All Natural Skincare with Cinnamon & Honey

I have somewhat dry skin. It wasn't until I was around 20 that I recognized this as fact. For years, I did what everyone else did: head to the drugstore, grab something with alcohol and/or salcylic acid, apply to face, and hope for the best. The results were never astounding.

Then there was this one tan summer when I sort of stopped washing my face all together (I thought this would make my tan last longer?) My skin was glorious. I'd do a quick scrub with a damp towel after my shower to exfoliate a bit, then moisturize, but that's it. At some point though, you do need a proper clean & what I've learned about having dry skin is that traditional, commercially pushed products are a shitty idea.

And that's where this stuff comes in:

Note: I'm well aware that raw honey is more potent in its beneficial components than my Stop & Shop brand, but you know what -- it's all I've had around the house, and I promise you my skin feels amazing.

How to prepare your Cinnamon & Honey:

1. Squeeze out about a tablespoon of honey (into a little bowl, or your hand -- I'm partial to the hand so I don't waste any).

2. Add a few shakes of ground cinnamon  (probably 1 teaspoon or so)  to the honey and mix it up.

What to do:

Now you have a few options, you can use your honey & cinnamon for a quick face wash, or a 15 minute mask. The only difference in application is whether or not you start with a wet face.

Facewash

1. Wet your face with warm water.

2. Apply mixture to your face using gentle upward circular motions.

3. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

4. Splash face with cold water to tighten pores.

5. Moisturize. 

Mask

1. Apply cinnamon & honey mixture to a dry face using gentle upward circular motions.

2. Leave mask on your face for around 15 minutes. (It will not dry).

3. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

4. Splash face with cold water to tighten pores.

5. Moisturize.

*It is totally legit to omit the cinnamon for a super soothing honey-only facial cleanser, as Bohemian Kate explains in her post.

Why it works:

Cinnamon

has natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties & antioxidants. Along with the graininess to exfoliate when rubbed onto the skin. 

Honey

has antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-fungal properties, and has been used on skin for thousands of years. It softens the skin by attracting and retaining moisture & contains alpha hydroxy acids which exfoliate and hydrate.

I highly suggest you try this out! Not only do I find that it does wonders for my skin, but it smells good, tastes good, and gives you the benefit of knowing exactly what it is you're putting on your face. It's a win, win, win!