The way I did.

As a teenager I had moderate-to-severe acne, I mean red inflamed, pus-filled pimples on my forehead and cheeks, constantly ruining my self-esteem.

Once I talked to a classmate of mine, who has perfect skin, she was the only girl I knew with so soft and blemish-free skin. I asked her about ‘the secret of having such a beautiful skin’ and she started laughing simply because I wasn’t the first person to ask her about that.

She told me that the only thing she does to maintain her skin is applying honey masks on a regular basis. She told me “You just need a very small amount of natural honey, apply it to your face and leave it for a couple of hours. Simple as that.”

Of course, I didn’t believe a single word she said. By then, I had tried sooo many 100% effective lotions, serums etc. with no effect at all, that I thought it would be my next try-and-fail. Anyway, I did have natural honey in my kitchen, so I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to try.

I also decided to be smarter than my friend, so when I applied the honey mask, I used as much as possible. But, it started to melt. How unexpected?!

Long story short, there was honey all over my clothes, my desk, there were even drops on the floor. The entire procedure took no more than 10 minutes, then I really needed to take a shower. And there was no effect. And I was really disappointed.

After a couple of days, I decided to try again, I don’t even know why. This time, I decided to follow my friend's advice and used a very small amount. I applied the honey to my entire face, it was a very thin layer and there was no mess at all. After 3 or 4 hours I washed my face and.. there was a visible difference. My facial skin looked less inflamed, there were less redness and discomfort (yes, some of the pimples I had were literally painful). I liked that.

But I had a better idea - it was about the time I spend with the honey mask. After a few days, I decided to apply the honey during the night. And so I did. Unfortunately, in the morning, my pillow cases were sticky, so I immediately had to wash them but it was the only problem I actually had.

When I looked at the mirror, the effect impressed me. Not only my skin looked calm, but the pimples got smaller, my face looked so nice and soft.

Back then, I applied the honey mask 2–3 times a week. After the third month of regular application, I no longer had my acne problem. No, honestly, I had 1–2 pimples just before I get my period but this was all. And I couldn’t be happier!

During the next few months, I kept applying the honey mask. And something else I didn’t expect started happening.

I had visible acne scars, covering my cheeks (yes, I had a skin-picking ‘condition’, I just couldn't stop doing it to myself). And, of course, these scars were a major problem for me but I knew I couldn’t do anything about that, I couldn't turn back the time.

After a couple months of consecutive honey application, these scars I’m talking about had started fading. They became less visible, the ‘holes’ I had created on cheeks looked flattered but at first, I thought it is only my imagination.

But it was happening. For real. By the end of the first year, I no longer had scars on my face! I know there are faster and more effective methods now but more than 10 years ago, I couldn’t afford such cosmetics.

This year, I’m turning 28, which means this success story happened about 11 years ago. But I still apply honey to my face whenever I need some ‘freshness’. I don’t do it that often, maybe 1–2 times a month but it still does miracles to my skin.

Thanks for reading, hope you’ll try the honey effect!

Best of luck!

Author's Bio: 

I'm Monika Hristova, Editor at SkinPractice. I'm a skincare addict and researcher, who feels strongly about helping people with different dermatology conditions from alopecia to warts.