Ancient Egypt was one of the vainest civilizations and one of the first nations that created perfumes, oils and other beauty treatments. In researching their daily beauty routine, I discovered that one particular item was used quite a bit – honey.

The ancient Egyptians realized that honey could be used to enhance their appearance. Egyptians took their beauty routines very seriously. Most tombs were found to have jars of honey placed there for that person’s assurance of beauty in the after-life. 

Honey and its Uses in Beauty and Health

One of the earliest records of honey being used for beauty involves Cleopatra. Her daily cleansing rituals involved adding honey to her milk baths. Milk and honey added together could also create facial masks or a soothing body wash. Honey was used extensively as a beauty tonic because it never needed any preservatives to prevent it from spoiling. 

Honey is a humectant, which means that it attracts and traps moisture in the skin. Cleopatra and her friends would combine honey and olive oil to assure their skin was soft, firm and protected. Honey also contains antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties to prevent skin infections, help heal sunburns and promote a clear complexion free of acne. 

Like many people today, the Egyptians found body and facial hair to be unacceptable. They discovered honey to be less painful than wax for hair removal. They used a mixture of honey and sugar. We use this procedure today, referring to it as “sugaring.”

Honey and its Effects on the Body

We need to follow the Egyptians’ lead on beauty treatments. Well, some of them, anyway. We have so much more available to us today for uses of honey. 

Skin Moisturizing

We already know honey forms a dense layer of protection over the skin and seals in moisture, so add some honey to your creamy moisturizer. 

Cleansing Clogged Pores

Try a honey face mask. Honey sticks to things like oil, dirt and other materials that clog pores. When you rinse off the honey, it will take the undesirable problems with it.

Exfoliation

It is vital to exfoliate your skin and slough off all the dead skin cells. Honey speeds up your skin cells’ healing process. Just add some honey to your favorite face or skin scrub. 

When you purchase your honey, be sure it is raw and not like the honey in the “chubby bear” container, which has fewer antioxidants due to processing methods. Raw honey helps balance the bacteria on your skin. 

Fun experiment: Exfoliate your lips and then dab a healthy amount of honey on your lips before bedtime. I was shocked to see the difference after just one night. FYI – you may want to wear a headband or a ponytail to bed. I was a little sticky in the morning.