Honey is a superb DIY, at-home treatment for dry skin, and for other skin conditions such as acne, eczema, rosacea and for restoring a radiant glow. If you want to buy the best honey that’s actually going to be effective on your skin, then you need to do a bit of research before you put whatever’s cheapest in your cart. The quality of honey you choose makes a big difference in what’s healthiest for you and the bees who do so much for our planet.
Honey is a naturally antibacterial humectant that’s great for DIY skincare
Honey can help keep away the kind of bacteria you don’t want on your skin and draw moisture to the surface (that’s what a humectant does).
As I’ve written about time and time again, there is a “right” kind of honey and a “wrong” kind of honey to buy, especially if you’re using honey as a home remedy…
The “wrong kind” of honey is:
- Cheap has virtually no benefit to your skin.
- It’s unethically produced and really bad for the bees and the environment.
The best type of honey to buy begins with 3 questions
I asked one of my favorite holistic skin experts, Elisha Reverby, who formulates her products with high-quality, ethically sourced honey for her professional insight on how you, as a consumer, can take control of buying the best type of honey for your skin, and the bees.
Elisha said, the best thing to do if you can is get to know your local beekeeper (typically at farmer’s markets). Or if you’re buying at the grocery store, do some research ahead of time and find out the answers to these important questions.
1. Does the beekeeper feed their bees a diet of sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)?
The answer should be “no.”
Only in a random desperate moment would a treatment-free beekeeper ever feed their bees sugar. A diet of sugar is a whole other story [read about that here] and sadly, extremely common in the this commodified industry.
2. Does the beekeeper sell surplus honey only?
The answer should be “yes.”
It means the beekeeper sells what’s left after leaving plenty of honey for the bees. Most commercial beekeepers and many “local” beekeepers take everything to sell leaving nothing for the bees thus they feed them sugar (HFCS) instead.
3. Does the beekeeper use any acids or chemicals in the hive – even “probiotics” or other “natural” sounding remedies for tackling mite, virus issues, etc.?
The answer should be “no.”
A treatment free beekeeper will never use a drop of anything like that in a hive. The most sustainable and ethical beekeepers respect nature and its processes, i.e the wild and survival of the fittest. If bees survive mites you got a strong healthy hive and that’s great. And if mites kill the bees, unfortunately that’s what happens in a natural environment. [Read: Honey Bees Are Suffering and Why You Should Give a Damn]
A hive is an entire working universe and it’s unconscionable to ever disrupt that. Remember, we are blessed to be receiving of their honey.
Extra credit question
4. Does the beekeeper take their bees hundreds or thousands of miles away to pollinate a monoculture, like almond peach or apple orchard?
The answer should be “no.”
This wreaks havoc on a bees immunity and sense of environment. They need diversity to thrive, which is not simply pollinating one crop.
Hopefully with all these great questions and explanations Elisha gave, you feel newly empowered to buy the best honey you can!
Want to get the glowing skin of your dreams, and be shown the best ways to use honey (and other foods) to hydrate your dry skin?
Elisha and I created a premiere online course to help you get dry skin relief for good!
Feature photos by Danika Perkinson, Jez Timms and Annie Spratt via Unsplash.
