April's shine - day 8 - mama honey

Honey

Used to hate it in my childhood (don't ask me why!!) and now I totally love it. 

I love all the aromas, the colors, the texture of Mama Honey.

I only buy organic and raw and please pay attention to that cause most honey in the supermarket is not raw anymore. And Mama Honey that has been heated (for whatever reason, to pour it or to make it more beautiful, to controlled crystalize it or  to change it's color..) is not so good for you anymore. Old Ayurveda already said that and I was surprised to read about it in my first Ayurvedic book. Now the science is also backing this up and I kinda had withdraw reactions from my old tea with lemon and honey for a long time..

I know , I know, the heated non-organic variant is everywhere - and the original honey is much more expensive but yeah, maybe ask yourself why that might be? When the only thing they'd had to do it put it in jar and sell it? Could it be that they put something else in the honey to make it cheaper? I'm just sayin'..

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Today about Mama Honey's possible uses for "external use". I say "external" because it does not go through your mouth to get inside your body but yes inside it goes - through yours skin and hair. And in case you were not aware of it and you might want to consider thinking about it - everything you put on your skin goes inside - and sometimes has much more effect on your body than what goes through your mouth.

hair mask: this one regulates your hair moisture system and it revitalizes sad hair;  
combine together:

• 2 tb. spoons of clear honey (not the crystalized one);
• 3 drops each rosemary and lavender essential oils (known to relax and soften your scull skin) (they also smell really nice);
  
• 1 tb. spoon oil (preferably olive oil, almond oil but any will do - you know I talk organic, right?.. I also tried with coconut oil but that's a bit complicated because it has to be heated au bain marie and the whole thing must be applied warm on your hair, which.. well, it complicates life..:-) )
• 1 egg-yolk;

You'll also need some plastic something to cover your hair with - preferably a douche cap but well, I mostly improvise. 
Depending how long your hair - if it's long bend over - brush it thoroughly. Make it wet, dry it slightly and bring the mask on beginning with the roots.
Put the plastic something around your head and a towel on top of it, leave it 30 min on. Wash your hair with shampoo (I have a delicious organic hand made coconut one from Lush) and not-so-hot water.

honey as cleanser:
Wet your face. Apply honey gently on your face and neck using your fingers. Rinse with warm water and pat face dry.
If you can use Manuka Honey, that's best. But any honey will do. 
Bonus: you can eat your cleanser:-)

honey + oats face scrub
Combine 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon finely-ground almonds, 2 tablespoons dry oatmeal, and some lemon juice or yogurt to a luxurious and exfoliating facial scrub. Massage mixture gently onto face, then rinse with warm water. This blend gives a deeply emollient cleansing to the pores of your face. Almonds and oats are superb softening exfoliants.

hot honey bath
Add 1/4 cup of honey to your hot bath water for silky and luscious skin. This is especially good for dry skin.
Yeah.. this one will heat your honey. But I do not like to lay in cold bath water. Do you? Plus, it smells nice.

moisture face mask
Mix 2 tablespoons honey with 2 teaspoons milk (I also tried it with my raw veg milk, can do). Smooth over face and throat. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

smoothing skin lotion
Mix 1 teaspoon honey with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and ¼ teaspoon lemon. Rub into hands, elbows, heels and anywhere that feels dry. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with water.

firming face mask
Whisk together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon glycerin (can be found in some drugstores) and enough flour to form a paste. (Approximately ¼ cup). Smooth over face and throat. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

cucumber-honey toner face and neck
Juice one cucumber (or if you don't have a juicer: puree 1 cucumber in a blender, drain and collect the juice or put it through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth). Add 2 teaspoons of honey into the juice and mix. Pour the mixture into a bottle. Apply on the face and neck area with a cotton pad in the morning and at night. Air dry it and rinse clean. Store the bottle covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Ps: Mama Honey can be used also to treat burns but therefore I leave you with an article from WikiHow.