15 Honey Hacks You Can Use at Home
Do you get a kick out of finding unique ways to use items you already have at home? Or maybe you revel in finding more natural substitutes for some common store-bought products? If you answered yes to either of these questions, have you explored the many uses of honey?
Honey is so much more than a sweet substance you can add to your tea. In fact, honey has been used for thousands of years both as a food and as a medicine. Records indicate that the ancient Egyptians and Greeks started beekeeping and using the sweet, amber liquid the bees produced dating back to 2400 B.C.
Honey is an effective ingredient that you can use in your beauty regimen, in your first aid kit and in your kitchen. In this article, we are going to share some of our favorite honey hacks that you can use every day to tackle some of your most common household to-dos. We hope you find these tips useful!
What is honey and how is it made?
Honey is a sweet liquid that is produced by bees. Honeybees collect nectar from flowers and store it in their “second stomach” called the crop. Here, the nectar is mixed with certain enzymes that make it suitable for its purpose – providing nourishment for honeybees for the long-term.
After the bees fill up with nectar, they head back to the hive to drop off their supply. The nectar mixture is passed from bee to bee, making its way to the honeycomb where it will enter the next phase in the process. Honeybees flap their wings vigorously to evaporate the extra water in the nectar mixture, creating the thick and gooey substance we all know and love. The newly-formed honey is sealed in the honeycomb with beeswax so it stays fresh for the long winter months.
What are the top benefits of honey?
Sugars make up about 70-80% of the composition of honey. The rest of the substance is water, protein and other minerals. Honey has antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, making it an effective product for use in treating cuts and preventing infections. In addition to these medicinal properties, honey is packed full of antioxidants and is known to help relieve seasonal allergies due to its exposure to pollen.
These benefits are why we can use honey in so many more ways that just as a sweet supplement for our tea or topping for our toast. Check out these honey hacks that you can use around the house today:
5 Honey Hacks for Cooking and Baking
- Use as a natural sweetener in hot beverages, yogurts and oatmeal.
- Make a sweet glaze for meats, nuts and fruit.
- Balance acidic dressings or marinades.
- Pair with cheeses to balance strong flavors.
- Use as a substitute for sugar in baking. (Just be sure to do some research – it’s not an even trade of sugar for honey! Honey will increase the liquid content in your recipe.)
5 Honey Hacks for Beauty
- Make a deeply conditioning and balancing hair mask using honey, coconut oil and an egg.
- Use raw honey as a natural face wash that can help manage acne.
- Apply to dry or chapped skin anywhere on the body.
- Add honey and olive oil to warm water for a nourishing and moisturizing bath.
- Make a nourishing face mask using honey and yogurt.
5 Honey Hacks for Healing
- Soothe a cough and sore throat with a natural, honey-based cough syrup.
- Make a tea of honey and ginger to relieve nausea and help a hangover.
- Dab honey on an insect bite or minor cut to fight bacteria and reduce inflammation.
- A scoop of salted honey can help you fall back to sleep during a restless night.
- Several teaspoons a day can help people who suffer from seasonal allergies.
There is no doubt that honey is one of the most amazing and versatile substances. Honey should be a staple in your kitchen cabinet and your medicine cabinet because of its many uses in the home. And what makes it even cooler is that it’s made by the unassuming honeybee!
How do you use honey? Have you tried any of these honey hacks? Maybe you have a few to share with our readers!
Comment below with your best tips for using honey around the house.