Could you ssspare a sssmall sssmackerel? Winnie the Pooh was always after another drop of honey and that’s because it really is a golden food. We know that honey makes a naturally delicious sweetener, but as it sits in our cupboard, does that adorable bear smugly smiling have a secret?

Honey has many secrets for health, well-being and beauty. Honey has soothing properties which can sooth sore throats,  scrapes and burns and just sooth away a bad day in tea. The antioxidants in honey even give weak immune systems a boost, but let’s focus on the beauty boosts of honey!

Honeybees just might be nature’s best cosmetologists. Honey is a valuable natural beauty ingredient and you may have seen honey as an ingredient in lip balms, soaps, face scrubs and body oils. And the bees do all the work! Bees also take one for the team and  die if they come into contact with toxins, so pollutants don’t make it into their hives. That’s some serious safety control.

After trying to handle that cute, and always stickily frustrating bear, it can be hard to get the stick off of your hand but you should just wipe it on your face. Honey has been used for centuries to unlock beautiful skin. A natural humectant, honey draws in and retains moisture. It is also packed with powerful antioxidants, which protects the skin from damage and will help keep aging skin youthful. In general, the darker the honey the higher level of antioxidants. Honey is also a good choice for those with acne-prone skin because it helps heal your complexion and helps kill the growth of certain bacteria on the skin’s surface. Your skin craves everything honey has to offer so don’t say, “Oh, bother” to lifeless skin,  stick on some honey to keep your skin radiant and smooth.

Beauty by honey sure sounds sweet, but I put it to the test…

Moisturizing Honey Mask. I mixed 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of cream and smoothed on face. That’s it! My face felt like it was eating the mixture up (it must have been hungry). The smell actually made me hungry and I ate the remaining mask with a graham cracker. Not really, but the thought did cross my mind.

(Honey bear supervision and honey mug shot.)

Despite feeling like a sopaipilla, after 10 minutes I easily washed off the mask and my skin definitely felt softer and a little happier. My phone, however, is still  a sticky mess. I haven’t heard, “Honey, you’re glowing” yet so I’m going to be as persistent as Pooh Bear with my honey routine and hopefully I’ll get there.

Here are some more honey do it yourself recipes to get glowing!

Honey Shiny Hair. Mix 1 teaspoon honey, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and 1 quart of warm water. After shampooing, pour through hair. Let your hair dry as you normally would, no need to rinse out.

Honey-Apple Toner. This sweet alpha-hydroxy miracle will help to firm, smooth, and moisturize your skin. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 peeled, cored apple with a tablespoon of honey and pulse until smooth. Apply pulp gently to face and allow to remain for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Honey Hair Conditioning Treatment. Combine 1/2 cup honey and 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil (depending on the dryness of your hair and scalp). Saturate hair and scalp with this conditioner, then put on a shower cap and allow the conditioner to remain for 30 minutes before you shampoo and rinse as usual.

Don’t miss these $50 spa treatments that you can book now. They’re the bees knees!

• 60 Min Milk and Honey Pedicure with Sugar Scrub and Milk and Honey Soak at Beau Monde Salon & Spa in Englewood, NJ
• 50 Min Milk and Honey Moisturizing Body Melt at Spa Mariana in Birmingham, MI
• 50 Min Honey Almond Body Polish it The Look Salon and Day Spa in Chesapeake, VA
• 50 Min Farmer’s Market Body Polish with Honey Lavender Scrub and Shea Butter Massage at The Woodhouse Day Spa in Orlando, FL
• 60 Min Spring Cleansing Facial including Manual Microdermabrasion, Extractions and Organic Lemon, Egg and Honey Mask with Hot Towel Steam at Vitality Wellness Spa in Wilmington, MA
• 90 Min Milk and Honey Body Scrub at Genesis Health Spa in Albuquerque, NM