Honey

Dated back to 2000 BC, the use of honey was seen as a medicinal remedy. The benefits of honey were so significant that they were even offered as a sacrifice by the ancient Egyptians to their Gods. In the modern world, we might not give out honey as an offering to God, but we have found sweetness in its properties too. Often found in the cookeries, the gooey yellow substance, honey, is sweet to the taste and even sweeter in benefits to the skin and scalp. It can heal and appease through its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Honey is known to be an essential cure in several dermatological applications. Let us lead you to the miracle story of honey for our skin and hair and discover our Body Care and Hair Care products that have honey as an ingredient.

Ancient Egyptian women were popularly known for their beauty which they took great care of. One of their skincare rituals included the use of honey. It was a popular beauty product that was often mixed with milk to create moisturizing masks (1). The magical properties of honey that moisturize and revitalize your hair helps with humidity retention when applied to the skin or the scalp. The molecules in this natural substrate react to the water in the skin and increase moisture. This helps in achieving hydrated and healthy skin. Furthermore, naturally emollient, honey relaxes the skin while also softening it. It can be directly applied or diluted in water for a perfect natural moisturizer (2). Adding honey to your skincare routine will definitely get you that soft and youthful look.

Honey has had the potential to cure wounds and burns since ancient times. The benefits of honey is being used since the old ages when it was also used to cure blindness. Imagine how beneficial it can be for our skin. It helps to retain the moisture and feeds nutrients to the cells that initiate recovery, thus speeding up the process (2). There are many ointments and cleansing milk among other products that make use of honey to condition the skin. Moreover, you’d love to know that it acts as an exfoliation agent that helps new cells to replace dead cells and keep you looking fresh and glowing (3). Similarly, hair follicles are rejuvenated when applied to the scalp – making the hair shiny and lustrous while also boasting strength and fullness (4).

Coming back to the modern world, are you tired of constant exposure to elements during the day that causes our hair and skin to absorb pollution? Well, definitely you are! Did you know 75% of harmful carbon compounds are being absorbed by our skin! (5) Therefore, raw honey can help us get the lost freshness back. Honey has a huge quantity of glucose that upon application to the skin, breaks down into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide (6). Hydrogen peroxide acts as an antiseptic that disinfects and cleanses. Similarly, the antiseptic qualities of honey also help in the alleviation of dandruff and incidental hair loss (7). All you need is a gentle massage of honey on the scalp and it will combat itching and irritation; not to mention, regular use is researched to have stopped hair fall and relapse of scalp and skin dermatitis (8).

Queen Cleo herself was probably a regular to honey benefits. Keeping her beauty as fresh as she can be seen as a historical record. As an efficient nutrient supplier and moisturizing agent for the skin, honey greatly helps in reducing the formation of wrinkles. Honey also regulates the skin’s ph levels making it more reproductive for cells. Natural skin oils are left unharmed while moisture is built and epidermis (the skin’s middle layer) repaired. Its antioxidant and antibacterial properties lend to the longevity of the skin further deterring the factors that slow aging (9).

It’s time to wound up all the important and different types of honey for the maximum beauty regime. Each of honey type has a suitable application where its properties can most efficiently help the scalp and skin.

• Raw honey (unprocessed natural honey for most applications)
• Manuka honey (the high standard honey for skin – found only in New Zealand)
• Acacia honey (Japanese origin, helps alleviate fungal and bacterial conditions)
• Kanuk honey (helps skin recover from acne and rosacea)

Choose the honey or honey-based cosmetics that best align with your purpose. Create a history from your beauty!

Seek medical attention in case of any allergic reactions on the skin and scalp.

1. Restricted Content [Internet]. [cited 2021 Nov 9]. Available from: https://www.cabdirect.org/globalhealth/abstract/20133012734
2. Burlando B, Cornara L. Honey in dermatology and skin care: a review. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2013 Dec;12(4):306–13.
3. Martinotti S, Ranzato E. Honey, Wound Repair and Regenerative Medicine. J Funct Biomater [Internet]. 2018 May 8;9(2). Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jfb9020034
4. Abd Jalil MA, Kasmuri AR, Hadi H. Stingless Bee Honey, the Natural Wound Healer: A Review. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2017 Mar 15;30(2):66–75.
5. Araviiskaia E, Berardesca E, Bieber T, Gontijo G, Sanchez Viera M, Marrot L, et al. The impact of airborne pollution on skin. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2019 Aug;33(8):1496.
6. White JW, Subers MH, Schepartz AI. The identification of inhibine, the antibacterial factor in honey, as hydrogen peroxide and its origin in a honey glucose-oxidase system. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Specialized Section on Enzymological Subjects. 1963 May 7;73(1):57–70.
7. Israili ZH. Antimicrobial Properties of Honey. Am J Ther. 2014;21(4):304.
8. Al-Waili NS. Therapeutic and prophylactic effects of crude honey on chronic seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. Eur J Med Res. 2001 Jul 30;6(7):306–8.
9. Pavlačková J, Egner P, Slavík R, Mokrejš P, Gál R. Hydration and Barrier Potential of Cosmetic Matrices with Bee Products. Molecules [Internet]. 2020 May 28;25(11). Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules25112510