We already know that New Zealand Manuka honey is great for sore throats, coughs, killing bacterial infections and is completely delicious in a cup of tea, but did you know it can also do amazing things for your skin? Check out some the reasons you should be covering your face in honey right now!

What Is Manuka?

Manuka honey is honey produced by bees in New Zealand who feed on the native Manuka plant. The Manuka plant is a flowering shrub that grows only in New Zealand. Manuka honey is at its best when it is raw. Raw honey is honey at its most natural; this means no processing, filtering, or heating. Just thick, creamy, deliciousness! Raw honey in general is pretty damn good for you, but Manuka honey has a laundry list of amazing antibacterial qualities that make it truly incredible.

Why Should I Put It On My Face?

One of the best reasons you should be slathering Manuka honey on your face by the spoonful is its amazing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This means it can calms and soothes redness and any sort of inflamed spots on your face making it great for both acne treatment and prevention.

Manuka honey is also a wonderful moisturizer because it's a natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the air. When you put it on your skin it draws moisture into your skin, resulting in long lasting hydration and bringing a brightness to your face. Super hydrated skin also helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles both now and in the future.

How Do I Put It On My Face?

The easiest way is to just put it on your face! Use a q-tip to dab on particular spots or grab a clean spoon and scoop a spoonful on to your face. Beware, honey can be a bit drippy, so make sure you have a washcloth nearby just in case!

Honey can be combined with a never ending range of natural items to create specialty skin care masks. Mix the ingredients then rub onto a clean face. Let sit for 15-20 minutes, then wipe off your face with a warm washcloth.

DIY skin care is a growing interest all over the internet, so there are lots of recipes available! These are my favorites:

Where Do I Get Manuka Honey?

There are a lot of places claiming to sell “authentic” Manuka honey, but it isn’t the real deal. This could hamper the amazing results! For people wanting to dip their toe in the Manuka jar, Belixir Manuka Drinking Honey MG 260 is a perfect starting place. Delicious, easy to use, and affordable enough to rub all over your face, this honey has amazing antibacterial properties.

If you’ve already drank the Manuka Honey Kool-Aid and want to really treat yo self, grab yourself a jar of the Tahi Manuka Honey UMF 20+. Not only does this Tahi honey have an incredibly high grade - meaning the antibacterial properties are off the charts - but Tahi helps preserve the New Zealand wildlife and forestry with all of their proceeds going back into conservation projects.