Manuka honey……. Uh, seriously? Get ready to be amazed at this wonder honey!
Manuka honey is also known as “medical honey” due to it’s anti inflammatory qualities and infection fighting benefits. It is proven as an extremely effective treatment for acne as well as anti aging! I’m not sharing a recipe today containing manuka honey-my message is-Get it on your face-don’t dilute it. Straight manuka honey as a weekly mask will improve. your. skin. PERIOD.
A little background on manuka honey-
Manuka honey comes from New Zealand. Beekeepers set their hives close to the manuka plant, also known as melaleuca or tea tree! The bees pollinate the plants and thus produce manuka honey! Manuka honey is actually active-it’s alive. Not all jars of this magic are created equal though-manuka honey is rated and given a UMF (unique manuka factor) percentage. This is typically anywhere from 5%-20%. The higher the percent, the more alive the honey is.
Maybe you’re wondering why you would want your honey to be active? The higher the activity, the stronger the antimicrobial quality is of this honey. Manuka honey will fight against the bacteria E. coli and Staph. plus other serious skin infections. Manuka honey is often used in the burn units of New Zealand hospitals.
What does any of this have to do with anti aging and acne??? Well, because this honey is naturally antimicrobial, it has the power to stimulate wound healing. It provides nutrients for cell metabolism and super fast tissue repair. It contains acid which helps to remove dead skin cells while stimulating new ones to form-this means NEW SKIN! Because manuka honey contains such powerful anti inflammatory properties, it is excellent for calming down acne and reducing irritation and redness.
Inflammation is thought to be one of the biggest culprits in premature aging. If you can rid your products of inflammation causing ingredients such as parabens, mineral oils and fragrances, you are doing quite the service for your skin-BUT-if you could also apply a magical potion that could ward off inflammation from environment and food, wouldn’t that be a great idea??? You could greatly reduce the rate your skin ages!!!
Let me break the benefits down just in case the picture isn’t clear….
- Greatly reduces inflammation, which in turn slows down aging
- Anti bacterial as well as anti microbial-which means it fights infections a.k.a ACNE
- Calms skin and reduces redness
- Brightens skin
- Gently exfoliates
- Moisturizes
- Detoxifies
- Oxygenates
- Heals
Amazing. At the risk of sounding super stupid-Manuka honey is the bomb dot com. You can find Manuka honey at your health food store or online. I use THIS Manuka honey.
Ok, so lets talk about using it.
I suggest applying a tablespoon of the honey to your skin once a week. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. It’s that simple. You can also cleanse your skin with it!! Go HERE for more info. on how that works.
Ingredients I like to add:
- Lemon Essential oil-brightens and further exfoliates and cleanses the skin-2-3 drops
- Cinnamon-boosts antioxidants (not the essential oil)-Just a couple shakes
- Coconut oil-boosts healing-1 tsp.
So, now you know-Manuka honey is an option to strongly consider if you are fighting acne and/or fighting aging!
Find it HERE.
xx, Jenni
Where do you recommend buying it?
Jeana-I get mine on amazon HERE, or you could go to your local health food store. Thanks!
Where do you buy manuka honey? I saw it on amazon for 49 dollars, but that seems like a lot.
Jess-Hi! I got mine on amazon, but it was less-I think I saw the one you are talking about and it was a rather large jar. You don’t need much. I get mine HERE.
How is this different from using other non heated raw honey?
Sheryl-Manuka honey is very medicinal. The healing properties are amazing-it even tastes medicinal since manuka is also known as tea tree. Raw non heated honey is excellent, but it doesn’t heal and fight infection as efficiently as manuka honey.
Maybe this is a silly questions, but can you eat it? I’m assuming, yes, but there is no mention of ingesting it, just applying it topically.
Missy-yes you can! I put it in my green tea. It has a medicinal taste, so it’s not great, but it’s totally doable!
I absolutely agree I love this manuka honey I have been eating and putting it on my face and I see and feel a difference.
Ayu-that’s awesome!
Would this be good for roseaca?
Sue, absolutely! I’ve heard many people today, in response to this post, tell me how much it has helped roseaca!! Try it-and keep me updated!
Hi Jenni,
Do you have any sunscreen recommendation?
