Cosmetology is one of the most actively developing industries. New technologies, treatment methods, drugs and injections appear here almost every day. However, despite the abundance of modern means, honey is still used in it. Acting as an inexhaustible natural source of beneficial vitamins and microelements, it has a beneficial effect on skin cells, saturates and nourishes them.
What is noteworthy is that the beekeeping product is effective not only for external, but also for internal use. For example, a course of honey can significantly improve the condition of the epidermis, making them shiny and smooth.
Basic facial skin care: advice from a cosmetologist
During the day, a lot of impurities accumulate on the surface of the skin, which may not be visible to the naked eye. Foundation, powder, and dust particles settle on the surface of the skin and clog pores. The skin glands secrete oil, which normally moisturizes the skin and regulates pH.
If the lipid balance of the skin is disturbed and skin care is not carried out competently every day, this can cause a number of problems:
- clogged pores
- inflammation and acne
- violation of breathing and skin nutrition
- decreased elasticity
- the appearance of wrinkles, etc.
Proper daily skin care consists of several stages. The cosmetologist selects the products taking into account age, skin type, the presence and intensity of defects.
Refreshing face mask with protein and honey
A mask made of honey, protein and herbs is suitable for all skin types. As a result of its influence, the skin will cleanse, minor inflammations and redness will disappear, small wrinkles will smooth out, and turgor will improve. The mask consists of:
- 1 egg white;
- 1 teaspoon of natural honey;
- 1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves;
- 1 teaspoon of crushed dried chamomile flowers;
- 3 drops lavender essential oil.
Warm the honey in a water bath to body temperature. Beat the egg white until thick foam forms. Finely chop the mint leaves. Mix honey, mint, crushed chamomile and lavender essential oil into a smooth mixture. Apply a thick layer of the mask to a cleansed face using a wide brush or cosmetic spatula. Take a horizontal position and leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and then wipe your skin with an ice cube. Ideally, the ice will be made from frozen chamomile infusion.
Why cleanse and tone your skin?
The main stages of skin care are cleansing and toning. They should be performed 2 times a day. Daily facial skin care at home depends on the condition of the skin.
Cleansing is an important stage of skincare procedures. Using makeup and cosmetics without first cleansing will be ineffective - the skin and pores are contaminated, which provokes the appearance of pimples and minor blemishes. Even if you don’t use decorative cosmetics, you still need to cleanse your skin.
Daily facial skin care at home cannot be complete without cleansing. During the night, the skin intensively produces sebum. Morning procedures will help remove excess sebum and prepare the skin for the use of day cream.
Proper daily facial skin care must include evening cleansing of dirt and makeup residues. After cleansing, the skin is able to absorb the nutrients contained in the creams. The main rule is to use special products to cleanse the thin skin around the eyes.
If everything is clear with cleansing, then why does the skin need toning? The normal pH of human skin is 3.5-5.5. The skin is covered by a lipid layer called the acid mantle. Washing disrupts the acidity of the skin, as products often contain alkalis. After some time, the skin itself is able to restore its pH, but a tonic will help speed up this process.
Facial skin care every day includes toning. Tonics perform several tasks:
- help neutralize the effects of cleansers
- stabilize skin pH after cleansing
- prepare the skin for applying the cream
- improve the penetration of nutrients into the deep layers of the dermis
Daily skin care for the face and neck means using toners in the morning and evening. The toner restores pH and eliminates the feeling of tightness. The toning effect will not be long in coming - the skin becomes moisturized and velvety, skin pores narrow, and inflammatory processes decrease.
Contraindications
Honey is one of the most popular and healthy products. But at the same time, honey and bee products are among the most common allergens for people with allergies.
It is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance, people with diseases of the pancreas, gastritis and stomach ulcers during an exacerbation, and hypervitaminosis.
Doctor says
Anastasia Mertsalova
The combined opinion of doctors on this issue
Hypervitaminosis is an acute disorder resulting from intoxication with an ultra-high dose of one or more vitamins contained in food or vitamin-containing preparations.
Honey can increase blood sugar levels, so it should be used with caution by people with diabetes.
How to cleanse and tone the skin?
What do you need for daily facial skin care? Choose your products wisely and know the step-by-step care regimen!
