Homemade Honey Face Mask & Cleanser Recipe

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How to make a honey face mask- easy recipe and tutorial
Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Homemade Honey Face Mask & Cleanser Recipe

I’ve shared before how I wash my face with oil and how that has been the best skin care routine I’ve ever used. Some readers commented that they still hadn’t found the right combination of oils for their skin type, so I wanted to share another natural face wash I recently found …

Honey …

Sound strange? So does cleansing your face with oil, but it turns out that they are both natural and effective ways to cleanse skin naturally.

Honey Face Mask (or Wash)

For this method, raw honey must be used. Raw honey has natural antibacterial properties and contains enzymes and probiotics that are good for skin. This method can be especially good for acne-prone skin as it doesn’t stop moisture from the skin but does reduce oils and bacteria. (Acne is usually in internal problem though, so it is important to look at diet too!)

Honey Face Wash - Simple and natural recipe that nourishes skin and helps fight acneHoney is gentler than soaps, which strip the skin of beneficial oils, and it gently nourishes skin. I know a local vet who has even used raw honey to speed skin healing on animals as it helps reduce bacteria and speed healing while protecting the skin from outside disturbances. This idea appears to have some scientific backing, as there are now medical-grade ointments (like this one) that use honey for wound and burn healing in humans.

What Kind of Honey

I’ve personally tried two different types of honey for facial cleansing:

Both seem to work really well. Manuka honey is considered more cleansing and antibacterial (and has health benefits when used internally) but from what I found, either one works great for skin care (and raw honey is cheaper). I normally use a slightly lesser quality honey for face cleansing than I use with food. As long as a honey is raw and preferably organic, it is great for skin use.

Typically, I wash my face at night with the oil cleansing method since it also removes makeup, and use the honey face mask in the morning before showering. I keep a small jar of honey and a spoon on my bathroom counter for this purpose.

Bonus Ingredients

A friend of mine also recommended adding a tiny bit of vitamin C powder (which is also great for skin) to the honey face mask, along with some essential oils for extra antibacterial and acne-fighting power.

Since then, I’ve been experimenting with variations of this honey face mask and cleanser. Different variations seem to work for different skin types.

Personally, I mix a few drops of lavender and frankincense oils into the honey I keep in my bathroom. I also sometimes add a dash of cinnamon or vitamin C. I just spot test on my inner arm before trying anything new on my face and I recommend the same for anyone trying these DIY methods.

Some “bonus” ingredients to try:

  • Cinnamon – For oily or inflamed skin, add a tiny amount (less than 1/2 teaspoon) of cinnamon powder to the honey before massaging onto your face. (This is too strong for some skin types as it may be drying.)
  • Lemon – For age spots or dark patches on skin, try lemon. Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to honey before massaging onto skin helps clean pores and lighten dark spots. Vitamin C powder also works for this.
  • Lavender – To balance skin, try lavender! Add 2 drops of organic lavender essential oil to a teaspoon of honey and massage into skin.

How to Use Honey as a Face Mask

Creating a natural face mask using honey is incredibly easy (and works amazing too!).

  1. Wet face with warm water.
  2. Place a small amount of honey in your hands (usually less than a teaspoon is plenty) and rub your hands together. I use this honey.
  3. Massage into skin in a circular motion to get all areas.
  4. Leave on for 10-15 minutes for deep pore cleansing.
  5. Wash off with warm water and pat dry.
  6. Enjoy soft, balanced skin!

How to Use Honey as a Facial Cleanser

To cleanse with honey without doing a face mask, just massage a teaspoon of honey into damp skin using circular movements. Wash well with warm water and pat dry.

Have you ever washed your face with an unusual ingredient? Tell me below!

Sources

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

247 responses to “Homemade Honey Face Mask & Cleanser Recipe”

  1. Rosaria Avatar
    Rosaria

    Hello. I have a question. Does the manuka honey have to be raw or organic too?

  2. Michele Avatar
    Michele

    I’ve been cleaning my face with honey for about a week now, and it’s evened out my skin tone and nearly destroyed all traces of eczema (which has been a problem for quite some time now). I’m hoping it will also help with the acne on my forehead, but little whiteheads and blackheads have been popping up in the area. I’ve read that this is what happens in the “detox” phase, but I’m not sure. Does anyone have advice or an opinion?

