Why Manuka Honey?

Oh, honey! You add it to your tea. You cook and bake with it. You may even keep a fresh jar in the medicine cabinet to use on minor burns and other wounds.

People have relied on honey’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties for millennia, and twenty-first century scientific research backs up the traditional uses. You’ll now also find honey on the ingredients list of many skin care products.

Why Manuka?

Although pure honey of any kind may have some healing properties, quality and concentration vary. The blossoms of the manuka shrub (Leptospermum scoparium), plentiful in New Zealand and Australia, produce a superior antibacterial honey.

How It Works

In addition to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties, manuka honey is a humectant, which means it helps the skin retain moisture. It also acts as an antioxidant, taming free radicals to protect the skin from premature aging.

The enzymes in raw manuka honey make it a natural exfoliant. You don’t need grit to remove dead skin cells and reveal smooth skin.

Alone or in a Combo

Use pure, raw manuka honey by itself as a cleanser or face mask. Health coach and beauty blogger Elizabeth Rider suggests spreading honey on clean skin and letting it work for 20 minutes before rinsing off.

Or try manuka honey in combination with other ingredients in facial and body cleansers, masks, serums, and moisturizers. You’ll find manuka honey paired with fruit enzymes such as apricot and papaya or with skin favorites aloe vera, vitamin E, shea butter, and even cannabidiol (CBD).

Cautions

If you have an allergy to bee stings or to pollen, consult your dermatologist or healthcare provider before trying manuka honey skin preparations.

Until the age of 12 months, little ones may be susceptible to developing infant botulism from ingesting honey. To be safe, avoid using manuka or any honey on an infant’s skin.

This article originally appeared on TasteForLife.com.