Jaima-I don’t actually-I’m working on a post on making your own. I usually use Aveeno 50+ for babies, but I’m not convinced it’s great.
Thank you so much for responding to my query. I’ve been on a hunt for a chemical free sunscreen for a while now but no luck. Looking forward for your DIY sunscreen post!
Thank you so much for responding to my query. I have been on a hunt for a chemical free sunscreen for a while now but no luck. Looking forward to your DIY sunscreen post!
Jaima- I like badger sunscreen. It really blocks the sun because it has a high amounts of zinc oxide. Definitely a little greasy, and not the easiest to rub in, but it’s clean and it works: https://www.badgerbalm.com/s-29-about-badger-organic-sunscreen.aspx
You can probably find it cheaper on Amazon.
Wow…I just finished reading all of your posts and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have an amazon cart bursting at the seems and my head is overflowing. I currently use all natural bath and body products, some I make and some I buy. I want to switch to all DIY and your blog has been an inspiration. I have dry, mature skin with sun damage, very visible capillaries in my cheeks and redness in my cheeks and chin. I don’t have many wrinkles and was told by an Aesthetician that my skin is plump. I am swimming with ideas from your site, would you be able to recommend a day/night routine with your products?
Jennifer-I would suggest for a morning routine my homemade cleanser, toner & dry skin moisturizer. For evening, I would oil cleanse with coconut oil and use a serum with geranium and lavender. I would also use my eye stick at night.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to all to my questions. You have a fantastic blog. I currently use an oil blend I made with rose hip, argan and Frankincense, do you think I could use that for the serum with the addition of lavender and geranium? I also want to try the vitamin C for the spots, where would I fit that in?
I purchased the Wedderspoon 16+ from Amazon. I read it would heal a staph infection wound, which I obtained due to my own carelessness handling staphlococcus aureas in the lab. It arrived in 2 days. I applied it to a festering, open staph wound (that the doctor said would take at minimum, 2 weeks to heal enough to stop oozing & being open, and that it would take another week or two to fully heal. 3 days and it magically scabbed, closed and by day 5, barely noticeable. Craziest thing ever. I have a relative that had recurring staph wounds that would be open & active for weeks. But mine vanished. I LOVE this stuff!!!!
Ali-That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing, I love to hear that!
You are just a little bundle of goodness
Thanks so much Dana!!
This may sound crazy but can I add Benonite clay to this?
Tamee-Interesing…. I think so. It couldn’t hurt. The only thing I can think of is that it might render the honey useless. Clays are so effective with pulling oils and dirts out of the pores that the honey might not be able to deliver it’s benefits. I would use the honey after a clay mask. It would help replenish what the clay took out.
I got mine at TJ Max for 19.99
Hi…I was just wondering if this could help my elderly mother who is trying to get rid of an E-coli infection in her urinary tract…after several rounds of various antibiotics,it’s not going away…how would this honey be administered to get rid of it? Any suggestions would be most appreciated..thanks!
Kim, what a bummer! You can ingest this honey but it tastes weird-it tastes like you would think tea tree oil would taste like-I’m not exactly sure if it’s strong enough but she has nothing to lose trying it. I have put it in my tea when sick before. You might do some research on taking essential oils internally-in a capsule. Oregano and melaleuca are powerful bacteria killers. A great place to start is http://www.campwander.com. She really covers a lot of health issues using essential oils as a remedy. Good luck!
I have read in several places, and the “old folks” where Im from swear by the statement that a spoon of fresh local honey in thier coffee keeps them well, wards off infections and keeps thier immune system strong. And that’s just regular honey which everything Ive read suggests has nowhere near the powerful benefits as does the very potent Manuka. I would say go for it. 2 tbsp a day to make sure it doesn’t make her queasy. I take a spoon a day myself with no problems. Tastewise, it’s strong and strange, but not “bad”. Takes a little getting used to, but it’s not too bad and definetly doable.
I’ve heard that fresh local honey helps a lot with allergies due to the fact that it’s made from the pollen in your area and helps your immune system provide resistance. Maybe this is how the “old folks” in your area feel so much better?
Pingback: best natural skin care product
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for Treat acne with honey