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Detox is the word of the day. There is a growing awareness about the toxic effects of chemicals on our body. Even everyday products off the shelf don’t seem to be safe enough.

So, what should we do? Well, the simplest and pocket-friendly way is to explore natural products and kitchen pharmacy. They work just as well minus the toxin residue in our body.

However, unleashing the full potential of common kitchen products needs a bit guidance. These act as wonderful curatives too if used the right way.

Honey is a multitasker of nature that tastes yumm. It’s one of the very few do-gooders that doesn’t make you squirm and think twice before using. So, here are a few tips on how to easily use this gooey stuff for staying fit and gorgeous!

10 Ways to Use Honey for Beauty and Health

1.  Angelic Face Vigilante:

   i)  To get that spotlessly fresh photoshop-ed look all the time, make a permanent place for honey on your dressing table. Honey and blackheads do not go together. So, mix half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder with 1 teaspoon of honey. Cover the spots up for about 20 minutes. Rinse off and repeat if necessary in a couple of days.

   ii)  Adult acne as against teenage acne seems to be a more pesky problem. Zits pop up in awkward spots at the most inopportune time. They may also be indicative of some deeper problem. So, it is better to get them checked by a medical professional.

   However, to deal with acne externally, you can mix nutmeg and double the amount of honey for a face mask. Keep it on for about 20 minutes and wash off, do not rub. Nutmeg has anti-inflammatory agents and honey has healing properties. So, they will work their you-know-what off to minimize and reduce zits.

   Pimples and acne leave scars and enlarged pores and that’s why we hate these so much. They are not just ugly short-term but leave with a parting gift too!

   iii)  To fade scars away, mix honey with lemon juice and leave it on for 10-15 minutes before washing off. Do it twice a week for a few weeks to get the best results. Use honey and egg white mask to shrink enlarged pores. I am yet to try this out because I simply cannot stand the smell of raw egg continuously for 15 minutes. But, if you can, try it out at least once as honey is nature’s moisturizer and raw egg has great wrinkle-lifting properties.

2. Glorious Hair Curator:

   i)  No matter how much care we take, dandruff seems to find it’s way instinctively to us in the winter months. So, instead of reaching out for the next anti-dandruff shampoo off the shelf that further dries out my already dry hair…I got thirsty speaking of so much dryness : ) , I decided to try honey therapy first. Massage honey on damp hair and scalp. Leave it on for 3 hours before washing off with your regular shampoo.

   However, remember that it works best for non-chronic conditions. Chronic dandruff would need medical attention too.

   ii)  Honey tames down frizz admirably. Mix 1 teaspoon honey in 4 cups of water and apply it as leave-in conditioner. The yummy smell afterwards is an added bonus.

   Another way to get shiny, soft hair with honey is to mix equal parts honey and olive oil and apply on damp hair. Leave it on for 30 minutes before shampooing it off. See? The conditioner was used before shampooing and that’s why knowing the right way to use nature’s beauty and health gifts is important.

    

   [bctt tweet=”Knowing the right way to use honey for health and beauty optimizes its effect.”]

3. Detox and Weight Loss Trainer:

   Drinking honey mixed with lemon and warm water first thing in the morning has great health benefits. It not only helps the liver to detoxify, but also helps in increasing body’s metabolism to help  lose weight. We all know detoxified body translates to glowing skin. So, a dewy complexion is just one of the very-welcome side effects.

   While on the topic of weight loss, if you are on a diet or simply watching what you eat, honey can come in really handy. One tablespoon of honey will go a long way to stop your sweet cravings and also give you instant energy boost.

4. Sleep Promoter:

   If you want the technical low down, raw honey has elements that boost the production of sleep hormone (melatonin) in our brain. This helps us sleep like a baby and wake up fresh-faced and full of energy. Also, honey helps detoxify the liver resulting in better hormone regulation. So, stress drains away from our body and helps us get 8 hours of restful shuteye.

   Quality sleep not only affects our mood, energy level, skin and hair quality but also our body’s capacity to fight with a lot of ailments. Instead of being a direct remedy, it improves the quality of life. So, try out a routine of slurping 1 teaspoon raw honey before bed and ‘sleep’ the difference yourself 🙂 .

5. Bad Breath Banisher:

   There are a number of things that may lead to bad breath like dry mouth due to medication or dehydration, bad oral hygiene, gum problems, plaque build-up, smoking and more. Using honey mouthwash will not cure them but help curb them somewhat as well as limit the intensity of bad breath. Honey has anti-inflammatory and healing properties that also help with mouth hygiene.

