If you make your own aromatherapy and beauty products, you might want to consider honey as an ingredient; honey isn’t just for eating, it can be added to many different homemade beauty products. Although beeswax is a popular ingredient for homemade aromatherapy products, honey, in its raw form, is useful too. Honey has many health benefits when you apply it externally but you need to make sure that you choose the right type of honey, and in the right format, in order to see the benefits.
Historical Use of Honey
The use of honey medicinally and in beauty products is not a new phenomenon; the ancient Egyptians, who used many plants for medicinal purposes, knew the therapeutic value of honey. The Romans and Greeks also valued honey. In Medieval times, honey was used as a form of payment because it was considered so valuable (source).
Constituents of Honey
Honey is made by honey bees from the nectar of the flowers from which honeybees frequent; honey varies in color and flavor, depending from which plant it was sourced from. However, the main components of honey are usually the same. Raw honey is the type of honey that you need to use if you are using it for aromatherapy, beauty products or medicinal purposes. The type of honey that you find in the supermarket or store has usually been pasteurized or processed to make it more visually appealing; however, this process can remove some of the healing benefits. Raw honey is primarily made up of fructose, glucose and water, with sucrose, maltose and traces of other sugars and undetermined constituents.
Types of Honey
As stated above, raw honey is the type of honey that you should use for making aromatherapy and beauty products; however, there are several different types of raw honey to choose from too. Raw honey with healing benefits include:
- manuka – the Manuka bush is native to New Zealand and is now one of the most popular types of raw honey from which to make aromatherapy and natural beauty products; honey produced from the manuka bush has many healing benefits (see below)
- buckwheat – buckwheat honey is produced in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota; it contains a high level of anti-oxidants.
(source)
Benefits of Honey
Honey has several medicinal and beauty benefits; today, manuka honey is one of the most popular types of raw honey to use in aromatherapy and beauty products because it contains the following healing properties:
- anti-bacterial properties for wound healing
- anti-inflammatory properties, useful for treating sunburn
- skin healing properties, useful for acne, eczema and other types of skin infections.
(source)
Aromatherapy and Beauty Products With Honey
There are many aromatherapy and beauty products that you can make with honey; you can add in essential oils, to enhance the product, as well as other beneficial ingredients, such as floral waters, olive oil and sugar. A few of the homemade products that you can make with honey as an ingredient include:
- sugar and body scrubs
- lip moisturizers
- hair rinses
- facial masks.
Raw Honey and Homemade Beauty Products
There really are no rules to adding honey to homemade aromatherapy and beauty products; by experimenting with several ingredients and products, you will find the right type of product that works for you. If you want to add in essential oils, just remember to consult a qualified aromatherapist if you are unsure about using a particular essential oil for a certain condition. Honey is an ancient remedy for skincare that is enjoying a return today.
Photo by  justus.thane
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