Oh, Honey

Mmmmmm, stock footage

Storytime! I have terrible skin. It wasn't always this way though. For years I took medicine that completely cleared up my skin to the point that it was (in my selfish opinion) flawless. I never had to wash it, I never had to moisturize it, and it had a nice glow in any season with or without makeup. I took this for granted for a long time. Recently, I stopped taking this miracle medicine and now my skin makes me look like a freshman in high school. It's miserable. For months now my skin has just been getting worse and worse despite my strict skincare routine and constant search for an easy, inexpensive way to combat what is seemingly adult acne (ugh...). Storytime and search over, because I think I've found my perfect solution: honey.

I read an article online a couple days ago about how honey is a miracle worker for the skin, clearing it up, smoothing it down, and giving it a healthy glow. I searched for honey masks online and found this great website full of advice and information on how to use honey to clear your skin. For the past three days now I've been wearing a plain mask of just honey (Walmart brand, if we're being specific) for about an hour at night before washing it off with warm water, and I'm already noticing differences. At first my existing acne didn't seem any different, but now I'm noticing that no new pimples are forming and the ones that are there are slowly (but surely) fading away. My face is now soft enough that I almost want to ask strangers to give it a good rub...almost. As far as glow goes, I haven't noticed any change, but maybe after a few more nights with honey smeared on my cheeks I'll have a Natalie-Portman-second-trimester-prenancy-esque glow to show off.

For anyone who wants to try a honey mask (I recommend it to everyone), here are some tips:

• Apply the mask in the bathroom, because your hands will more than likely be a little sticky once it's on.
• Make sure you get ALL your hair away from your face before even opening the honey, even those wispy ones next to your ears. 
• Use a large, flat tablespoon to apply the honey. Just turn the spoon upside down, squirt a dot of honey on the convex side, and apply to your face with the back of the spoon.
• Be careful how much honey you put on the spoon; a little bit goes a long way, and the longer you leave it on, the more it will start to drip if you apply too much.
• Leave the mask on for 10 - 60 minutes, and just rinse it off with warm water (as much as it feels like you'll need soap or a wash cloth to get the honey off, you won't, I promise).