Women have used honey to sweeten their beauty routines for centuries: Cleopatra bathed in milk and honey to augment her youthful allure, and Queen Anne of England layered her locks with honey and oil to keep them lustrous and thick. Discover how ingredients from the hive can work for you.

Honey

One of nature’s most delicious natural sweeteners, honey is equally versatile as a healing agent. “Honey displays antimicrobial properties and helps to retain moisture, making it appealing for many skin types,” says Christopher Watt, a licensed esthetician and owner of Christopher Watt Esthetics in West Hollywood. For this reason, Watt recommends washing acne-prone skin with a honey-based cleanser twice weekly.

Honey is particularly effective on dry skin and hair, according to Frederique Keller, LAc, MH, president of the American Apitherapy Society, a New York-based organization that promotes bee products for natural healing. “Honey is hydrophilic, meaning it’s a natural humectant that attracts and retains skin’s moisture,” says Keller. Plus, it’s a natural preservative. “It doesn’t spoil or require synthetic preservatives, which are skin irritants at best, carcinogens at worst,” says Keller.

Try it in >>Kiss My Face Olive & Honey Bar Soap, Burt’s Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion, John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo

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