I’m back today to tell you about my love for one of the only beauty DIYs I make at home: the honey mask.
During my acne phase, honey saved my skin. I frequently return today to this ingredient that we all have in our cupboards and that I am convinced is beneficial for all skin types!
The benefits of honey
There are multiple, but here are the ones I’ve noticed directly:
Purifying:
Thanks to the hydrogen peroxide it contains, honey is a very good antiseptic. It cleanses, without being abrasive!
Moisturizing:
Honey has a high sugar content. And sugar retains water and keeps it within the epidermis. An anti-sceptic BUT moisturizing product? That’s all it took to convince me. (it’s so rare!)
Healing:
The most important point in my opinion! This is what makes me love it so much. Honey contains a cocktail of minerals, trace elements, vitamins and amino acids that help cells regenerate. It has been proven by many studies that honey accelerates the healing of the skin. It is even used in some hospitals to heal patients’ wounds.
How to make a honey mask?
Then for the blow, it is very simple:
- You take your honey (I explain you how to choose it below)
- We spread it on the face as if there was no tomorrow (in thick layer)
- We wait (between 20 minutes and a whole life, as in my case)
- And we rinse!
A quick and effective honey mask. I don’t know if you can call it a DIY, but it’s a very economical homemade treatment!
I don’t mix anything else with it because I find it’s already very effective as is. If your honey is “hard” and difficult to spread, you can moisten your face beforehand to make the application easier. Then it’s true that it’s a bit sticky, but it’s worth it.
Honey for all skin types
You’ll notice that honey is both anti-bacterial and moisturizing. So you might as well say that all skin types will benefit from it. But for my part, I would especially recommend this mask for:
Acne-prone skin
Tested and approved by me. Honey was one of my saviors during my severe acne attacks. It will gently cleanse and purify the skin, and that’s all it takes for acne-prone skin because it’s very often sensitive. You can even add 1 drop of tea tree essential oil to your honey mask to amplify the anti-bacterial effect if you wish.
Second benefit, it is its repairing power which will help to heal and to attenuate the marks and pigmentary tasks. A savior when you had the bad idea to touch your pimples.
Dry skin
Softening and moisturizing, honey is also a comforting bar for the skin. The honey mask moisturizes and gives a baby’s skin. The advantage is that it never clogs pores and is not comedogenic. So, you can use it and abuse it to soothe the skin and calm redness, as often as you feel the need.
How to choose an effective honey for its skin?
This is often where it gets tricky, because not all honeys are the same. If, like me, you are not a beekeeper, here are some general rules to choose it correctly and benefit from all its benefits:
-Choose a “raw” honey: many products sold in stores mix honeys from different origins. Look for the mention “harvested and potted by the beekeeper” to make sure it is pure. If not, here’s a little hint: pure honeys crystallize (= harden) faster than mixed honeys.
– Opt for organic honey: first of all because the beekeeper will not use chemicals to treat or feed the bees. In addition, they are preserved from air pollution and gather wild plants, also from organic farming. A guarantee of quality!
– Prefer glass jars if possible to avoid that the bisphenol contained in the plastic contaminates the honey
-Special Tip for acne-prone skin: the darker and purer the honey, the more powerful it is against bacteria
Which honey mask for which type of skin?
But what about the hundreds of different honeys available in organic stores?
In fact, the beauty benefits of a honey vary according to the flowers that were gathered by the bees to make it. Therefore, you can choose certain types of honey to target a particular skin problem:
Manuka Honey: You may have already heard of Manuka honey. It’s been making the rounds on the internet as the ultimate honey for acne-prone skin, but I’ll give you my take on it in another article. (spoiler alert: it’s true) Hyper-sceptic, it soothes and helps heal pimples like no other. The drawback? Its price: count 70 euros for 200 ml.
Thyme honey: A less expensive alternative for acne-prone skin. Like Manuka honey, thyme honey is produced from plants that contain essential oils. It is therefore very active and is appreciated for its great anti-bacterial properties.
Acacia honey mask: known to be particularly soothing, it is perfect for dry or sensitive skin to nourish and calm redness.
What if I want honey in my skin care?
If you’re won over by the mask and want to incorporate this ingredient into your everyday routine as well, you can look for “Mel” or “Honey” in your skincare ingredient list. Products that feature honey are often marked for dry skin, with a few exceptions.
My favorite? I’m From’s Honey Mask, which I love because it moisturizes so thoroughly and gives you baby skin!