So today’s post is a continuation of my Natural Sources of Salicylic Acid for Acne—From Fruit! article. If you haven’t read it yet, please check it before delving into this post as it can be used in conjunction with the content you will find here. 

Manuka honey is one of my must-have all time favorite remedies for flawless skin, healing wounds, and even for cold and flu! When I started using it years ago, I knew it would become a staple in my skincare routine. It boasts all the healing properties of honey, but with an extra medicinal kick that regular raw honey doesn't have.

The Manuka Honey Secret - Is Manuka Honey Better Than Benzoyl Peroxide?

Since I was 12 or 13, when I started getting acne, my thoughts about the right way to treat acne until about 5 years ago were this: Wash with a salicylic acid solution, then apply a nice layer of benzoyl peroxide cream over problem areas (which was basically my entire face at the time) and hope that one day my acne would just “clear itself”.

What ended up happening, however, were more frequent and severe breakouts because of dryness, irritation, and a really damaged skin barrier. After a while, not even the highest potency of prescribed creams could help control what was now considered cystic acne.

The reason? The creams themselves!

My healing journey to clear skin was, of course, a lot more than just the creams causing issues, but they certainly didn’t make things any better.

These topical creams more often than not, create more acne due to their drying properties. Besides that, most people actually build up a tolerance to benzoyl peroxide, making them use higher and higher strengths to achieve the same results. These “results” quicken the aging process due to dryness and irritation creating a never-ending cycle.

So, the solution? Manuka Honey!

As crazy as it may sound, manuka honey can be considered nature’s all-natural benzoyl peroxide. It highly anti-bacterial properties kill acne-causing bacteria quickly and efficiently, it doesn't dry up your skin, and it's non-irritating.

Are there any manuka honey side effects?

There are some, but only if you're allergic to honey.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction to manuka honey include:

• Rash
• Hives
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Difficulty swallowing

If you're not allergic to honey and other bee products, then you're good to go! 

The Benefits of Using Manuka Honey Topically

There are SO many manuka honey benefits for the skin!

Manuka honey is known to:

• Hydrate the skin
• Soothe irritated skin
• Moisturize the skin
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-microbial
• Anti-fungal
• Reduce redness and inflammation
• Heal acne and help prevent scarring
• Prevent acne bacteria from building up a tolerance to it
• Reduce acne scarring
• Cleanse the skin of impurities

So, as you can see, this stuff is amazing for the skin and can be used multiple times a day without the risk of dryness and irritation and it doesn't cause worsening breakouts. 

Manuka honey only improves your skin.

it's even good to use internally to help fight symptoms of SIBO, low stomach acid, acid reflux, tooth decay and gingivitis, IBS, sore throat, cold and flu, and can even improve sleep quality.

How to Choose a Good Manuka Honey

Not all Manuka Honeys are created equal. The important thing to remember when choosing a high-quality honey is to note its UMF *unique manuka factor). The higher it is, the more medicinally potent. Higher UMFs can get quite pricey, so be sure to get one that is at least a UMF 15+. Anything less won’t be as effective and may not be worth the money.

How to Use Manuka Honey as a Benzoyl Peroxide Replacement

It’s really simple to use Manuka Honey in place of your benzoyl peroxide cream. All you need is a high-quality manuka honey preferably UMF 15+ or higher and a spoon or other small utensil of your choice.

1. I usually take a clean, dry spoon and dip the very end of it into the manuka honey. This gives me the perfect amount to use as a spot treatment.

I find that the size of a pea covers a pretty large area which is great for when you use the honey as a mask.

Be sure not to double dip your utensil as you want to keep bacteria out of the honey. Even though Manuka Honey is highly antibacterial, it’s important not to contaminate it. It’s also really important not to get water into your honey since water is the only thing that makes honey go rancid.

2. On clean, dry skin, apply the manuka honey to single blemishes or trouble areas and leave on as long for as possible. I like to pull my hair up and putter around the house while wearing it for a few hours if I can.

3. You can also apply the manuka honey to wet skin if you need easier application over a larger area (I like to use rose water/hydrosol for this for its skin healing benefits).

Leave on for as long as possible. The anti-bacterial properties will quickly get to work and you should see a big improvement in the quality of your skin over the next few days. Manuka Honey is just as effective if not more so than benzoyl peroxide without any side effects!

Use Manuka Honey after rubbing fruit on your face to get both exfoliation and bacteria killing benefits.

Have you put Manuka Honey on your face today?

If you would like to learn more about the medicinal properties and uses of Manuka Honey, go here =)

You may also enjoy reading:

How to Make Rose Water
Homemade Serum for Acne Prone Skin
Is That Oil Good to Use for Acne?
How to Treat Hormonal Acne Naturally
Healing Acne- The Herbalist’s Way Part 1
10 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Acne
5 DIY Face Masks Using Essential Oils