The Secret Ingredient in Your Honey

Let's talk about honey. Honey is most commonly used as a delicious treat in our tea, in baking, on bread etc. but honey has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes and is starting to gain popularity again. The use of honey may date back as far as the stone age with cave paintings depicting it's use. We know ancient Egyptians used it for embalming purposes and it was used in wound care because of it's antimicrobial properties. Honey has long been connected to treating the skin, it has been used for dressing burns, dandruff, dermatitis, psoriasis and a host of other skin conditions. 

Honey does not expire, what is that I just said? Yes, honey does not go bad and this is mainly because of where it comes from, the bee. Honey is a sugar, in it's natural state sugars contain minimal amounts of water and can take in moisture if not sealed properly. Due to honey's low moisture state bacteria can't grow, they are suffocated by it. Honey is acidic, with a pH of 3-4.5 which makes it inhospitable for organisms to grow. These factors do not only exist in honey, there are a few other foods with similar properties, but they will spoil. So what's the deal with honey? The answer is the Bee. Bee's dry out the nectar by flapping their wings, but just this alone would not make honey not spoil. The secret ingredient that keeps honey from spoiling comes from the bee's stomachs!  The enzyme that bees have in their stomachs is called glucose oxidase, when bees regurgitate nectar, the enzyme mixes with the nectar and breaks it down into two by-products: gluconic acid and a second by-product, here is the secret ingredient that I did not know about until I researched this article, hydrogen peroxide! The hydrogen peroxide kills whatever else could be growing in the honey that the other properties did not kill. The only way honey will spoil is if you leave it out unsealed or if water gets in it.

So why is honey soap good for your skin? Firstly honey sucks in moisture, therefore passing it on to your skin as you use it to wash. It moisturizes while cleaning with it's antimicrobial abilities. Honey was used throughout the centuries as a natural bandage because nothing would grow on it. There are currently companies that make bandages covered with honey for medical use!

I was told by two pediatricians that using honey to sooth a sore throat was better than any over the counter medicine you could buy. I guess the "old wives tales" were right, honey and their amazing makers offer many benefits to us humans! I am including two links in case you would like to read more on the subject. Smithsonian Magazine and National Library of Medicine.

Check out my Etsy shop to see my honey soaps. They are very fun to make!

Gina💗

A very busy bee in my garden.

 

Honey and Castile Handmade Soap

Honeysuckle Honey Handmade Soap