Cleansing is a prerequisite for normal skin functioning. This is the main procedure before applying all nourishing creams. Scientists have proven that cleansed skin absorbs the nutritional components of cosmetics 30% better than contaminated skin.
Don't neglect cleansing in the morning. Even if the skin is visually clean, this does not mean that the skin is not contaminated. All night the cells worked actively, bringing toxins and sebum to the surface. You should get rid of them to awaken your skin.
The main rules for daily cleansing and toning:
- Cleansing is carried out in the morning and evening. The main stage of intensive cleansing should be in the evening, when the skin accumulates impurities during the day.
- To cleanse the skin, makeup is removed with special products - first from the eyes, then from the entire face. Decorative cosmetics are removed with makeup products - mousses, foams, gels. They are selected according to skin type. Mousses and foams are suitable for dry and normal skin, and gels for oily skin.
- All cleansers, without exception, must be washed off with water. Even light milk should not be left on the skin. The components included in cleansers gradually destroy the lipid membrane of the skin, reducing its protective abilities.
- After cleansing, the skin is toned with tonic, lotion or toner depending on the skin type. These products remove residual chlorinated water, soothe the skin, and stabilize the pH. Every day facial skin care should not include alcohol-based toners. They have an aggressive effect on the skin, and subsequently stimulate hypersecretion of the glands.
What are the benefits of honey for facial skin?
Natural honey contains more than 200 different substances, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, but primarily sugar and water. The main components of honey sugar are from 35 to 40% fructose, up to 30% glucose and at least 5% fructo-oligosaccharides. Scientists explain the amazing antibacterial activity of honey, proven in a number of clinical studies, by the high concentration of glucose. Fructooligosaccharides are probiotic agents that help the body improve skin barrier function.
Honey contains potassium and calcium, magnesium and selenium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, vitamin C and B vitamins. Each of these elements contributes to the benefits of honey procedures. Thus, ascorbic acid promotes the production of collagen, fights free radicals, saves from inflammation, and supports the immune system of the skin. Thanks to it, the skin becomes elastic, moisturized, the complexion improves, and fine wrinkles disappear. Zinc prevents excessive sebum secretion, has an astringent effect, softens and whitens, affects the rate of healing of wounds and ulcers, and relieves irritation. Pantothenic acid and pyrodoxine (vitamins B3 and B6) are recognized by scientists as an effective remedy against dermatitis, remove excess fluid, relieve swelling and puffiness. Riboflavin and cinocobalamin (vitamins B2 and B12) stimulate cell division, help skin renew itself, restore youth and elasticity.
How to care for your skin depending on its type?
Oily and combination skin suffers from intense production of sebum. The skin has a characteristic oily sheen, which is especially noticeable in the area of the nose, forehead and chin.
Daily care for problem skin is based on the use of products with a mousse texture that are washed off with water. Such products do not disturb the balance of the skin. To care for problem skin, it is better not to use abrasive products - they aggressively cleanse the skin and injure the epidermis.
Every day care for problematic facial skin is based on the main rule - proper cleansing. You need to take care of your skin with gels and small scrubs. They eliminate impurities and dead particles of the epidermis, cleanse pores, and eliminate clogging of the sebaceous glands. Daily care for problem skin necessarily includes refreshing your face with tonic. Products should contain a lot of moisture, but not be too greasy.
Combination skin is characterized by a combination of two skin types. The so-called T-zone is distinguished by an oily sheen, often with inflammatory foci. There are dry areas in the cheek area. Combination skin becomes treacherously shiny in the summer heat, but dries out quickly in winter. What should be your daily facial skin care routine at home?
There is no need to use different products for different areas of the face! Today, cosmetics have been developed for mixed skin types. Daily facial skin care involves the use of soft toners and low-fat creams. Mattifying wipes can get rid of excess fat in the T-zone, and toner can normalize the pH of the skin.
Dry skin suffers from a lack of sebum and moisture. The skin looks thin, stretched and rough. Dry skin is prone to premature wrinkles. Products with an oily, rich texture will help restore comfort and beauty to your skin.
A cosmetologist's advice on caring for dry skin is based on hydration and nutrition. Daily care for dry skin at home involves the use of delicate products that have a mild moisturizing effect.
