acne-prone skin.

How to wash your face with honey

Get your hands on raw honey. It must say “raw” or “unpasteurized” or “unfiltered” on the label, “all natural” doesn’t mean that’s the case. Look for raw honey at your farmer’s market. If you can’t find it, here’s the raw honey I recommend available online. If you want to splurge, try the potent manuka honey, which contains vastly higher levels of antibacterial properties to heal acne, it retails at around $30-50 online. You can actually pick up Raw honey from Walmart for $11 (I’m sure it might not be as good but will work more of less the same just check the labels)

This will not remove makeup. Use it in the morning (and evening, if you don’t wear makeup).

Take about 1/2 teaspoon of the honey on your fingers. Warm it between your fingers. Add just a few drops of water if necessary to make a spreadable consistency. Smooth it gently on your face.

Rinse off with warm water and pat your face dry. If you have time, you’ll get the best results by leaving the thin layer of honey on for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. This will act as a deep cleanser. After you’ve applied your honey, you want to let it sit on your face for a while. When I haven’t left myself much time, I’ll often only let it sit for five minutes or so. Put the honey on before brushing your teeth, then you can brush your teeth, floss, and do whatever else you need to do before you rinse off the honey. When I have more time, though, I like to let the honey rest on my face for more like twenty minutes. If I get busy with something, I will sometimes leave it on for an hour or more. I have never noticed that my skin suffers from long application–if anything, I think it particularly enjoys the longer treatments. I recommend experimenting to see what length of time you prefer.

Finish with patting a toner on your face for best results. You can make your own by mixing 2 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar with 1/2 cup of water or aloe vera and putting this in a jar or spray bottle. I am forever applying lip salve to keep my lips soft, especially with the change of weather which can make them dry, I use Nivea Milk and Honey (Might as well continue the trend…!)

Now just enjoy the results. I quickly washed my face with honey this morning, my skin feels super soft, it’s radiant, it feels clean (not that my face usually feels dirty, but sometimes after you have used a scrub or face mask you get that sense of clearness that’s how I feel). I’m also totally make-up free today (some days I might cheat a little and use concealer on any red blotches and some cream blusher) and I’m not bothered at all!

Have you ever tried this before? Is you do try washing your face with honey tell me your results  ❤ ❤ ❤