SKY HIGH ON HEALTH reports on nutritional, wellness, and green lyfe fads both crazy and helpful.
I happened to be in Greece when I got the buzz on raw-honey face wash. Apparently, Greece is where you can find some of the best and most pure honey in the world. So it seemed all too appropriate to experiment with this natural, face-washing method while I was overlooking the gorgeous blue and white landscape of Santorini.
My choices were limited at the little market situated near my hotel—there were few options without nuts and other such oddities floating around in the little jars. Although I hadn’t done a ton of research before venturing out to find my new face wash, I had common sense enough to pick the most natural-looking honey of the lot (although, I questioned for a minute the photo opportunities of choosing the honey with chunks of walnut variation). Here’s the thing about Greek labels—you can’t read them! I was assured by a local that the honey I choose was indeed “all natural” but, unfortunately for me, the words “raw” and “unprocessed” have yet to find themselves on the labels of honey sold on the shelves of Greece’s number one tourist destination…
A warning to readers: Do not use any generic store-brand honey—even if you buy it in Greece. If you do, the result will be a sticky, sugary mess on your face that’s hard to clean up… and honey, if I wanted that, I would have stayed at home with my boyfriend.
Like any other food, when honey is processed and refined, the nutrients and healing enzymes are killed off—leaving you with what is basically a jar of pure sugar. I learned the hard way. The honey I bought—although natural—had zero health benefits. What resulted was thick (but delicious!) globs of honey that clogged my pores and made me feel like I passed out on a breakfast tray. So make sure you keep the rich mineral content of your honey intact—the label should say “raw” or “unprocessed,” with no additives or preservatives.
Honey is naturally anti-bacterial, so I was hoping it would really clean my skin of the dirt and particles that accumulate throughout the day. As honey is also antiseptic, it’s supposed to aid in the healing of cuts and burns. And, finally, because honey is all natural, it apparently won’t strip your skin of its natural oils. In fact, the claim is that it helps to maintain a balanced pH—which everyone knows is the mythical component in skincare that leads to a glowing complexion.
Back in the US, I splashed my face with water and then thickly lathered on about a tablespoon of Raw Manuka Honey. It's not as gooey or as sticky as you would expect—in fact, it becomes kind of silky and is extremely easy to spread. I read online that you should try to leave it on for a few minutes for your skin to soak up all the healing properties of the honey. Within these couple of minutes, my skin managed to drink up the honey entirely. By the time I went to rinse my face, there was nearly no trace of the honey at all. I was completely astonished. Where the hell did it go? I put some more on for good measure, and again, the honey completely dissolved into my skin. After rinsing, the texture of my skin had completely changed. It felt highly moisturized and had a gorgeous matte finish to it.
After three days of the honey method, I was still in love wi
I happened to be in Greece when I got the buzz on raw-honey face wash. Apparently, Greece is where you can find some of the best and most pure honey in the world. So it seemed all too appropriate to experiment with this natural, face-washing method while I was overlooking the gorgeous blue and white landscape of Santorini.
My choices were limited at the little market situated near my hotel—there were few options without nuts and other such oddities floating around in the little jars. Although I hadn’t done a ton of research before venturing out to find my new face wash, I had common sense enough to pick the most natural-looking honey of the lot (although, I questioned for a minute the photo opportunities of choosing the honey with chunks of walnut variation). Here’s the thing about Greek labels—you can’t read them! I was assured by a local that the honey I choose was indeed “all natural” but, unfortunately for me, the words “raw” and “unprocessed” have yet to find themselves on the labels of honey sold on the shelves of Greece’s number one tourist destination…
A warning to readers: Do not use any generic store-brand honey—even if you buy it in Greece. If you do, the result will be a sticky, sugary mess on your face that’s hard to clean up… and honey, if I wanted that, I would have stayed at home with my boyfriend.
Like any other food, when honey is processed and refined, the nutrients and healing enzymes are killed off—leaving you with what is basically a jar of pure sugar. I learned the hard way. The honey I bought—although natural—had zero health benefits. What resulted was thick (but delicious!) globs of honey that clogged my pores and made me feel like I passed out on a breakfast tray. So make sure you keep the rich mineral content of your honey intact—the label should say “raw” or “unprocessed,” with no additives or preservatives.
Honey is naturally anti-bacterial, so I was hoping it would really clean my skin of the dirt and particles that accumulate throughout the day. As honey is also antiseptic, it’s supposed to aid in the healing of cuts and burns. And, finally, because honey is all natural, it apparently won’t strip your skin of its natural oils. In fact, the claim is that it helps to maintain a balanced pH—which everyone knows is the mythical component in skincare that leads to a glowing complexion.
Back in the US, I splashed my face with water and then thickly lathered on about a tablespoon of Raw Manuka Honey. It's not as gooey or as sticky as you would expect—in fact, it becomes kind of silky and is extremely easy to spread. I read online that you should try to leave it on for a few minutes for your skin to soak up all the healing properties of the honey. Within these couple of minutes, my skin managed to drink up the honey entirely. By the time I went to rinse my face, there was nearly no trace of the honey at all. I was completely astonished. Where the hell did it go? I put some more on for good measure, and again, the honey completely dissolved into my skin. After rinsing, the texture of my skin had completely changed. It felt highly moisturized and had a gorgeous matte finish to it.
After three days of the honey method, I was still in love wi