Daily care for dry skin should include soft milk, gentle tonics, and nourishing creams with herbal extracts. Such products will restore healthy radiance and beauty to the skin. Products containing irritating alcohol and abrasive particles should be excluded from daily care for dry skin.
Daily care for aging skin has its own characteristics. Often women aged 35+ experience loss of elasticity, the appearance of thin skin folds, dryness and sagging.
Daily facial skin care at 35 years old is based on replenishing the lack of collagen and elastin, stimulating cells to self-heal. Naturally, it will not be possible to stop the aging process. But they can be significantly slowed down. Daily skin care after 45 should consist of products containing hyaluronic acid and collagen. Anti-aging cosmetics will make the skin more elastic, tightened and nourished.
Application for hair
A honey hair mask is an excellent remedy for hair loss. It also helps hair stay healthy, thick and shiny. Using this product is very simple - you need to rub it into the hair roots, distribute it over the head and along the ends of the strands. Pre-wash your hair, it should be slightly damp. If you have an allergy, you should not use it.
To increase the effect of using a cosmetic product, it is recommended to hide your hair in plastic or wrap your head with cling film and a towel on top. This product can be kept for no more than 60 minutes. Then wash your hair with your favorite shampoo. This mask is especially useful for weakened hair, after dyeing, after illnesses.
What do you need for skin care every day?
The procedure for caring for facial skin changes every day as the body grows older:
- 20+. During this period, the withering processes begin and the first signs of skin maturity appear. Daily skin care after 25 years is based on the use of moisturizers and antioxidants. The skin is still elastic and actively regenerates. Therefore, daily skin care after 25 is limited to the use of products to cleanse and nourish the skin.
- 30+. At this age, the production of hyaluronic acid and collagen fibers significantly decreases, and the skin loses its elasticity. Fine wrinkles, traces of dehydration and sagging appear on the skin. A cosmetologist's advice on skin care after 35 is based on the use of antioxidant products and creams for ultraviolet protection, and anti-aging formulas with hyaluronic acid.
- 40+. Daily skin care after 45 is a comprehensive fight against age-related changes. By the age of 45, signs of aging, pigmentation, changes in facial contours, and decreased tone are noticeable on the skin. Tips from cosmetologists for skin care over 45 years old: replenish your cosmetic bag with products containing retinol, peptides, and hyaluronic acid.
- 50+. Daily home care for facial skin after 50 years should be carefully planned. During this period, hormonal imbalance is noted - collagen synthesis stops, skin tone decreases. At the age of 50+ you cannot do without compensatory care. A cosmetologist's advice for skin care after 55 years is to use anti-aging formulas with a powerful effect, aimed at replenishing the lack of moisture and collagen fibers.
What does daily facial skin care consist of?
Daily care for different skin types includes several mandatory procedures:
- Cleansing. Cleansing products are selected individually based on its type. It is better to give preference to products with a neutral pH without surfactants (alkalies).
- Exfoliation. Tonics, due to their mild chemical action, dissolve dead cells on the surface of the skin, renew the skin, and restore radiance and freshness to the skin.
- Hydration. The remedies work in two ways. And, as a rule, modern creams combine both options. The first method is water retention. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid in creams retain water molecules. The second method is to “lock” the water. Oils and silicones create a protective film on the surface of the skin that prevents water from evaporating. Step-by-step daily facial skin care, regardless of its type, necessarily includes the use of creams. The texture of the moisturizer depends on your skin type. The drier the skin, the denser the cream should be. It is also worth considering the advice of a cosmetologist on caring for the skin around the eyes. The skin in this area is thin and requires delicate care.
- Protection. Taking care of your skin every day involves using products with ultraviolet protection. They are applied before going outside to exposed areas of the body.
Honey mask for dry skin
A mask made of honey, avocado and coconut oil is suitable for those with dehydrated, flaky skin. The nourishing ingredients included in this mixture can provide the skin with additional moisture and lock it into the cells. Take:
- 1 teaspoon honey;
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil;
- 1/2 ripe avocado.
