5 DIY skincare and haircare recipes that you can make with honey

There are few DIY recipes that wouldn't benefit from the addition of raw honey—the superfood ingredient has natural antiseptic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties to help cleanse and soothe the skin, hair, and scalp. It's usually a mainstay in every Indian home, so you're sure to have it in your kitchen. Here's how you can solve all your skincare and haircare issues with it, including chapped lips and unruly hair. 

1. Zip up split ends with this hair mask

While putting egg yolks and honey on your strands sounds like it'll be a smelly mess, the former is packed with protein, which makes them perfect for adding strength to compromised strands—particularly those that are damaged by heat, colour or bleach. Mix honey, egg yolks and coconut oil in a bowl, and then apply the mixture from the mid-lengths down (the texture might be too heavy for the roots). The honey is able to pull in moisture from the air to seal up any frazzled bits, while coconut oil's healthy fats fortify the keratin in the hair. Leave the treatment on for 20 minutes, and then wash off for silkier, healthier looking tresses.

2. Soothe redness and post-acne marks with this ointment

If redness is your issue, or if acne marks have left your skin feeling red and angry, apply this thick soothing mask onto affected areas. Cook oatmeal, and then stir in milk and honey. If you are prone to itching or dry patches due to trying out different skincare products right now, oatmeal can normalise skin’s pH levels, softening dry skin in the process. Oatmeal also contains saponins, which feature exfoliating abilities to brighten your skin. Milk, a kitchen staple, has light exfoliating properties that gets rid of flaky skin. This encourages cell renewal, letting the skin heal itself quicker and better. But the real star ingredient is honey, which has anti-inflammatory keep skin issues from occurring, or, if issues have occurred already, honey can can minimize swelling or redness.

3. Mattify oily skin with this face mask

Multani mitti is able to remove excess oil, dirt, sebum, sweat and impurities from the skin. This means that it is helpful in cleaning pores from the inside-out, and the clay is able to absorb excess oil and draw out blackheads. Since it is rich in magnesium chloride, it has cooling properties too. Mix clay with apple cider vinegar, a pH balancing ingredient, and honey, which is a natural humectant, working to keep the skin moist enough, without adding to the oil content. This is because humectants draw moisture from the skin without replacing it. Apply the mixture to your face, and then wash off after 20 minutes. Skin will be brighter, and more mattified.

4. Heal chapped lips with this overnight lip treatment

When your lips are dry and chapped, the skin on the lips can begin to flake and lift, which can cause trauma to it. Gently exfoliating your lips can remove dead skin cells, which would prevent your lip treatment to moisturise the new skin underneath. First, mix sugar and honey to slough it all off. Then, apply honey and coconut oil to the lips overnight, letting it soak in and heal it from within. While moisturising, honey can protect cracked lips from infection too.

5. Make DIY wax with honey

With no access to salons, you may want to take your grooming the DIY route. If you don't have wax strips on hand, and would rather forgo razors, a sugar and honey paste works well to get rid of unwanted hair without irritating the skin underneath. To make, mix honey, sugar, lemon juice and water and simmer on the saucepan, until the mixture takes on a thick, viscous texture. The lemon juice works like an antiseptic, while raw honey soothes the skin while you wax. Use with cotton strips if you don't have store-bought ones.

Also read:

The best honey-based haircare and skincare products to add to cart

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