Your kitchen cupboards are filled with goodness that go beyond preparing your favorite meal. Household goods, including apple cider vinegar, baking soda and oatmeal also make for amazing ingredients in at-home spa treatments.
Wanting to get more use out of our honey bear squeeze bottles, we put a call-out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram asking followers how they sweeten up their homemade hair and skincare recipes. Here are nine ways to incorporate raw honey into your beauty regimen.
Hair mask: During the summer months, our strands take a brutal beating with exposure to harmful UV rays, chlorine, salt water and humidity. A honey-based hair treatment like this one will add shine to lackluster locks and condition split ends.
Facial scrub: Do you have sensitive skin? Instead of using a harsh, store-bought scrub, try whipping up a face mask with honey, brown sugar, olive oil and lemon juice. It's less abrasive, yet still sloughs away dead skin cells to reveal a smoother and more vibrant complexion.
Hair removal: Many skincare brands are looking back to ancient times and formulating honey-based at-home wax kits. But you can put on your own chemist gloves by mixing honey and lemon juice into a sugaring wax that's safe to use on your face, legs and bikini line.
Scars: Waiting for a scar to fade can be pretty nerve-wracking. Speed up the process by smoothing raw honey on the area before bed and covering with a bandage. In the morning, remove the cover-up and cleanse the skin.
Pimples and acne: Honey's anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties draw out impurities from the skin, thus targeting breakouts, reducing redness and calming inflammation.
Moisturizer: As a natural humectant, honey is super hydrating. Add a few tablespoons to some whipped or melted shea butter to create a moisturizer that can be used from head to toe.
Bath treatment: Cleopatra -- we're referring to the real Egyptian queen and not Elizabeth Taylor -- was rumored to take luxurious baths in milk and honey. The alpha hydroxy acids in the dairy product breaks down dry, flaky skin, while the enzymes in the sweet food soften skin.
Chapped lips: Much like the homemade facial scrub above, you can use the same remedy (minus the lemon juice) for dry, chapped lips. Your matte lipstick would thank you if it could.
Sunburn: One of the best beauty secrets our grandmothers passed down to us is soothing sunburns with honey. While we take every precaution to avoid this summer skincare mistake, our limbs instantly feel better after dabbing on a little honey.
Do you use honey in your beauty regimen? Share your tips.
Eat and drink your way to better skin!
Drink These Smoothie & Juices For Better Skin, Hair & Nails
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