Sweet & Surprising Uses for Honey

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Thanks to our CSA, we've got a sweet stash of local honey in our cupboard, way more than we need for our default honey uses: sore throat soother and sweetener. I wondered what else we could do with it.

According to Benefits-of-Honey.com, "The benefits of honey don't just stop at satisfying the palate. Honey also offers incredible antiseptic, antioxidant ,and cleansing properties for our body and health, hot beauty and skin care tips for ladies, and amazing healing properties as a head-to-toe remedy, from eye conjunctivitis to athlete foot." Honey softens skin, clears up acne, balances metabolism, and does what seems to be a million other magical things.

The Huffington Post reports 20 Unusual Uses for Honey. I can't wait to try #17: Beautify your Hair: "In the shower, after you wash your, coat the ends with a bit of honey. Let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing out and you'll find that your hair is less frizzy and extra conditioned."

Care2.com covers 13 Surprising Uses for Honey. Tip #2 points out that honey is a nature's Neosporin. Just apply it to minor cuts, burns, and scrapes. Tip #5 recommends harnessing the fantastic moisturizing power of honey by using it to treat dry patches, like elbows, hands, and lips. "Rub onto your dry, patchy skin and let it sit for about 30 minutes before washing off." I look forward to giving this a go in the winter when my hands seem to be perpetually cracked and chapped.

Tonight I think I'll try the olive oil and honey body scrub I read about on Get Along and Go.

Of course, the quality of the honey affects these benefits. It shouldn't come as a surprise that most of the honey in supermarkets is crap. Know your source. Talk to your beekeeper.

Many ethical vegans choose not to use honey out of respect for bees, but some beekeepers find a way to respect bees and get honey out of the deal. (Yes, really.) I recommend getting friendly with those folks. Beekeeping seems to be trending now in urban areas, so that shouldn't be too hard.

While we're on the topic of bees, I suggest checking out Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary on the mysterious mass disappearance of bees around the world. It's available on Netflix Watch Instantly.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

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