Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Honey Face Wash

Hey, I'm all for simple. So when I read somewhere (where? I can't remember where!) that you can wash your face with honey, I was all over it. I started up in May when I was deliberately making things harder for myself than they had to be because Crunchy had specifically okayed the purchase of personal care products participating in the Buy-Nothing Challenge. I ran out of face soap and thought, I bet there is something more natural I could use right in my cupboard.

I was right! Honey worked just fine. I'm off it now, but only because I have a Lush store nearby to which I can bring reusable containers (and because, well, let's just say it's sugar ant season). The stuff I'm using now is made in Canada (whoa, nelly, not local) but has safe ingredients. And I will definitely go back to honey in the winter, and while traveling - what's safer than Pooh Bear's favorite treat?

Basic instructions: rub honey on face until tacky (really sticky - it changes consistency). Rinse with warm water. I didn't go for raw honey, just local bees, but I want to try it. I was talking with a friend
who's a locavore foodie genius, a crunchier-than-a-Santa-Cruz-cohousing-dweller friend, right after she gave birth, and told her that breastmilk is magic. "If you get a cut, if your kid has eye goo, you name it," I told her, "breastmilk can cure it."

"Oh?" she said. "So is raw honey. I used to put it on my cuts." Go figure! Love the straight dope on simple solutions. Let me know if you have any basic magic to share.

11 comments:

Burbanmom said...

My goat soap lady actually sells a honey and brown sugar based foot scrub that is downright magical! I tell ya, those bees really know what they're doing!

amy turn sharp said...

that is brill! thanks!

Riana Lagarde said...

honey is awesome for a million and one things. its an antiseptic and an antibacterial. it reduces swelling, cures athletes foot amongst others.
i posted about it not to long ago if you are interested.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81951381@N00/2577502878/

its also great to eat to combat allergies naturally. bzzzzzzz yum!

Anonymous said...

i lovelovelove honey, too. and i loveloveloved lush until i noticed there were a lot of parabens in their stuff :( waaah! i wrote to lush and asked them about it, and they said the stuff they use is safe. but still.

WAHHH! pass me a tissue and a bath bomb.

Anonymous said...

My friend Alan Greene (drgreene.com) is on an "organic journey" (he eats ONLY organic/local) and has written about the magical properties of organic wine (see: http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=2165) and discovered that you need to let organics breathe (the old-fashioned way) to make them drinkable (see: http://drgreene.blogs.com/drgreene/2006/09/index.html).

Fiona O'Dowd Intend. Act. Inspire said...

Honey as soap? I love it - thanks! Not a beauty tip, but a "kids and veggies tip". I've discovered Balsamic Vinegar come in a SPRAY bottle! The kids think its fabulous! They love to squirt AND all their veggies taste like salt and vinegar chips!!!!

Nora said...

I'm seriously impressed--I just solve that problem by not washing my face...does that make me a bad person? :-)

Liz said...

Hmmmmm... when my husband harvests honey from his hive later this summer I am going to have to give this one a try.

Anonymous said...

i'm so far from crunchy that i'm down right slimy, but this sounds like such a great idea. i have some honey hanging around the kitchen and since i don't eat the stuff and can't really recall why i even bought it in the first place, i can now make use of it and have a clean face! thanks for the tip.

Stacy said...

This sounds like one to try. Maybe in the winter.

I haven't used any products from Lush yet - but they look really nice! I clicked through to their website from your blog. I am trying to find a nice moisturizer that is not full of chemicals and can fit into the budget. Do you use their moisturizer?

Hope you are having a great day.
~Stacy

Unknown said...

Huh. Well I certainly can't read that without trying it. ;)