Honey

Honey Inside and Out

May 31, 2019

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/

Honey in Your at Home Facial Routine

April 14, 2016

Add a little Sweetness to your at Home Facial Treatment by using honey.

Benefits of Honey:

It is a humectant, which means it will attract and keep moisture inside your skin
It has anti-oxidant properties which play an important role in protecting your skin against damage from UV (ultra violet) sun light
It is effective in treating wounds – it accelerates healing, reduces redness and inflammation and can help to treat bacterial infections
It may also be effective in helping with eye infections/conjunctivitis – reducing discharge and swelling and helps speed up the healing process
It is a great alternative for healing minor burns

Facial Mask Recipes By Skin Type:

For Sensitive Skin

1 tsp Aloe
2 tsp Honey

For Dry Skin

2 tsp Honey
2 tsp Yogurt
2 tsp Avocado

Skin Brightener and Hydrator

1 Tbsp of Chickpea Flour
1 tsp of Tumeric
2 Tbsp of Milk or Yogurt (optional) (if using powdered milk use about 1 tsp, add enough water or rosewater to make a lovely paste)
1-2 tsp Honey

Directions

Simply blend all ingredients well by hand or you can even use a small food processor. If they are the consistence of yogurt they will spread well.

Apply with a facial brush or your fingers.

Relax for 15 minutes.

Rinse and apply your serums and creams.

Enjoy your beautiful skin!

All About the Bees

April 10, 2016

Our last Ladies Lunch and Learn was all about the Bees, Monarchs and Honey in your Skincare. Susan from The Carolina Honey Bee graciously talked about bees and all the goodness that they do for us. Bees are the best of the pollinators and are such busy little guys.

Bees have been on the decline for several reason:

Pesticides like Neonicotinoids
Varroa Mites – is a type of tick that compresses the immune system of the bee.
Long Travel pollinating only 1 crop at any given time.

Poor bees have a hard job pollinating on commercial farms. Every year thousands of bees are transported by the tractor trailer loads to pollinate almonds in California. Can you imagine eating the same food for days and weeks at a time? Well that’s what happens to bees on the journey. All they have for acres and acres are almonds. It would greatly help if the almond growers planted wildflowers or something else so that the bees have some variety.

After the almonds they will travel to Washington State to pollinate the apples and will eventually go to Maine to pollinate the blueberries. This is very hard on the bees but is a very lucrative business for the bee keepers. They receive about $200/ hive and there are about 400 hives/tractor trailer load.

What are some things that we can do to help support bees:

Leave those dandelions, clover and golden rod in your yard.
Avoid Pesticides like neonicotinoid and even Seven Dust

Neonics are systemic pesticides. Unlike contact pesticides, which remain on the surface of the treated foliage, systemics are taken up by the plant and transported to all the tissues (leaves, flowers, roots and stems, as well as pollen and nectar).

Plant native plants that attract pollinators – here is a list of plants recommended by the Master Gardener Program. To purchase plants, check out their Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, April 30, 2016.
Learn how to attract native pollinators at Xerces.
Plant a Bee Garden. Honeybee Conservancy has some great info!

3 Generations of Bee Keepers! Courtesy of The Carolina Honey Bee.

Become a Hobby Bee Keeper. If you want to learn more about bee keeping be sure to check out Susan with Carolina Honeybee.
And most importantly BUY LOCAL HONEY! Local honey is raw and still has good stuff in it. Grocery store honey has been pasteurized to make it shelf stable.

Be sure to check out the blog post about the Monarchs and Honey in Your Skincare.

Bees and Butterflies in Your Garden, Honey in Your Skincare, Ladies Lunch and Learn Tea

February 11, 2016

Saturday, February 27th from 11 am – 130 pm

At Bocca Pure Italian, 2660 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, South Carolina 29609.

The cost is $30, which includes your lunch. Net proceeds will go to the Clemson Master Gardener Program.

We’re continuing our series of Lunch and Learn Teas, and this one is all about Bees and Pollinators. Reserve your spot now (seating is limited!) and learn from several amazing ladies how to encourage bees and pollinators in your yard and help them thrive!

I have been wanting to do this event for a year! Susan with The Carolina Honey Bee came to speak to my ladies group — Women’s Social Business Group — a few years ago and I just loved it! Who knew the bees did all this great work? Anyhow, I decided to do this whole Lunch and Learn on bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Just in time to get ready for spring. So whether you are a gardener, an admirer of nature, have a black thumb (like me) or just want to come hang out with some freaking amazing ladies, please book your space today.

The Topics

An Intro to Honey Bees

Susan Gardner an avid honey bee enthusiast and owner/ operator of The Carolina Honey Bee Company in Travelers Rest, SC. Susan is going to be talking to us about all different kinds of bees; what honey bees need to thrive and what we can do to help.

In addition to running The Carolina Honey Bee Company, Susan’s beekeeping background includes her personal bee hives which she manages at home on her farm, and her commercial hives located throughout Greenville County. She is proficient in creamed and infused honey varieties as well as byproducts of the bee hive. Susan lives on a farm in Simpsonville, SC raising and showing her dogs and horses with husband, James, and youngest son, Taylor. Her daughter, Morgan, and son, Cutter, are both enrolled in college in Clemson and Columbia.

Monarchs and their Plight

Faye Legros, a Master Gardener from the Clemson Master Gardener Program will tell us all about Monarch Butterflies: How to recognize a monarch, the life cycles of the monarch, attracting monarchs, their migration, their decline and reasons for, and what we can do to help. The speaker will also share some of her personal experiences raising them.

Honey for Skincare

Last but not least I will be doing a presentation on using honey in skincare mask preparation and the steps to creating a great at home facial. And I’ll have recipe cards for masks you can do at home.

Lunch Menu from the fabulous Horacio at Bocca Italian

There are 3 options to choose from:

Tomato Basil Soup with Caesar Salad, your choice of Grilled Salmon or Chicken
Lasagna Bolognese
Almond Crusted Basa Fish with sautéed spinach and pasta

All entrees will come with rolls and Tiramisu for dessert. Salad will come with Lasagna and Fish. Please specify your choice when you purchase your ticket.

If you have any special dietary requirements please let me know beforehand to make it easier on the Kitchen.

If you know anyone that would be interested in coming to this event please feel free to share! The more the merrier!

A Sassy, Saucy Skincare & Waxing Studio in Greenville, SC