7 Weird Ways You Can Use Honey

When most of us think about honey, we probably just think of that jar of hardened sweet stuff sitting somewhere in our fridge, or at best, something to put in our tea when we're sick. However, there are actually a ton of surprising uses for honey that will make you take a second look at this basic home staple.

According to Veronica Gorgeois, licensed aesthetician and YouTuber, honey is kind of a miracle product. It has both antibacterial and moisturizing qualities, making it fantastic for our skin and for minor cuts and bruises, and its specific consistency means it's the perfect base for a variety of health and beauty applications.

Not only that, but honey — even raw honey — is relatively inexpensive, meaning that it's a great go-to-ingredient for a lot of DIY recipes and scrubs — especially when you compare it to the price of other "natural" and "organic" store bought products.

I personally used to spend a lot of money on supposedly natural products, only to later learn that they were actually chocked full of chemical fragrances and ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce, and honey has since become a super awesome staple in my DIY product arsenal.

If you’re interested in incorporating honey into your life, or just want to try to start using less store-bought products, here are seven unexpected uses for honey to get you started.

1. Skin Mask

According to Gorgeois, honey has tremendously beneficial properties for your skin, and can help with everything from moisturizing to acne. She specifically suggested using natural raw honey if you can, but said that regular honey is also extremely helpful.

2. Chapstick

According to food writer Anna Brones, honey has super moisturizing properties and so is a great ingredient for chapped lips. This tutorial from YouTuber beautyklove has an awesome tinted lip balm recipe that's both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

3. Topical Antibiotic

Manuka Healing Honey, $38.95, TheSynergyCompany.com

According to a study published by the National Institute of Health, honey is a great natural remedy for cuts and scrapes. "The healing property of honey is due to the fact that it offers antibacterial activity, maintains a moist wound condition, and its high viscosity helps to provide a protective barrier to prevent infection," the study said. So keep some on hand for a super natural way to reduce healing time.

4. For The Bath

Decadent Honey Bath Bomb, $6, Bonanza.com

Because honey is a natural moisturizer, it also works super well as an ingredient in DIY bath soaks. Natural beauty author and blogger Crunchy Betty has a great recipe on her site for a milk and honey bath that will soften and moisturize your whole body.

5. Exfoliant

That's right — there's another way honey is super good for you skin. Brones also noted that paired with a granular-based ingredient, like brown sugar, honey works to scrub away dead skin, allowing moisturizer to penetrate more deeply.

6. Shampoo

Healthy living blogger and author Lauren Gertseen, NTP has a super simple recipe for a honey-based DIY shampoo on her website that only requires honey and filtered water. She said the the mixture will reduce dandruff and frizz while also moisturizing and nourishing.

7. A Killer Cocktail Ingredient

OK, we've talked a lot about the ways honey can improve your health, but let's be real — it tastes delicious and we should never forget it. And because of that I just want to call your attention to how incredibly awesome it is in cocktails and mocktails. It provides a hint of sweetness and a beautiful amber color. Try it at your next get together!

Honey makes an awesome and relatively inexpensive base for a ton of at-home remedies, especially for your skin and hair. Plus, odds are good you probably already have a jar lying around!

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