Why You Should Rub Honey On Your Skin
What if I told you the secret to healthy, vibrant skin isn’t found in the cosmetics aisle? While commercial skincare products are filled with additives that can have detrimental effects, raw honey is a non-toxic option for boosting skin health.
Though honey is best known as a natural sweetener, this superfood can also be used topically for healthy, radiant skin. Since ancient times it has been a cherished addition to cosmetic preparations, helping to moisturize skin, improve its appearance, and even help heal various skin issues.
Benefits of Using Honey On Your Skin
Whether you have aging, dry, sensitive, or acne-prone skin, honey offers benefits for every skin type. Here are a few reasons to apply honey topically.
Honey Rejuvenates Skin
Honey is a humectant that helps to soften and moisturize the skin. Studies show that it has a rejuvenating effect, giving skin a healthy glow and helping to prevent wrinkles.
Using honey in a facial mask regularly is good for overall skin health and can help keep your face looking youthful as you age. Honey is also a great addition to lip care products as it is good for soothing and nourishing the delicate skin of the lips.
Honey Promotes Skin Healing
Honey’s ability to revitalize skin tissue is helpful for promoting the healing of wounds and burns. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated honey’s ability to promote skin tissue repair.
Honey also has antimicrobial properties. Research has shown that when applied topically, honey can inhibit the growth of harmful strains of bacteria. And honey isn’t just a folk remedy! Manuka or medical-grade honey is used as a dressing for cuts, wounds, and burns, even in clinical practice.
Honey Eases Skin Inflammation
Honey is a great option for providing relief from skin conditions like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. Honey’s moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties help to reduce redness and itching and calm irritated skin.
Skin inflammation is just the surface. What’s happening inside your body is way worse.
If you’ve ever noticed your skin flaring up after eating sugar or drinking soda… that’s not random. It’s inflammation, and when it’s chronic, your whole body is stuck in a silent war. That’s why you can’t focus, can’t relax, and why you never feel truly rested.
But inflammation has triggers. And once you know what they are, everything changes.
You can find them all here, plus how to finally cool the fire from the inside out, using real remedies your body actually recognizes.
Honey Supports Skin Cancer Treatments
While more research is needed before honey can be recommended, some studies suggest that certain types of honey, like manuka, acacia, and tualang honey, may be beneficial in preventing and treating certain types of skin cancer.
Manuka honey has been shown to slow the growth of melanoma cells and even shrink tumors in mice, especially when combined with chemotherapy. It also seemed to reduce the chemo side effects.
One study found that tualang honey could protect skin cells from sun damage by reducing inflammation and DNA damage caused by UVB radiation. According to researchers, these benefits come from natural constituents in honey that help stop cancer cells from growing and cause them to die.
How to Choose the Right Honey for Skincare
Not all honey is created equal, especially when you’re using it for its healing properties. Look for raw, unfiltered honey, which hasn’t been heat-treated or overly processed. This keeps all of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients intact. If you can source it locally, even better.
Local raw honey is often fresher, since it hasn’t traveled long distances or sat on the shelf at a store for a long period of time. This means it’s more likely to still have its full spectrum of nutrients and enzymes.
Plus, buying local supports small-scale beekeepers who are often more mindful of sustainable practices and bee health than large commercial operations.
Manuka honey, made from the nectar of the Manuka tree (native to New Zealand and Australia), is especially powerful thanks to its strong antibacterial properties. But if you don’t have Manuka on hand, regular raw honey is still deeply nourishing and beneficial for the skin.
Just stay away from the clear, runny kind in plastic squeeze bottles. It’s usually pasteurized and has been stripped of its beneficial properties.
⚠️ The Toxic Truth Lurking in Your Skincare
If you think store-bought creams and lotions are helping your skin, think again. Most commercial skincare products are laced with synthetic chemicals that quietly break down your skin barrier, disrupt your hormones, and inflame your body from the inside out. Parabens (used as preservatives) mimic estrogen in the body and have been linked to hormone-related cancers. Phthalates, commonly found in “fragrance,” are known to interfere with fertility and damage the liver and kidneys. Then there are formaldehyde-releasing agents like DMDM hydantoin — a hidden carcinogen absorbed straight through your skin.
But the list doesn’t stop there. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) — the chemical that makes products foam — strips your skin of its protective oils, making it prone to redness, cracking, and breakouts. Artificial fragrances, which are in nearly every lotion, body wash, and shampoo, can contain up to 3,000 unlisted chemicals — many of them known allergens or endocrine disruptors. These compounds don’t just sit on your skin… they seep in, accumulate over time, and silently erode your body’s natural defenses.
It’s no wonder so many people struggle with chronic skin inflammation, adult acne, hormonal imbalances, and even autoimmune flares — all while slathering on “beauty” products that are actually the root of the problem. This is exactly why natural ingredients like raw honey, which your body actually recognizes, are not just better, they’re essential.
🌿 Nature’s Solution
But here’s the part most people don’t realize: there are natural alternatives. And they’re not just “safer” — they’re actually effective, made from whole plants your skin recognizes and responds to.
