10 unbelievable uses of honey

Hello bees! Over the past month we’ve been into our honey more than ever. There is something truly comforting about enjoying our favourite golden substance (especially when it’s Pa Harper’s own!) when it’s grey and chilly outside.

Honey has long been valued as a natural sweetener, but we truly believe it is a remarkable substance with so many other amazing uses too! In fact, given its prominence in mythology, it is often called Nectar of the Gods. You can’t really argue with that, can you?

Now, you probably already know that honey can be used to sweeten your tea and your morning porridge, so today we wanted to share a few of the more unusual uses. From honey as a moisturiser to honey in your cocktails, the possibilities are (almost) endless. So here we go… here are our top ten unBEElieveable uses for honey:

1. Acne aid

Raw honey is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. This means it works great for acne treatment. The remedy for this one is pretty easy. Simply dab a small amount of raw honey onto your skin using a cotton bud. For an extra boost, try mixing the raw honey with a smidgen of tea tree oil, another great natural antibacterial ingredient!

2. Moisturises dry skin

If you suffer from dry or cracked skin, honey can help to soothe and moisturise it, as it is an emollient, which means it seals moisture in! UnBEElievable! Try applying raw honey to patches of dry skin and leave it to sit half an hour. The honey will penetrate deep down into the skin, rehydrate it, and stop any broken skin becoming infected!

3. Make dark chocolate

We don’t know about you, but chocolate is one of our favourites! You can make your own dark chocolate cups using just raw honey, coconut oil and cocoa powder. All you’ve got to do is melt the coconut oil, mix the ingredients together and pour it into moulds. Simple and BEElicious!

4. Treat minor cuts, scrapes and burns

Honey can be used as a natural antiseptic because of its many antimicrobial properties. Add a dash of raw honey onto a minor wound and it will stop the wound from becoming infected, as well as help the wound to heal faster. Although please do be careful, we’d recommend only using honey for minor wounds, leave the major wounds to the professionals!

5. Sweeten your home made sauces

As you know, honey makes a great ingredient to use in cooking. It can be used to make a huge variety of homemade sauces, from ketchup to BBQ sauce. We love using a dash of honey in our homemade ketchup, as paired with tomatoes, olive oil, onion, herbs and spices, it tastes BEElicious!

6 Use in the garden

Honey isn’t just great for humans. For those of you who like to garden (we know there’s a few keen bees out there), you will know how difficult it can be to get cuttings to root. One nifty trick is to try mixing one part honey with three parts hot water. Let it cool, and then dip the tip of your cutting into the mixture before you plant in the ground. The honey will encourage root growth and it will protect the cutting from disease while it grows!

7. Enjoy better sleep 

If you find it hard to wind down at the end of the day, then adding a teaspoon of honey to a hot mug of herbal tea may be just the thing you need. Honey is known to help calm nerves and relax the mind. Our favourite is a teaspoon of honey with a chamomile tea!

8. Stop dandruff

Although the exact causes of dandruff are still unknown, extensive research suggests honey may be beneficial in treating dandruff due to its antifungal and moisturising properties. All you’ve got to do is apply honey at your hair roots (scalp), leave it on for 10-15 minutes, and then wash it off. It sounds sticky, but we promise it’s worth it!

9. Honey cocktails

Honey is great for the health benefits, but it also makes a pretty BEElicious cocktail sweetener if you’re looking for something a little different!

10. Moisturise your lips

Honey can also be used to make your own lip balm, with a range of natural ingredients such as honey, beeswax, cocoa butter, almond oil, and coconut oil. Be careful though, it’s tempting to lick this one off as they’re often ridiculously tasty! We’re thinking a Just Bee Healthy and Beauty recipe is needed for this one, don’t you?! Watch this space!

So, what do you think bees? How many of these weird and wonderful uses of honey have you tried? There’s such a variety, I’m sure you’ll find one for you! Or have you got any other ideas up your sleeve? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Tag us on our socials @justbeedrinks or email thehive@justbeedrinks.co.uk to let us know!

Have a wonderful week bees!

Blogger Bee x