5 Beauty Recipes: Honey for Skin, Face and Hair Health

O, golden honey! Looking for honey beauty recipes? Honey is perfect for those looking for an all-natural, organic way to look beautiful without chemicals. Honey packs more than just a sweet punch. Legend has it that Cleopatra used honey to moisturize her skin and look beautiful, and honey's beauty claims are finally being backed by science.

Honey has been clinically proven to have actual nutritional benefits. According to the National Honey Board, honey naturally contains a "wide array of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc" (source). Even more, honey contains antioxidants that could potentially help battle the signs of aging in your body.

With all these nutritional perks, it comes as no surprise that honey also has certain qualities that make it a wonderful, natural addition to your regular beauty regimen. Honey is an all-natural humectant. This means that honey attracts and helps retain skin moisture, hydrating your skin without any man-made chemicals or compounds like commercial moisturizers.

Honey is also is naturally soothing, great for those who suffer from skin blemishes and acne. Honey also has powerful, natural anti-bacterial properties (source), making it the perfect all-natural cleanser to moisturize and purify your complexion.

But the beauty uses of honey are even more diverse than the examples we've given. In this beauty article, we'll show you five amazing beauty uses for honey that will do everything your expensive, commercial beauty products do at a fraction of the price...naturally!

Five Beauty Uses of Honey

Honey Beauty Recipe #1: Honey Firming Face Mask Recipe

This honey beauty recipe will naturally firm and tone your face, leaving your skin feeling smooth and clean while minimizing pores and helping erase the signs of aging thanks to honey's natural antioxidants (the darker the honey, the more antioxidants it has!). Whisk an egg white with a spoonful of organic honey and gently rub onto your face. Leave this firming face mask on for at least 10 minutes, then gently rinse off with warm water.

Honey Beauty Recipe #2: Honey Hair Shine Booster

Honey can help make your hair healthy and boost your hair's shine by infusing it with moisturizer. Mix a spoonful of honey with a quart of warm water and rinse through your hair after shampooing. Leave on for an hour for deep conditioning, then rinse gently. Every other week, also include a rinse of organic apple cider vinegar for extra shine boosting.

Honey Beauty Recipe #3: Smooth Honey Skin Lotion

This skin lotion uses honey's natural humectant properties to moisturize and hydrate your skin, leaving you feeling smooth and soft. Just stir a spoonful of honey with a teaspoon of organic olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice (lemon juice is a natural skin brightener to help fade signs of aging). Spread on after a bath or whenever your skin needs a little pampering. Rinse off with a warm washcloth after 20 minutes.

Honey Beauty Recipe #4: Cleansing Honey Facial Scrub

This honey face scrub recipe is perfect when you want to moisturize your face, smooth away blemishes and exfoliate your skin gently and naturally. Stir a couple pinches of ground nuts into a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon juice. The ground nuts act as a natural exfoliation agent; the lemon juice naturally brightens away blemishes and promotes faster skin growth through its natural acids; and the honey leaves your face smooth, toned and moisturized.

Honey Beauty Recipe #5: Honey Bath Potion

This is the simplest recipe that leaves your skin feeling naturally smooth and soft. Just pour a cup of organic honey into your bath water for a smoothing, hydrating bath experience.