Honey has many advantages both topically and internally. But before we talk about that, here’s a little video about where honey comes from:
Why is honey used in skincare?
As a moisturizer, honey helps to draw moisture from the air. It works as a lovely exfoliator especially for acne and sensitive skin. It works as an antioxidant just as the flowers would that the bees ate the nectar from, so it helps to fight free radicals. The darker the honey, the more antioxidant power it has!
Honey is also great at calming irritation and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is wonderful to use as a mask. I keep honey from The Carolina Honey Bee in the shop to use as a mask.
Honey in cooking
Honey contains trace amounts of B-Complex Vitamins and Vitamin C, minerals, protein amino acids and enzymes. Since it is a slow absorbing sugar, it has a lower glycemic level. Raw honey is great for your digestive system. Since it is 40% fructose (that is almost two times sweeter than sugar – hmm I had no idea) you actually need less for the same level of sweetness.
It is fabulous to cook with – just use it in marinades, dressings and beverages.
Be sure to stop in to the Carolina Honey Bee for some tasty honey. Hot honey is trendy now, and I LOVE their chili infused honey. I’ve actually bought their plain honey and just dumped my chilies from my empty jar into the new one. Within a few days it was spicy!
Honey is very easy to infuse so buy a big jar and infuse smaller containers with different herbs if you like. Also, Susan does a Honey Tasting so gather some friends and sign up for one of her tastings. It was super fun.
Resources for Bees and Honey
There are several great Local Bee Companies so be sure to Buy Local! Local honey is also known to help with your allergies.
The Carolina Honey Bee – https://carolinabeeco.com/
Miss Bee Haven – https://www.missbeehoney.com/
Bee Well Honey Farm – https://beewellhoneyfarm.com/
I read an interesting article from Susan at The Carolina Honey Bee in Traveler’s Rest. She was talking about Goldenrod and its importance to the thriving of the hive. Although it might terrorize those of us with allergies, the bees need it for several reasons – the Queen is stimulated to make more brood and it is what the bees will live off of in the fall and going into winter months. For the complete article, check out https://carolinabeeco.com/bee-blog/f/the-buzz-about-goldenrod
Want to know what flowers and herbs to plant for your bees? Check out https://www.missbeehoney.com/pages/flowers-for-bees for more info.
New Beauty Article from Summer 2013 – The Multitasking Power of Honey
Great ways to help the bees – https://www.beegirl.org/helpourbees
Great Bee and Butterfly Source – https://xerces.org/pollinators-southeast-region/
