6 Bee-Made Beauty Remedies You Can DIY at Home
It's bee-utiful!
The latest buzz in beauty? Bee-made substances! Used on hair and skin, these natural ingredients can help take the sting out of aging. Find the right one for you!
Note: If you have any known allergies to bees, avoid use or patch-test first.
Firm a ‘turkey neck’ with bee pollen.
Thanks to potent flavonoids, bee pollen inhibits the enzymes that break down skin-firming elastin and skin-hydrating hyaluronic acid, so the neck appears less lax. Plus, it improves blood circulation for tauter-looking skin even faster.
- TRY IT! Mix 2 Tbs. of bee pollen (like Sunfood Raw Wild-Crafted Bee Pollen, $15, iHerb.com) and 1 Tbs. of Greek yogurt (its fats hydrate skin). Rub onto the neck in circular motions for 1 minute. Let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse.
Soothe rashy skin with manuka honey.
The New Zealand-derived honey has four times more antibacterial properties than regular honey, says New York City dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., speeding healing and reinforcing skin’s barrier to reduce irritation.
- TRY IT! Rub a pea-size amount of manuka honey (like Manukora Manuka Honey MGO 50+, $15, Manukora.com) onto rashes; rinse after 15 minutes.
Soften rough spots with beeswax.
When rubbed onto dry skin, the hydrating formula of a beeswax balm creates a protective layer that locks in moisture, its anti-inflammatory properties reduce pain from cracks and its vitamin A encourages new cell growth for baby-soft skin, stat.
- TRY IT!: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Magic Balm, $9, shop.DrBronner.com
Smooth wrinkles with royal jelly.
The high amount of fatty acids found in royal jelly, the queen bee’s main source of food, prods the body’s collagen-producing cells to produce more of the skin-firming protein, says Dr. Zeichner. “And its moisturizing properties help ‘fill in’ lines for healthy, youthful-looking skin everywhere.”
- TRY IT! Dr. Organic Royal Jelly Night Cream, $15, Naturitas.us
Volumize hair with propolis.
Compounds in propolis (aka “ beehive glue”) have been shown to stimulate the cells responsible for creating new hairs, says Dr. Zeichner. What’s more, antioxidants in the substance reduce inflammation around hair follicles to strengthen strands at the root and cut down on shedding.
- TRY IT! Iden Bee Nourished Propolis Shampoo, $11, IdenCosmetics. com
Get glowing skin with a ‘honey’ highlighter.
Warm, golden shimmery particles in a honey-hued highlighter flatter all skin tones and reflect light onto the face, giving skin a youthful, lit-from-within glow. Even better? The luminous effect also blurs the appearance of fine lines and age spots, shedding optical years from your look. To get the benefits, dip a fluffy brush into a gilded honey highlighter (like Makeup Obsession Mega Honey Highlighter, $5, RevolutionBeauty.us) and dust onto the high points of the face like the top of cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, the forehead, chin and Cupid’s bow.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine.