   So, along with taking better care of your mouth with brushing, tongue scraping, flossing and visits to your dentist, use honey. Gargle twice a day with 2 teaspoons honey, 1/4th teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup water for better smelling breath.

   Manuka honey with heightened hydrogen peroxide anti-bacterial properties is considered to be a very good treatment for gingivitis. But, the limitation is that it is exclusively produced by bees in New Zealand. So, not easily available everywhere.

6. Eye Protector:

   What with smart phones, tablets, PCs and TV, our screen time has become so extensive that we hardly rest our eyes. Tired and overstrained eyes eventually gift us with blurry vision, red dull eyes and the dreaded dark circles. Keeping away dark circles is easy if you drink enough water, rest your eyes and moisturize well. Also, try honey and tomato pulp pack under the eyes for half an hour for a few days for it to work it’s magic.

   To keep your peepers in ship-shape, along with giving them some well-earned off-time, take a glass of carrot juice spiked with 2 teaspoons of honey. Try to make it a routine with breakfast if you spend countless hours in front of your computer or on your smart phone. Make it a part of daily meals for your kids if you can’t get them unglued from the zillion screens in kids’ lives today. It surely would limit your trips to the optometrist :)

7. Energy Booster:

   Honey has natural sugars and is an excellent fount of energy. No need to worry about sugar content because it does the good work minus the harmful effects of actual sugar. It is not going to add pounds, but is actually going to do the exact opposite!

   Coming back to the point, honey is a very good source of instant as well as sustained energy. It contains glucose that gives instant energy boost and fructose that lazes around a bit to release a steady dose of prep force. So, the next time you feel reaching out for an energy bar, just scoop out a spoonful from the bee’s pantry.

8. Digestive Aide:

   A smooth-functioning mechanism efficiently extracting all the goodness from our meals works wonders for our overall health. From general well-being, energy, mood to healthy skin and hair – it covers all. Taking 1 tablespoon each of raw honey and apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of warm water would do the trick. It would make sure that whatever you eat gets used to its full potential for energy, vitamins, nutrients and whatever else it has to offer.

   Here is the low-down on how honey boosts liver function. The liver produces bile that is very important for fat digestion…best friend or what! Also, it is the liver that processes all nutrients extracted from our meals by the small intestine. Honey, water and apple cider vinegar concoction also helps deal effectively with PMS, not bad…right? Here’s the recipe.
   

9. Seasonal Allergy Warrior:

   I am sure, most of us have heard that if you take medicine for common cold, it goes away in a week else it takes 7 days to clear off. But, that surely doesn’t mean we have to be a minion of these pesky symptoms the whole time! While some other things might works as well, you can try this honey concoction out.

   Take equal quantities of honey and ginger juice for cold, cough and congestion. Not only does it boost the body’s immunity but works instant wonder on cough and sore throat. However, try not to take it more than 4 times a day because it might overheat the body causing other problems.

   Take a 1:4 mixture of cinnamon powder and lukewarm honey for 3 days to treat severe cough and cold. For a pesky cough that just won’t go away, take a teaspoonful of honey with a pinch of black pepper powder after meals.

10. Burn Specialist:

    Honey is exceptionally good for handling first and simple second-degree burns as it heals up everything quickly and efficiently. It leaves next to no scars. However, the twist here is that a scoopful of honey from your kitchen cabinet won’t show the same tendency to help out selflessly. They contain high-fructose corn syrup that can actually boost bacterial growth.

    It is manuka honey that is hero of the hour here. But again, the twist in the plot is this type of honey is produced exclusively by bees in New Zealand. So unless you are living there, it won’t be so handy. On the bright side, quite a few of the pre-packaged wound dressings available in the local pharmacy contain medicinal honey and it’s scar-fighting goodness.

Trying out kitchen medicines not only steers us clear of unwanted toxins, but also generates a pride in being able to tackle quite a few medical challenges efficiently. However, these mostly are preventives and simple cures. Never fail to take medical advice for chronic or gradually escalating problems.

Getting know-how of effectively using the healing qualities of pantry pharmacy takes us back to our roots and helps in cutting medical bills too. So, up and up all the way! Pick and choose what you need and what suits you from nature’s pharmacy. It will unwrap a happier and healthier version of you every day.

Let me know what you think of honey as one of nature’s marvels? Do you like it’s delicious or medicinal potentials better? Difficult choice…I know!

 

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