STEP BY STEP

• Splash your face with warm water, never hot.

• BLOT some of the water off so you are damp, not soaking wet.

• Scoop out about 1 teaspoon of honey into your warm wet palms.

• Rub them together for a few seconds - the honey will quickly dissolve. Alternatively, apply the honey directly to your damp skin.

• Briskly “wash” your face like you would with any cleanser or soap! Then … let it soak in a few minutes while you brush your teeth to allow time for the honey to work as a solvent.

• Only splash to rinse, do not wipe or wash off. Resist the urge to wash the honey off. Leaving a few molecules behind - sure! Just not so much that when your face dries you feel sticky.

• Pat dry. Go on to your next step: tone, moisturize, etc. After you rinse away the honey and pat dry, the feeling of a slight residue from the honey will go away shortly.

Tips & Tricks

So for best results, skin needs to be relatively clean before washing with honey. It’s my personal go-to to use honey for my morning cleanse when I am just removing sebum and sweat mostly, and as a second cleanse always after Oil Cleansing, and sometimes after using my Powdered Foaming Charcoal Cleanser which I always add honey too.

The best way to remove heavier applications of mineral sunscreen and/or makeup is with Oil Cleansing; Cleanse with oil then a second time with honey.

Honey used this way is also an effective toning step!

Honey can assist in our efforts to maintain a healthy, strong, intact Acid Mantle, helping restore it after coming in contact with tap water.

Why? Honey has a pH that perfectly matches that of happy skin, which is actually quite acidic!

Your tap water has a pH of 7, at best! But it might be much more alkaline than that. Our skin HATES to be alkaline and doesn’t function well when alkalized! The difference between a pH of 4.5 and 7 is actually quite large, even though the numbers are small. Hardly anyone knows this unless you have investigated this topic it is not widely appreciated that alkaline water can lead to skin problems. We tone our skin primarily to “reset” the pH so the skin can begin to recover the Acid Mantle.

PS - Never use the new “Alkaline Waters” to wash your skin.

Deep, lasting benefits are achieved with honey by making a weekly habit of incorporating a honey mask into your routine.

The LONG LONG LONG list of skin types and issues that benefit from this practice include atopic dermatitis (eczema), rosacea, psoriasis, itchy dry, or irritable skin, and all forms of acne.

Those of us who have accumulated 40 or more birthdays will discover that honey masks do help soften the skin, improve skin texture, soothe irritation, restore tired, dull skin craving rejuvenation, and greatly improve long-term skin hydration.

Those with problem skin and mature skin, benefit the most from this practice but even those with perfect skin should notice results!

FULL FACE 20-30 MINUTE HONEY MASK INSTRUCTIONS

#2 READY TO UP YOUR MASKING GAME? Keep reading :)

Increase the nutrient density of your honey mask with botanical ingredients (powdered herbs), yogurt or buttermilk powder, powdered sugar, aloe powder, coconut, almond, rice, or oat flour! Minerals are vital for skin health, add things like sea salt, magnesium sulfate, and zinc oxide. In addition to the honey liquids like aloe juice or gel, yogurt, kefir, or almond milk provide even more “skin food”. Glycerin is another amazing addition! I rarely make a mask without adding some moisturizing glycerin to the mixture.

STEP BY STEP:

When making your mask, the ratios of ingredients are subjective - you are working to create a spreadable paste that suits your preference. Make adjustments as you see fit.

• Put about 1-2 tablespoons of honey in a small bowl

• Add maybe 1-2 teaspoons of powdered ingredients (see above for ideas).

• You will want to also add a few drops of a liquid (see above). Some will like the paste thin, others like the paste much thicker. Add more honey, powder, or liquid to get to the consistency you like. Then add a little more honey!!

• Apply the mask mixture to warm damp skin, or after spritzing with hydrosol. This moisture will help spread the mask and add hydration.

• Keep the mask moist. Spritz with water or hydrosol a few times over the masking time (I like to spritz then massage for a moment) Or with wet fingers, massage some wetness in.

• Rinse off in 15-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water and scrub with your wet hands for a moment then wipe with a warm wet washcloth. Rinse and pat dry. Don’t wash

• Follow up with a quick brisk wash with just honey.

• Pat dry.

• If you have some mask left over, put it in a small clean-lidded jar and stash it in the fridge. Use it to treat trouble spots or dry patches. Use it up within the next week to 10 days then discard any remaining.

HOW TO SPOT TREAT WITH HONEY

STEP BY STEP:

Spot treating provides many beneficial compounds and space for the skin to heal more quickly without needing to do a complete mask. In those with acne, faster healing reduces the chance of scarring. There is ample evidence that treating inflamed areas with honey (especially medicinal Manuka, Kanuka, or buckwheat honey) soothes irritation, redness, and swelling.

• It is best to spot treat areas of your face when it’s clean and a little damp. So right after cleansing is a good time. Clean your face then pat dry.

• Simply apply a small amount to the area with a clean finger.

• Allow the honey to soak in for 20-30 minutes to get the most benefit - resist touching the area during and after the treatment.

• Splash and wipe gently with a clean washcloth to remove the honey.

• There might be a slight feeling of residue - that is normal and will quickly absorb.

A complete turnover of the skin cells takes about 20-40 days! The younger you are the faster your skin completes a turnover. As we age this process slows. We can not determine the efficacy of any change in the routine until this process is complete.

Most of us want immediate results, some results achieved when first starting to include honey into your routine come very quickly - you might even notice improvements right away! Long-term healing support will take longer.

I promise that in most cases if you stick with it for 2 months (cleanse with honey regularly and perform just one Simple Honey Mask once a week) you’ll notice improvements.

Full-text research for your review:

Honey: A Therapeutic Agent for Disorders of the Skin. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305890170_Honey_A_Therapeutic_Agent_for_Disorders_of_the_Skin

Honey in dermatology and skin care: a review. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.12058

Honey, Wound Repair, and Regenerative Medicine. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.12058

Evidence for Clinical Use of Honey in Wound Healing as an Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory Anti-oxidant and Anti-viral Agent: A Review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941901/