Honey in skincare is wonderful because of its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits. Plus it contains a host of nutrients including amino acids, vitamins and minerals – all of which feed your skin. However, whenever I see honey being used, I wonder about its sustainability, given that honeybee populations are in decline.
Most experts now agree that Colony Collapse Disorder (the worker bees go MIA,) is the main cause of the decline, and environmentalists believe it also has something to do with the destruction of their natural habitat. The good news as far as a few skin care companies are concerned, is that they are actually trying to help the situation:
Neal’s Yard Remedies have created a line of beautiful Bee Lovely products, where 5% of the retail price goes to bee-friendly organizations. But, they didn’t stop there: They have a full-on campaign raging where they are raising awareness and funds of this devastating natural disaster (US has lost 4 million bee colonies since 2006). To support them, sign their petition telling the EPA to ban an incredibly toxic pesticide that is also thought to be a cause of bee death, and/or grab a few Bee Lovely skin care products.
Tata Harper uses honey in some of her incredible formulations. She lives and works on an organic farm in Vermont, where she considers beekeeping an important part of sustainable agriculture.
Honey is wonderful in DIY skin care. I use it in many of my recipes, particularly in masks. So, please make sure you are subscribed to my You Tube Channel and my newsletter for up-coming honey recipes!
You can also visit the wonderful BeeKind Store in California, where you can find out a host of information about Native plants, beekeeping, and you can buy the most wonderful raw, organic honey and beeswax candles.
What You Can Do:
1. Buy from bee-friendly companies
2. Buy a bee house for your backyard
3. Plant Native bee-friendly plants around in your yard, but beware because a few “bee-friendly” plants have been found to contain a super-toxic pesticide, which will do more harm than good. You are better off finding a “Native” plant nursery that specializes in Native plants, rather than buying from a big box store, or nursery.