Eat Your Face! An Edible Facial Mask.

What happens when you mix honey, Manuka honey if you’re feeling snazzy, lemon, and water together? If you said tea, you are only partially right. Though these ingredients go great in any tea, they also have another, surprising use – they make for an excellent facial mask. Back in my college days, when I was hard up for cash but still wanted to look halfway decent for one of the many shindigs at my University, I discovered this amazing facial. First of all, let’s talk about honey, honey. Not only is it a deliciously low-fat sweetener with antioxidant and anti-fungal properties, but honey is also a fabulous choice for healthy skin due to its antibacterial powers and moisturizing effects.

Then there’s Manuka honey. It’s like honey on steroids – the natural kind, of course. I discovered this miracle worker when I had a distracted mom moment involving my toddler and a cast iron fireplace. Yes, you heard that right. We were at a friend’s house having a dandy ole time when my toddler apparently grazed his forehead on the fireplace. It was so subtle, so quiet, that I hadn’t even known he was that close to the thing. When he lifted his head and I saw a white burn the size of a Tootsie Roll, I screamed, he screamed, but it surely wasn’t for ice cream. Not proudly, I asked my friend for the thing that my parents and probably their parents used as an all-purpose salve; I asked for Vaseline. I put some on, and she recommended I try something more civilized like Neosporin, which I did, and we covered it with a Band-Aid. The next day, it looked like a war wound, so I went to good old Google for a better remedy. This is when I discovered Manuka honey. I quickly went out to buy some and put it on his burn, after washing my hands of course. After about two weeks of slabbing it on – no need for a Band-Aid; its properties and consistency make for a natural antibiotic barrier – the burn healed beautifully with no trace of a scar. The stuff is amazing!

Now, let’s get to the facial. All you’ll need is a half of lemon, a tablespoon or more of Manuka honey or regular raw honey, and a splash of water to dampen the face. Manuka honey is thick and gritty, which gives it the texture of an exfoliating mask. Lemon is a natural skin brightener and astringent, and water is, well, water. Once a week, after washing and rinsing your face, preferably with a high-quality face wash, squeeze the honey onto the lemon. While your skin is still damp, rub the lemon with honey on top in a circular motion all over your face and neck, avoiding your eyes. Once it is all rubbed in and your skin is bright and shiny, and the lemon-honey mixture is dripping down your face (you can eat some if you’d like), let it sit for 15 minutes. Any more and you might have to spend the night scrubbing honey off of your face. After the 15 minutes, thoroughly rinse your face with warm water. After that, do another rinse with cold water to close your pores. Follow with a toner and your favorite moisturizer, and then bask in the glory of soft, glowing, and edible skin.

#facemask #Honey