    Also, Katie, I love your site – I stumbled upon it while looking for a good way to deal with acne, and it’s changed my entire hair and skincare routines. Thanks so much for doing what you do! <3

  3. Mandy Avatar

    Hello! I was using straight hemp oil to cleanse for the past 2 weeks, and it is good but my pores are still clogged and I have tiny bumps EVERYWHERE…. I then contacted a blog and was told that a mix of honey,live probiotics, vinegar and tea tree oil will help. I have been using that once a day for the past 3 days and I feel like my face is super dry and a little more bumpy:( I did however read this and noticed that I dont think I was using raw honey, it was natural, will that make a differece?
    I just am not sure if the viegar is drying me out or what? Does anybody have any suggestions?

  4. Deina Avatar

    I’m 22, I have a oily/combination skin, lots of whiteheads and I usually get a few zits. I don’t use any skin care products because I don’t want to put a bunch of chemicals on my face. I used to wash my face with La Roche Posay dermo cleanser, but it made my skin feel a bit drier and tighter, so I stopped using it. I started using Organic Honey as a face wash a couple of weeks ago, I also mix it with sugar and use it as exfoliator 2-3 times a week, and I always steam my face before exfoliating. It does make my skin soft and smooth, but when I’m done there are still many whiteheads left. Maybe honey isn’t the right thing for oily skin, because it moisturizes the skin which means it’s actually meant for dry skin. I’m afraid that putting honey on oily skin will make it more oily.

    (Sorry if this comment was posted twice)

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      I have oily skin too, and my face loves honey. Your skin may react differently, though. I can only suggest that you try it for a little while and see. Sometimes your skin produces more oil from lack of moisture, and the moisture in the honey helps even things out so that your skin stops trying to overcompensate.

  5. Deina Avatar

    I’m 22 ,I have oily skin/combination skin, lots of whiteheads and I usually have a few zits. I don’t use any skin care products, because I don’t want to put a bunch of chemicals on my face and they’re very expensive too. I used to wash my face with La Roche Posay dermo cleanser, but I noticed it made my skin feel a bit drier and tighter after I washed it off, so I quit using it. I started washing my face with Organic Honey a couple of weeks ago, I also mix it with sugar and use it as a exfoliator 2-3 times a week. I always steam my face before exfoliating. I does make my skin soft and smooth, but there are still many whiteheads left after I’m done, and I haven’t noticed much difference. I know it takes time before you see results, but maybe I should start using other ingredients instead of honey. I’m afraid that honey will make oily skin more oily because it moisturizes the skin, and my skin is usually oily by the end of the day.

  6. Mandy Avatar

    Quick question (and apologies if it’s been addressed already above) – do you put the honey in the microwave before using to soften it? I did that last night when mixing up a batch of cleanser so that I could add some essential oils, but when I went to use the cleanser this morning, it (unsurprisingly) was quite hard again and somewhat difficult to rub into my skin. I was able to warm it up sufficiently in my hands after a few minutes, but just wondered if there was a quicker method. thanks!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      I’m not a big microwave fan, but it can be warmed in a cup set into a bowl of hot water. I usually leave my honey out of the fridge so that it stays pretty soft, though.

  7. risi Avatar

    i just started using raw honey with realemon every night i sleep with it on my face. is there anything that i’m missing? if so please tell me and i have dark spots.. thank you very much you’re a life saver .

  8. Lyn Avatar

    Hi, love your posts and recipes. Just wanted to say that some Beekeepers in America treat for a disease called American foul brood with antibiotics. It’s worth asking the local beekeeper if their honey is in fact organic before you buy.

  9. Maureen Martin Avatar
    Maureen Martin

    I see that you add lavander oil to a few of your skin care recipies, aND although it’s smells great, I’ve read & the estheticins I work with say it can cause cel damage and will also make your skin more sun sensitive.

  10. Tracie Avatar

    Hey I’m tracie I’m 23 and I have suffered from acne since I was younger. I’ve tried everything To treat my acne like proactive anything u can get from Walmart or walgreens and nothing worked.
    A few months so I started something new. In the morning I shower and after I put honey on my face. I’ve heard u need to buy honey that is made near where u live. Which I got it at my local grocery store and it says where its made. I then use a burts bees moisturizer. And at night I use jojoba oil to wash my makeup off. I use the softest wash cloth I have and put the oil all over my face. Take a warm wash cloth and wash it all off. I made my own moistorizer that I use at night.

