Honey--Beauty Secrets from the Hive

Beauty Secrets from the hive
by Jamie Otto
(taken from Sunflower Market's magazine August 2010)

Honey's appeal is well earned. Delectable and versatile, it's also amazingly safe: No other unprocessed food can sit on a pantry self for decades and still be eaten. So it's no surprise that this luscious and inherently antimicrobial food has been tapped for its healthful properties for centuries. Legend holds that Cleopatra bathed in milk & honey to augment her youthful allure, and Queen Anne of England layered her locks with honey and oil to keep then lustrous and thick. Today, many beauty products use honey, as well as hive-produced royal jelly and beeswax, with lovely results. Discover how nature's perfect ingredients can work wonders for you.

Honey for healing and hydration
Sweet honey is a versatile healing agent. "Honey has antimicrobial properties and helps your skin retain moisture, making it appealing for many skin types," says Christopher Watt, a licensed aesthetician and owner of Christopher Watt Esthetics in West Hollywood, California. For this reason, Watt recommended washing acne-prone skin with a honey based cleanser twice weekly. Honey is particularly effective on dry skin and hair, says Frederique Keller, LAc, MH, president of the American Apitherapy Society, a New York-based organization that promotes using bee products for natural healing. "Honey is hydrophilic, meaning it's a natural humectant that attracts and holds skin's moisture," says Keller. Plus, it's a natural preservative. "It doesn't spoil or require synthetic preservatives, which are skin irritants at best, carcinogens at worst," he says.

Where can you find it?:
1. Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion 
2. Kiss My Face Olive & Honey Bar Soap.

Royal Jelly for Rejuvenation
Worker bees create fatty acid-rich royal jelly as a food for larvae. The jelly is creamier and more like a serum than rich honey, according to Keller. In addition to lending products a decadent texture, royal jelly promotes cellular rejuvenation, making skin brighter and firmer. A study published in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology found that royal jelly contains soothing pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), a nutrient vital to adrenal gland function, which promotes clear, healthy skin.

Like honey, royal jelly also fights inflammation and aging with its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, making it a great remedy for redness from hives, psoriasis, and eczema. Stella Metsovas, CN, a nutritionist in Laguna Beach, California, recommends using royal jelly to maintain skin's youthful look. "It's a nutrient powerhouse," she says. Metsovas, who has studied foods' chemical properties for 15yrears, says royal jelly can also reduce or eliminate breakouts.

Where can you find it?:
1. Burt's Bees Radiance Day Creme Moisturizer
2. Kiss My Face Lip Balms
3. Burt's Bees Royal Jelly Eye Creme

Beeswax as a Barrier
Bees use wax to safeguard and seal honey in the honeycomb. "Beeswax has the same health properties as honey and royal jelly, but to a lesser degree," says Keller. In beauty products, beeswax hold ingredients together and thickens the final products, beeswax holds ingredients together and thickens the final product. As an emulsifier, it is a stellar nontoxic stand-in for petrolatum, a potentially harmful and nonrenewable petroleum-based chemical used in cosmetics.

"Beeswax is the most sustainable of the hive products because bees constantly produce it," says Keller. The Mayo Clinic ranks beeswax among the most effective ingredients in lip protection because it forms a protective barrier between your skin and the environment. It's also a key ingredient in natural waterproof sunblock because of its ability to repel water.

Where can you find it?:
1. Burt's Bees Sun Protecting Lip Balm SPF8
2. Alba Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly