DIY Honey Face Wash for Blemish Free Skin

Honey face wash may sound sticky, but it’s one of the best things to ever happen to my skin. While I like using this thyme honey face mask on occasion, cleansing with a honey DIY face wash has been a game-changer for my skincare routine.

DIY Honey Face Wash

I have a love/hate relationship with soap. Even the purest natural soap makes my skin feel like it’s been attacked with a bristly scrub brush and then doused in lemon juice. Unless it’s hand soap, like this lemon thyme foaming soap, the rest of me doesn’t get along with soap too well. When I discovered DIY honey face wash I decided to give it a whirl.

So I stopped using soap on my face.

I’ve tried a lot of different face washes, but I wanted to create a homemade honey face wash recipe without any drying ingredients. Something that would be gentle, yet effective for clear skin.

Soap and I are Frenemies

In middle school my face was riddled with acne, so my dad insisted I try Ivory soap. It was pure. It was great for skin. What could happen?

My face was so red, blotchy, and inflamed afterward, that I looked like I’d been stung by an angry beehive. And it felt like it too. No more Ivory soap for this girl.

A few years ago I used a natural cleanser on my face whenever I’d remember to. It was still drying though. Soap may remove dirt, but it can irritate more sensitive skin, especially for those with acne or eczema.

DIY Face Wash Without Castile Soap

Castile soap is popular in the natural health world, but it can be harsh on the skin. Our skin’s pH is naturally acidic at about 4.5, while castile soap has a high pH closer to 9. A skincare routine that overuses soap cleansers can harm the skin’s protective acid mantle.

Recently I switched to a DIY honey face wash. Since there’s no soap in this, my skin feels soft, moisturized, and yes, even clean! Washing your face with a jar of sweetener may sound nuts, but raw honey has amazing properties. This makes it the perfect choice for delicate facial skin.

Honey Face Wash Benefits

There’s a long history of use when it comes to honey in skincare. Before Gen Z was even born and TikTok wasn’t even a sparkle in a web developer’s eye, Cleopatra and the ancients were slathering on the honey. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks used it on skin burns and wounds. Indigenous tribes used it to clean their skin. Honey helps the skin repair itself and modulates the skin’s immune system.

According to a 2013 review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, “Honey in dermatology and skincare”, raw honey is:

• clarifying to help give skin that dewy look
• full of anti-oxidants
• calming to skin
• nourishing
• softens skin
• antibacterial
• reduces acne and breakouts
• helps lock in moisture
• emollient and humectant
• anti-aging and reduces the appearance of wrinkles
• full of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and amino acids
• restores damaged skin
• regulates skin pH
• anti-inflammatory

What is the Best Honey to Wash Your Face With?

Unfortunately, a lot of the cheapo grocery store honey is laced with corn syrup. I prefer supporting small businesses and getting raw honey from local farmers. Raw honey hasn’t been processed so it has more beneficial properties for smoother, healthier skin.

Manuka honey is even better, but it can be on the pricey side. This honey has all of the same benefits as raw honey but in a higher concentration. My top pick for face wash with honey is manuka, with raw honey (even better if it’s local), coming in at a close second.

DIY Face Wash with Essential Oils

I had to add essential oils to this recipe as well. Because different oils have different properties, certain ones work better with different skin types, though many are all-purpose.

The Best Essential Oils for Homemade Face Wash

• Lavender– soothing and calming to the skin, and supports healthy cellular regeneration.
• Lemon– reduces the appearance of spots and discoloration.
• Frankincense – reduces the appearance of scars and wrinkles, soothing and evens skin tone.
• Geranium – reduces the appearance of wrinkles, and promotes healthy circulation.
• Cedarwood – helps clarify skin, soothes red and irritated skin, good for oily skin.
• Tea Tree – helps regulate oil production and reduces the appearance of acne.

The Best Carrier Oils for a Homemade Honey Face Wash

There’s a lot to be said about what carrier oil to use for what skin type. Sweet almond oil works great with my normal skin type. My husband has irritated, acne-prone, and dry skin, so I used rosehip seed and evening primrose oil in his honey face wash. Avocado and olive oil are great for more mature or drier skin.

Preserving the Honey Facial Cleanser

Because this DIY face wash uses water, be sure to use clean, sterilized utensils and containers. Filtered, preferably distilled water, is another must. I use filtered water from our Berkey filter that I also boiled. You don’t want any bacteria enjoying your honey face wash!

The honey helps act as a natural preservative too. That being said, this will keep best in the fridge, or should be used within a few weeks.

Using Hydrosols in Your DIY Face Wash

Another option is floral hydrosols. These are the byproducts of essential oil distillation and are infused with the health benefits of the plant. Hydrosols come preserved and usually last about a year, depending on the brand. Rose hydrosol is my favorite because it smells amazing while it soothes and calms skin. You can find hydrosols from Plant Therapy here.

How To Make Honey Face Wash

If you don’t want to bother with either distilled water or hydrosols, you can nix them and just use the honey and oils. This version of homemade face wash with honey is a little thicker and will need to be stored in a jar. To apply the honey and oils to your face, simply scoop up a little and massage into damp skin.

Lately, I’ve been using pure, raw manuka honey on my face as a mask. When I wash it off my skin feel’s full, nourished, and moisturized. I’ll follow it up with a little skin cream with essential oils.

DIY Honey Face Wash for Blemish Free Skin

Prep Time

7 minutes

Total Time

7 minutes

Ingredients

Honey face wash for irritated skin:

• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 2 tsp evening primrose oil OR rosehip seed oil
• 1 tsp jojoba oil
• 2 TBSP distilled water or hydrosol
• 10 drops each cedarwood, tea tree, lavender and geranium essential oils

Honey face wash for normal skin:

• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 2 TBSP water or hydrosol
• 1 TBSP sweet almond oil
• 15 drops lavender and geranium essential oil
• 10 drops each lemon and frankincenseessential oil
• 5 drops geranium essential oil

Honey face wash for mature or dry skin:

• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbsps water or hydrosol
• 1 tsp each avocado oil (or olive oil), rosehip seed oil and sweet almond oil
• 10 drops each lemon, frankincense and lavender and geranium essential oil
• 5 drops each geranium and ylang ylang essential oil

Instructions

1. If your raw honey is very thick, pour it into a very clean saucepan, add the water and gently heat, stirring constantly. You want to heat this just enough to soften the honey and combine it with the water.
2. Pour all of the ingredients into a clean soap dispenser and shake thoroughly to combine.
3. Shake the honey face wash well before each use since the honey tends to sink to the bottom.
4. To apply honey to your face, rub a nickel size amount onto the face using upward brushing circles. I like to leave mine on for 5-10 minutes as a honey face mask before rinsing off, though it isn't entirely necessary.

© 2024 Recipe from The Herbal Spoon

Are all of These Oils Necessary?

No, but you’ll likely see better results. You can customize the essential oils used to your preference and exact skin type. If you don’t have one called for in a recipe, then just add some more of what you do have. The nice thing about a homemade face wash is you can customize it!

Honey Face Wash For Mature or Dry Skin

• Avocado oil is very moisturizing and penetrates deep into the skin.
• Rosehip seed oil is great for wrinkles and blemishes but is too drying on its own.
• Sweet almond oil is less greasy than avocado and combines everything together nicely.
• If you want to keep it simple, just use 2 tsps olive or avocado oil and skip the other carrier oils.

Honey Face Wash Q&A

Can I leave Honey on My Face Overnight?

Probably, but it would be really sticky. I’m imagining hair stuck to my face and raw honey slathered on my pillowcase. A face wash with honey works just as well and doesn’t make sleeping uncomfortable.

Is Honey Good for Your Face Every Day?

Although I don’t use this face wash every day, I would imagine that it would be fine. It’s soothing and moisturizing so it’s not going to dry out or irritate skin with lots of use. You may find that your skin is so dewy and moisturized though, that you don’t need to use it every day.

Does Honey Make Skin Glow?

Define glow. If we’re talking about a dewy, vibrant look where the skin is plump and moisturized, then yes. This honey face wash is nourishing skin from the outside in because of all of its nutrients.

Can Honey Remove Dark Spots?

While a lot of people report using honey for dark spots, that’s not exactly how it works. Honey won’t lighten skin like a bleaching cream will, but it can improve it. Scars, acne marks, and damaged skin will all improve with a honey face wash. So if the darker discoloration is from skin blemishes, then honey can address those blemishes.

Is it Good to Wash Your Face With Honey?

Is honey good for your skin? Oh let me count the ways. It’s so much better than conventional face wash with toxic chemicals, but I’d argue it can even trump many natural face washes. It can be hard to find a soap based face wash that’s perfect for your skin type, which is why I love honey. It’s good for acne-prone skin, dry skin, oily skin, and mature skin.

Is Honey Safe to Use For Face Wash?

In general yes. However, if you’re allergic to bees or pollen you might want to do a small patch test on your skin or skip it altogether. If someone eats honey all of the time with no problem it probably won’t hurt their skin though.

Prefer to Buy Honey Face Wash?

If you don’t want to mess with making your own DIY honey face wash, then there are a few options. Use plain, raw manuka honey. Apply it to a wet face, massage it in, and then wash it off. Easy peasy.

If you want to purchase a ready-made product, here are some natural honey face washes that nourish the skin without harsh chemicals:

• Vitamin C and Manuka Honey Gel Cleanser – Now Solutions
• Clean Bee Gentle Facial Cleanser – Farmacy
• Honey Cleanse Face Calming Wash – Beloved Beauty

Have you ever used honey on your face? Are you up for trying it? Leave a comment and let me know!

Sources:

• Burlando, B., & Cornara, L. (2013). Honey in dermatology and skin care: a review. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 12(4), 306–313.
• McLoone P, Oluwadun A, Warnock M, Fyfe L. Honey: A Therapeutic Agent for Disorders of the Skin. Cent Asian J Glob Health. 2016 Aug 4;5(1):241. doi: 10.5195/cajgh.2016.241. PMID: 29138732; PMCID: PMC5661189.
• Parker, S. (2015). Power of the Seed: Your Guide to Oils for Health & Beauty.