Raw Manuka Honey & Why It’s Great for Your Skin

I came across raw honey masks on YouTube while I was dealing with acne about two years ago. Raw honey has antibacterial properties. Manuka honey is made in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the Manuka bush. Because of it’s antibacterial properties, raw honey is used for treating wounds, it also works for acne. Another bonus, raw honey doesn’t go bad due to these properties. Honey also has anti-inflammation properties as well. However, all honey is not created equal. Their potency varies on the type.

Manuka honey has hydrogen peroxide, like all honey, which is the base for it’s antibacterial properties. Manuka honey also has methylglyoxal(MG) which is it’s major antibacterial component per WebMD. Manuka honey has a high concentration of MG due to it’s manuka flower beginnings. All honey has some MG, but manuka honey has higher concentrations, making it higher in antibacterial properties. This makes manuka honey unique to other honeys. Manuka honey is rated on a Unique Manuka Factor(UMF) scale or Active Scale. The higher the rating number, the higher the antibacterial and healing properties. Manuka honey has to have a minimum UMF of 10 to be therapeutic.

However, don’t use regular raw manuka honey on wounds, it needs to be medical grade. Same with pasteurized, non-raw honey as pasteurization removes the majority of the antibacterial properties. Raw honey is great on your face as a mask because of it’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This is especially true during my breakout/PMS week or for someone with acne. I apply the honey alone as a mask before a shower, or put it on in the shower for the duration. Honey on the face alone can be drying from personal experience. It dries out easy after application. You can mix it with a touch of olive oil to add moisture. Honey also has natural sugars in it, which is moisturizing for the skin.

Wedderspoon is a high end manuka honey brand. I bought the gold raw organic version with a UMF/Active rating of 16, as well as the version with bee venom with a UMF/Active rating of 12. The gold honey is more liquid in texture(all raw honey has granules) which makes it easier to apply. I depot a small amount into a sample jar that I keep in the shower so I don’t have to open the big jar and put my wet hands in it all the time. Keeps it fresher. I use this as a mask in the shower, and hey doesn’t taste bad when it drips down my face like other masks. Bonus. The bee venom honey I got related to the properties of bee venom which supposedly plumps your skin. See my post on honey serums where I link how bee venom works. This version is thick, more drying as a mask, and has more granules. I use this in the shower now more as a scrub than a mask. It works great for that.

Below L to R is the bee venom, gold honey:

You can see the textures in the above photos. As a bonus you don’t have to refrigerate raw honey. Wedderspoon also is GMO and antibiotic free. I originally bought the gold honey for my face and the bee venom honey for oral use. Bee venom has an anti-inflammatory effect and I thought about it for my chronic neck pain from all my car rear-endings. Raw honey is not recommended for pregnant women to ingest, of course I thought of this after buying it. Then I figured why start on a regimen that I won’t be able to keep up since that’s the goal right now. So now it’s a face scrub.

You can buy Wedderspoon or manuka honey all over the web, New Zealand websites, Amazon, drugstore websites or I got the gold off Spiritbeautylounge. I think that was the cheapest place at the time.

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