The amazing properties of honey

Honey is a natural remedy that everyone knows about. Its benefits are vast, from a sore throat to acne. Something I learnt just recently is that honey comes in grades (check out http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3011895). Honey has also been recommended in various religions as a great healer, so there must be something good in it!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey). I really love that it's something that comes from flowers and bee's!! It's just amazing stuff!!
There are different categories of honey(Info from http://www.honeyo.com/types.shtml):


Comb Honey (honeycomb)
Direct from the hive honey-filled beeswax comb as stored naturally by the bees.


Liquid Honey (extracted)
Prepared by cutting off the wax cappings and whirling the comb in a honey extractor, where centrifugal force moves the honey out of the cells.


Creamed Honey (granulated)
Made by blending one part finely granulated honey with nine parts liquid honey. The mixture is stored at about 57 degrees until it becomes firm.


Chunk Honey
Comb honey in a jar with liquid honey poured around it.


There are many different types of honey, but the best for skin care is Manuka honey. This honey is gathered from Manuka bushes, primarily in New Zealand. I heard somewhere, so I'm not 100% that this is the same bush we get tea tree oil from...but don't quote me on that!! Manuka honey has special anti bacterial powers, which are graded by 'Unique Manuka Factor' (UMF).

10 is the minimum grade it can be to have an affect. Honey which is 10 or above is ACTIVE Manuka honey, but you must be careful, as a lot of honeys are marketed as active, but are not. If you want to learn more, I found this website (http://www.manukahoney.co.uk/index.shtml) extremely helpful.

I love this stuff, I bought a bottle from Marks & Spencers, it was around £10 - Oh yeah, the stuff is not cheap if you want a good quality honey. You can get it online, but be careful you buy good quality stuff which has been approved to have no less than a grade 10. Mine below has a 10+ grading.

As you can see, its not runny like normal honey. It's quite thick and creamy so it's easy to apply as a mask on the face. I usually just put it on in the evening for a good couple of hours - Once you wash it off, you feel your skin is moisturised and clean. Don't put too much on though, as when it warms up with your skin temperature, it drips lol...I've had accidents! Just put on a thin layer, its sufficient enough. If you want to make it into a face mask, you can mix in rice flour (this will turn into an exfoliator when you come to wash it off), tumeric & yoghurt for oily skin, and milk and rice flour for dry skins. Another thing I do (when I remember!) is when I put oil in my hair, I put in a bit of honey at the ends so that it nourishes them.

I hope this post helps, and if you have any further questions, just ask :-) I'm not a honey expert, but I'll try to help!! :-)

Lots of Love from MyFrostedWorldXXX