A few months ago I was chasing DIY facial cleansers down the Pinterest rabbit hole when I came across manuka honey. I’d never heard of it before, but from what I read, it’s supposed to be flipping amazing.

I first saw it mentioned on the Wellness Mama website. I’d already decided to go ahead and try a foaming face wash, so I looked up a some recipes that included honey to try out.

I used this article to help me figure out what kind of manuka honey to buy, because it turns out that not all manuka honey is created equal. (PS- I also just learned this about olive oil of all things… you can’t trust anything these days!) Organics.org explains the UMF, or Unique Manuka Factor, which is used to label only the really legit stuff. You want a UMF trademark label clearly displayed a UMF of 10 or higher to get the most bang.

This is the one I went with, found on Amazon. Yes, that is a hefty price to pay for about 8 ounces. My husband may have looked at me with a “what have you done?” type expression when I told him how much I paid for it. But. I bought this jar back in December. I’ve used it to make facial soap, I use it occasionally for a straight up honey mask (currently on my face tonight, and why I remembered to FINALLY write about it), and sometimes I just eat a spoonful, and I’ve barely made a dent in the jar.

By the way, to keep the jar clean for eating purposes, I spoon out a few scoops of honey into a smaller jar that I keep in my bathroom drawer, so I can safely dip my fingers into it for the mask.

So the big question: Does manuka honey live up to the hype?

Um, heck yes.

For about three months now, I have exclusively washed my face in one of two ways: either my homemade honey cleanser or with a coconut oil/essential oil mix. I started both methods around the same time, so I don’t know if it’s a combo of the two that helps keep my skin amazing feeling or one more than the other, but my skin has not been this clear since I was twelve years old. Not even kidding. I have ALWAYS dealt with terrible skin problems. I have tried tons of different products throughout the years, and I was at the point where I was just trying to keep my face clean, forget keeping it clear. And I’ve now gone more than two months with no new blemishes. It’s pretty freaking amazing.

Also amazing? The fact that I’m spending WAY less money making my own cleansers now. I doubt I’ll buy another commercial face cleanser again. I’ve actually had to pawn off the ones I was using when I discovered oil and honey cleansing; much as I wanted to finish the containers since I paid good money for them, part of me is really paranoid to ruin the balance my skin has finally found.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. What are affiliate links? Basically I link to something I’ve tried and loved, and if someone happens to click through the link and purchase it, I can earn a small commission. This does not affect the price for the purchaser.