🌿 You don’t have to put toxic junk on your skin anymore. Here’s what I use instead:
🦷 Natural Herbal Toothpaste – so clean and pure, your teeth actually resist plaque buildup
💧 Gum-Strengthening Mouthwash – rebuilds and protects where chemical rinses destroy
💆♀️ “Better Than Botox” Face Remedy – smooths wrinkles naturally without injections
🌸 Herbal Facial Oil – restores glow and hydration at a cellular level
🧴 Natural Deodorant Stick – free from aluminum and hormone disruptors
☀️ Natural Herbal Sunscreen – shields your skin from UV without synthetic filters
🌿 Rosemary Hair Growth Spray – nourishes the scalp and stimulates new hair growth
🧴 Arnica Salve for Age Spots – fades discoloration without bleaching agents
Honey & Aloe Skin Ointment
This is a super simple herbal remedy that can be used for a number of skin issues– everything from rashes and burns, to scrapes and minor wounds. Combining honey with skin-loving herb, aloe (Aloe vera), makes for a powerful natural skin care ointment that is quick and easy to make, yet highly effective.
Aloe is a cooling, anti-inflammatory herb that is well-known for its ability to soothe and help heal burns. It has rejuvenating properties and is thought to have the ability to promote the growth of new skin cells. But aloe’s beneficial properties don’t stop there. Scientific research has also found that aloe isn’t just a sunburn remedy. It can actually help to protect skin from the damaging effects of the sun if applied topically during and after sun exposure.
Since this DIY soothing skin ointment is all natural and doesn’t contain any preservatives, it will have a shorter shelf life than many conventional skin care products. Rather than making it in large amounts, it is best to make up a fresh batch, as needed, and plan to use it up within a few days. Storing this ointment in the refrigerator can help to extend its shelf life. And as an added bonus, keeping it cool makes it extra soothing for burns and itchy skin conditions.
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon aloe gel
Directions:
- Add the honey and the aloe gel to a small dish.
- Stir together until well combined.
- Spread the mixture on affected areas, as needed.
- Place a clean bandage on top of the area to keep the mixture from rubbing off.
- If the area cannot be bandaged, leave the honey on for at least 15-20 minutes, then wipe off with a damp cloth.
- Reapply as needed.
How to Use Honey & Aloe Ointment
This simple ointment is an all-purpose remedy for a variety of skin issues. Use it for sunburn, heat rashes, itchy bug bites, or minor scrapes from summer adventures. It’s also perfect for soothing wind-chapped cheeks or dry, cracked hands. Some mamas even apply a tiny bit to irritated diaper areas (just be mindful not to use honey on open wounds in babies). It’s a gentle, versatile addition to your herbal first aid kit year-round.
Making Honey Part of Your Skin Care Routine
Whether you’re looking to soothe irritated, inflamed skin, promote healing, or keep your skin hydrated and vibrant, honey is a natural and safe option for your skincare routine.
Try using it as a quick and simple face mask—just smooth on a thin layer of raw honey, let it sit for 15–20 minutes, and rinse with warm water. For a gentle exfoliating scrub, mix it with a pinch of ground oats, or dab a bit directly onto blemishes as a spot treatment overnight. Regular use of honey nourishes and smooths skin, helping to improve tone and give you a healthy glow, without the harsh chemicals typically found in commercial skincare products.
Let’s be honest… sometimes you just don’t have fresh aloe in the fridge or time to stir up a honey ointment when a rash or bite appears out of nowhere.
That’s exactly why I also keep this ready-made salve on hand, crafted by one of the few herbalists I actually trust. It’s loaded with skin-regenerating herbs that do what drugstore creams can’t: soothe inflammation, stop itching fast, and protect damaged skin — all without chemicals or preservatives.
I always keep one of these powerful, soothing salves in my bag… because when a flare-up hits or I’m on the go, I need something that works right then and there. Your skin will thank you later.
🐝 From Sweet Skin to Serious Survival: The Remedies You Don’t Want to Miss
If raw honey can do this much for your skin… imagine what else nature has been quietly offering all along. And the truth is, what you put on your skin is just the beginning.
Inside The Forgotten Home Apothecary, you’ll uncover:
🍯 What Happens If You Pour Honey Over Cinnamon – a skin, gut, and immune boosting elixir you’ll wish you’d known sooner
💥 The Herbal Balm for Herpes Sores – a must-have for emergencies or flare-ups
🧼 The Mucus Buster & Homemade Lung Shield – keep your lungs clear and strong year-round
🧠 The Memory Elixir Made With Rosemary – so powerful even BBC recommended sniffing it
💊 Nature’s Aspirin, Antibiotics, and Detoxifiers – from willow bark to backyard penicillin
💀 The First Remedies That Will Disappear In a Crisis – stock up before they’re gone for good
🔥 The Anti-Parasite Flush and Heavy Metal Detox – because breakouts and skin problems often start in the gut and blood
This is more than a remedy book. It’s the kind of knowledge that could help you survive when shelves go empty, stay resilient against infections, and never feel helpless about your health again.
