Dry Skin? Honey, Look No Further

Not long ago, I was walking by a spa that was promoting its Manuka Honey Facial. I didn’t know what “manuka” was (I later found out it’s a type of flower—the bee’s pollen source), but a honey facial just sounded messy. I later came across another honey treatment—a body cream—that was less intimidating. It looked like a lotion and seemed to have nothing in common with honey. My curiosity was stoked: Why honey?

What It Is:
Honey is the gooey, sweet stuff that honeybees produce by taking nectar from flowers and storing it in their waxy honeycombs. “Bees create it as a food source for times when other sources are scarce,” says Celeste Lutrario, VP of research and development at Burt’s Bees. Its sweetness comes from glucose and fructose, in roughly the same amounts as white, granulated sugar. “And it contains many vitamins and essential minerals including B-vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, copper, iron and magnesium, as well as several different amino acids,” says Lutrario. A healthier sugar? Sign me up.

What It’s Used For:
With a rise in health-conscious eating, you’ve probably come across recipes that use honey in place of sugar, but it’s actually been used for centuries as a sweetener. (The Ancient Egyptians not only used honey in their biscuits, but to embalm the dead. Yum.) In many major world religions from Buddhism to Christianity to Islam, honey is used as food, a healing agent and an elixir of immortality. “Through the ages, we’ve marveled at honey’s properties and, today, everyone agrees that it has incomparable healing, nutritional, and moisturizing qualities,” says Bernard Chevilliat, beekeeper, biologist and founder of Melvita. Take a look at the cold section in the drugstore and you’ll see throat lozenges with honey to help soothe irritated pipes.

What It Does:
Lutrario says that honey is a humectant, meaning it easily attracts and retains water, so it’s a great skin and hair moisturizer. Although it’s more common with edible honeys, you may notice different origins of honey, too. (This means that the bees used one flower source, which results in different flavors and qualities.) “Thyme honey is great for the skin, and Acacia honey for the hair. But if you are looking for a soothing or moisturizing effect, any honey will suffice,” says Chevilliat.

Quality Control:
Chevilliat says that the same honey that we eat is used for cosmetic purposes, too, but should be kept cool during the formulation and packaging process to retain all of honey’s benefits. And while honey that we eat should be kept out of damp conditions, the same doesn’t hold true after it’s been formulated for cosmetic use.

Who Should Use It:
Topically, honey is safe for everyone. All skin types can benefit from honey products, but it’s suited for dry, tired skin. “Thanks to its antioxidant properties, it’s an effective ingredient for improving aging or sun damaged skin. And since it also has anti-irritant properties, honey is often used in skin care formulas for babies or those with sensitive or delicate skin,” says Lutrario.

Where To Find It:
For the record, I’ve never been convinced that toners are an essential part of a beauty regimen. (I think they’re an easy way to get consumers to spend more.) So admittedly, I didn’t have high hopes for Melvita’s Soothing Toner. And even though I haven’t been using it long-term (yet) I can’t say that I noticed a huge difference in my skin. And maybe that’s the point. It’s keeping my skin clean (I can see extra gunk on the cotton pad that I use to apply the toner) without drying it out. Which is a relief, since using acne-banishing toners containing little more than menthol and salicylic acid gave me with dry, patchy skin as a teen. (If you’re making a purchase from Melvita, I urge you to check out their honey, too. ThePyrenees honey, although pricey, is the best I’ve ever tasted.)

I am officially obsessed with Burt’s Bees Honey and Bilberry Foot Cream. I try to be good to my feet and lube them up at night all in hopes of keeping them soft and blister-free. But typically once I’ve put foot cream on, I’m stuck in bed with soggy socks and overheating feet. (Seriously, socks in the summer? No thanks.) But Burt’s was different: the faint yellow cream really sunk into my skin and I could abandon the ratty socks. I’m so impressed that I’m demanding my boyfriend use it on his feet—I think he’ll understand why after just one night.