Honey And Your Hair

 What Is Honey

In today’s article, we will be looking at the wonderful effects of honey and your hair. It certainly does your hair good.

Honey is the sweet syrup that the honey bee produces.The honey bee takes the nectar found in beautiful flowers, breaks it down and then stores it in their honeycomb. The design of the honeycomb along with the flapping of the honeybee’s wings causes evaporation and then the creation of the sweet, sticky liquid we call honey.

The color of the nectar is dependent on the color of the nectar harvested from the flowers. For example:

• honey from orange blossoms nectar will be light in color
• honey from avocado or wildflowers nectar might have a dark amber color

How Is Honey Made

On an average, one beehive can produce about 65 pounds of honey each year. The honeybees are very smart workers. They seal the honeycombs once they produce the honey with a wax like substance in order to keep the honey in the individual sections of the honeycomb. Once the honeycombs are harvested, the wax substance is scraped away and then the honeycomb is placed in an extractor, and there is a centrifugal spinning to force the honey out of the comb.

Once the honey is extracted, it is then strained to remove any particles. The honey is then bottled, labeled and made ready for consumer purchase. At this point, it is considered pure natural honey.

Types Of Honey

There are a few different types of honey:

• liquid honey – the kind we are all familiar with
• comb honey – the actual honey made in the honeycomb
• cut-comb – this is a combination of pieces of the comb inside the jar of liquid honey
• crystalline honey – this is when the glucose in the honey has partially  crystallized
• whipped honey – this is when the honey is whipped to be used as a spreadable alternative like butter

Varietals Of Honey

Honey can be produced from various flower nectars. The more common ones are:

• Alfalfa
• Blueberry
• Buckwheat
• Clover
• Manuka
• Orange Blossom
• Wildflower

The darker honey tends to have a higher antioxidant level. Monofloral honey (honey from a single plant species) usually has the lowest glycemic index (GI). For example, locust honey from the Black Locust tree has a GI of 32. Clover honey, which is used commercially, has the highest glycemic index at 69.

Benefits of honey and your hair

Honey can be used for lots of things apart using it for your hair:

• dietary supplement instead of using sugar
• facial mask to tighten pores and soften skin
• substitute for sugar when baking and cooking
• best natural source of anti-bacterial protection for a cut
• natural cough suppressant
• natural energy booster
• antibacterial and anti-fungal

Recipes With Honey And Your Hair

And so we come to the part where we focus on the ways honey can be used for your hair. Here are a few honey recipes which will make you a believer.

Simple Honey Mask

3 table spoons Honey 9depending on hair volume)

4ozs Greek yogurt (plain)

Method:

Warm honey so that it will be a little more liquid and mix with a hand mixer along with the yogurt. Once thoroughly combined, saturate wet or dry hair and cover with plastic cap for about 15 minutes. Rinse (if used on wet hair) or cleanse (if used on dry hair), then style as usual. Your hair will feel softer and will appear shinier.

Honey Highlighter

3 table spoons Honey

Juice of one medium Lemon

Method:

Mix honey and lemon juice together well. Apply to sections of your hair where you would like to make lighter in color. Allow to sit for at least 30minutes. Rinse or cleanse as usual.

Honey Deep Conditioner

2-3 table spoons Honey

2-3 table spoons Coconut Oil

1 medium egg (well beaten)

Method:

Mix ingredients together. Apply liberally to coat hair (wet or dry) and then cover with a plastic cap for 15-30 minutes. Rinse or cleanse, then style as usual.

Honey Milk Conditioner

2-3 table spoons Honey

2-3 table spoons Olive oil

2 ozs Coconut Cream

Method:

Mix all ingredients together and apply liberally to hair (wet or dry). Cover with plastic cap and allow to rest for 15-30 minutes. Rinse or cleanse and style as usual.

My Final Thoughts On Honey And Your Hair

I think honey by itself is a wonderful natural product especially when you think about all the wonderful things that it does for the general health of one’s body. What it can do for your hair is yet another fabulous advantage, especially knowing that it is natural and chemical free. Have you ever tried honey for you hair care? I would love to hear your feedback. Until then, have a wonderful healthy hair journey.