    I also take biotin pills everyday which is hair skin and nails. That also helps with acne!

  11. Samanthat Emmes Avatar
    Samanthat Emmes

    I know this sounds really gross, but you can actually mix cat feces and coffee grounds into some organic plain yogurt and make a really great facial cleanser. It really works wonders!

  12. anushka Avatar
    anushka

    I have enlarged pores around my nose and it has started to burn lately. Any suggestions for that?

    1. Arshiya Avatar

      I am using Acwa. It leaves my face clean and moisturized, stops burning the pores and gives refreshing effect. Its my every day face cleanser. Try it.

  13. Samantha Alexis Avatar
    Samantha Alexis

    Hi!!I have been washing my face quite awhile now with honey. But recently have sort of ‘improved’ it. I added some cold pressed sweet almond oil, and some cold pressed coconut oil, along with some lavender essential oil. This works much better for me. But if you do this, then you should shake the bottle before use as honey and oil won’t mix. I also use the oil cleansing method at night.

    I am such a huge fan of wellnessmama

    Ily????

  14. Elizabeth D. Avatar
    Elizabeth D.

    Katie I love Wellness Mama and it’s changing my family for the better! I started using the oil cleansing method at night and honey in the morning. Is this ok to do everyday? Also I bought Madhava raw organic whipped honey. Is the whipped ok? Thanks for everything!

  15. Trich Avatar

    I use honey, plain ol’ whatever I can find honey, in the shower as my daily face wash. I’ve had acne since I hit puberty (and I’m now almost 45), I have a few food allergies, some sensitivity to skin products and lots of sensitivity to the general bacteria I pick up throughout the day – My name is Trich and I touch my face, yeah I know, I shouldn’t do that but I do. A few years ago I heard about using honey to wash your face, I started out with the high end, raw, etc., etc. and it worked great. No more of those deep, painful pimples, no more little pimples, it’s fantastic! Money gets tight sometimes so one of those times I tried just discount brand honey that was on sale cause it was starting to sugar – I got even better results cause it acted as a scrub, my skin has never been so nice. So now I buy what’s on sale, but I always wash my face at least once a day with honey. If I feel like being really nice to myself I put a thin coat of honey and and watch some TV or do the dishes – try it, you’ll like it 😉 If you have the time and money to go for the fancy recipe go for it. If you just want to check it out to see if you’ll like it – grab the stuff in your cupboard, do the mask and get ready to look like a cup cake!

  16. Kaitlin Avatar

    I’ve been doing your oil cleansing recipe and love it! It has truly helped my skin and has improved dryness due to living in the high desert. I’d like to try this honey mask. Just wondering if I would follow this up with the oil cleanse or if I would do the honey mask in place of the oil cleanse? Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes and all of your inspirational postings. I am also a Christian, a stay at home mother of 5 and home school. We have quite a bit in common and you have really encouraged and inspired me to get more organized, routine and make my own products. You’ve literally changed my life in such a positive way. 🙂 Thank you!

  17. Gina Avatar

    I’ve been using raw, unfiltered honey for a face wash, vitamin C serum, then a moisturizer of aloe vera gel mixed with aprioct kernel oil. All ingredients are high grade. All of a sudden my face feels like sandpaper. I stopped the vitamin C but even honey alone leaves me rough. Any thoughts on what is causing this and how to repair?

    1. Harika Avatar

      I used honey and my skin feels dried out like it’s been stripped. Cleansers form an essential part of our daily skin routine. We have to make sure that our skin is perfectly clean and clear with this equisite skin cleansers. I have chosen Acwa and have been using it for a week and already I can see a huge difference in the appearance and feel of my skin. It’s natural and a great cleanser that will become your favorite.

  18. Radu Avatar

    search on youtube “nutrients vs. poison” if you want to buy real honey in Europe.

  19. Christy Avatar

    I liked it especially because it sort of exfoliated, but I attracted ANTS in my bathroom, even after washing the container! Any suggestions for this problem? Old 1950’s house in the winter…:)

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