Mash the quartered avocado with a fork into a smooth puree, add the remaining ingredients and stir. If the coke oil is too hard, melt it in a water bath. Wash your face with warm water to clean and open the pores, remove excess moisture with a terry towel. Apply the resulting mass with light patting movements, avoiding the area around the eyes. Keep the mask on for about 15 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. Pat your skin dry with a terry towel and apply moisturizer.
How often should you use a scrub and why?
The main thing in facial skin care is cleansing. Without this procedure, it is useless to use other cosmetics. The scrub is able to thoroughly cleanse the skin, making it soft and tender.
But your daily facial skin care routine shouldn't include a scrub. The intensity of use of this product depends on the type and condition of the skin, its sensitivity, age and time of year. Often, a deep cleansing scrub is used no more than once a week.
The rules for daily facial skin care do not include the constant use of scrubs. This is undesirable from the point of view of skin functioning. The skin is programmed with a natural exfoliation process. Therefore, normally it is enough to support these processes.
In order not to harm the skin, you need to use scrubs with small spherical or hemispherical particles. The products are applied in a circular motion, which helps to gently remove dead skin cells from the epidermis. Rough scrub particles can injure and scratch the skin. Some scrubs contain particles that dissolve during application. This cleansing is more effective due to the enzymes contained in the scrub.
Every day care for oily skin and the use of scrubs should be agreed upon with a cosmetologist. For example, if there are purulent rashes on the skin, the scrub will only increase inflammation and lead to the spread of infection.
How to determine the quality of honey
Honey must be ripe. After the bees collect the nectar, they continue to work on it for about a week. During this time, the honey is filled with enzymes and excess moisture is evaporated.
You cannot pump out honey until it is ripe and the bees seal it in the honeycomb with wax. Excess moisture contained in unripe honey will cause it to be poorly stored and lose its healing properties. Normal honey moisture content should be less than 21%. At normal humidity, a liter of honey weighs approximately 1.4 kg.
Ripe honey is thicker, flows smoothly from a spoon and does not immediately level out on the surface. You can check the maturity of honey in this way: if you scoop up honey with a tablespoon at a temperature above 20 degrees and begin to rotate it horizontally, the honey will be held on its surface, as if wrapped around the spoon, smoothly flowing to one side or the other. And unripe honey will flow down it without stopping.
Honey should be sweet and completely dissolve in the mouth. Honey mixed with sugar is not aromatic and does not have a distinct taste. If the honey is obtained not from the nectar of flowers, but from the sugar syrup that the bees were fed with, it will be white. But natural honey can also have a natural white color - raspberry, fireweed, some types of sweet clover honey.
In order to determine the presence of sugar and water in honey, you need to take a piece of paper, dip it in honey and set it on fire. Honey will melt, water will sizzle, sugar will crystallize. If you dip a piece of bread in natural, high-quality honey, it will not get wet, but may become harder, since the honey will draw moisture out of it. If honey is dropped onto a piece of paper and the drop begins to spread and the leaf becomes wet, this means that the honey contains excess moisture.
If you put honey in a cup of warm water, it should not float, because it is heavier than water. Natural honey will quickly dissolve without leaving any sediment. Natural honey, rubbed between your fingers, is easily absorbed into the skin. Fake honey will not be absorbed and lumps will remain on your fingers.
How to avoid age spots?
When it comes to preventing age spots, the order of daily skin care and the protection of the epidermis from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation are important.
Products for daily facial skin care must include creams with SPF factor. The products must be used all year round on exposed areas of the body. In the summer heat, it is recommended to use SPF products above 30, in other months - creams with an SPF of at least 25.
During the period of active sun, products with retinol and vitamin A should be excluded from your beauty cosmetics bag. They provoke redness and irritation of the skin.
Honey face mask for acne
A honey mask with cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice not only fights breakouts, but also helps lighten the skin, fade scars, relieve redness and swelling. To prepare you will need:
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon;
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg;
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 1 teaspoon honey.
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. If the honey is too thick, warm it slightly in a water bath. Apply the finished mask with your fingertips to cleansed facial skin using patting movements and leave for 10-15 minutes. Honey masks are very sticky, so you need to wash them off with warm water. To tighten the pores, wipe your face with an ice cube at the end of the procedure.
Why is it necessary to use serums?
Daily skin care includes the use of serums. But today they remain a mysterious remedy for many. The range of possibilities of serums is huge:
- moisturizing and nourishing the skin
- fight acne and age spots
- eliminating signs of wilting, etc.
The serum contains a concentrate of active substances that can solve many skin problems. The main feature of the serum is that the depth of penetration of its components is much greater than that of any cream.
Daily skin care products differ in their action:
- Moisturizing. Eliminate inflammation on the skin. Such serums are necessary for sensitive and dehydrated skin. They will be especially useful in hot weather, when the skin suffers from a lack of moisture. Typically, moisturizing serums contain hyaluronic acid and glycerin. They should be used 2 times a day.
- Calming. Suitable for sensitive skin. The serums contain herbal extracts, niacinamide and other active substances.
- Exfoliating. Eliminate dead epidermal cells. Serums are made on the basis of lactic, salicylic and other acids. They are used only in the evening.
- Anti-aging. Tightens the skin, eliminates sagging and wrinkles. Serums contain retinol, vitamin C, antioxidants.
Intensive mask with honey for acne
The intensive anti-acne honey mask contains honey, oatmeal and ground orange zest. Oats gently exfoliate dead cells, nourish the skin, and promote its elasticity. Orange zest contains vitamin C, its small particles serve as a soft scrub, and ground citrus peels give the mask a pleasant aroma. You will need:
- 1 teaspoon honey;
- 1 teaspoon ground oatmeal;
- 1 teaspoon chopped orange zest.
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and apply to cleansed facial skin. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes. When the time is up, rinse off the composition with warm water and rinse your face with cool water.
When should you start using anti-aging products?
Daily skin care at home largely depends on age. But the question arises: when should you start using anti-aging cosmetics? You need to take care of youth and beauty of your skin from an early age. The first “bell” to use anti-age cosmetics is the appearance of creases and loss of elasticity.
Often, the aging process starts at the age of 25. This does not mean that the skin will suddenly lose its fresh appearance and become covered with wrinkles. Aging is a gradual long-term process and depends on the individual characteristics of the body. But it is easier to delay the aging process than to fight profound age-related changes.
The rules of daily skin care are individual for everyone. There is no universal figure for starting to use anti-aging care. Daily facial skin care after 25 should be based on the recommendations of a cosmetologist. The main advice from a cosmetologist on skin care after 35 years is the use of products aimed at moisturizing, protecting from ultraviolet radiation and maintaining tone.
If you use anti-aging creams prematurely out of fear of “aging prematurely,” then these treatments will be useless. Anti-aging cosmetics work where their work is needed. If the skin is young, anti-age cream will nourish and moisturize the skin, but will not perform its direct functions. Anti-aging cosmetics should be used according to indications and always in a timely manner.
Daily skin care after 35 should not be chosen independently. A cosmetologist will prescribe products that are optimal for your age and skin condition.
How to choose a quality product
Buying real high-quality honey today, paradoxically, when it is available in almost every store, is not so easy. Experienced fans of honey therapy strongly recommend buying honey only from trusted suppliers and be sure to require documents of conformity for the product. This is especially true for honey for cosmetic purposes, because sugar syrup will not be of any use in this matter.
But what should residents of megacities who do not have the opportunity to buy honey directly from an apiary do?
Well, firstly, don’t despair - there is real honey on store shelves, you just need to take a more serious approach to choosing it in order to distinguish honey from sugar syrup with the addition of honey, or an outright chemical counterfeit, where there is no honey at all.
Secondly, when choosing honey you should pay attention to the following characteristics:
- Color. A natural product may not be completely transparent, and its color can vary from light yellow to amber. In the case of cosmetology, recommendations for choosing a specific honey are not important.
- Consistency. It should be uniform. Honey should flow from a wooden stick in a continuous stream and be laid out like a snake-like ribbon, remaining on the surface for some time. If the honey is already candied (and this is what is usually used in cosmetology), its crystals should be approximately the same in size and shape.
- No foam or air bubbles in the jar.
A great way to test the quality of honey is to use iodine. A drop of iodine in a natural product does not change color. Remember, only natural honey will bring maximum benefits.
