There are five products made by honey bees that have fantastic skin benefits and at least one of them can be found in your kitchen. 

Are you intriqued? I'll get to the honey benefits in a moment, but first let's talk about our friends, the bees.

A honey bee is one of the most remarkable creatures on earth. Few people know the exciting mystery hidden in the black and yellow ball of fuzz. A drop of honey is like a high-octane fuel that drives the bee to flower after flower, while it sparks their seeds.

The bee has three places for storing its cargo. One is the tank inside, which it fills by sucking up nectar syrup through a long tube from the inside of the flower’s body. The other two are the baskets on its hind legs for carrying pollen.

Bees are found on every continent on earth except Antarctica. The population of the hive consists of one queen, a few hundred drones and 20 000- 40 000 worker bees.

Bees collect nectar from flowers and take it to the hive. Here it becomes either honey or beeswax.

Worker bees are all female. Male bees are drones. The queen lays up to 2 000 eggs a day and lays up to 1 000 000 in her lifetime. A queen lives up to 5 years, drones die upon mating or are expelled from the nest before the onset of winter. Worker bees live 35- 41 days.

If the queen dies, workers create a new queen. First they build an extra big cell. They then take an egg from a regular cell and put it in the queen cell. They then feed it a special diet of royal jelly, which will develop the worker female into a queen.

We are all familiar with honey, but did you know that bees don’t just produce honey? Read on to find out the incredible ingredients these amazing creatures create.

Honey

We are all familiar with honey, its sweet taste made by bees foraging nectar from flowers.

Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand and Australia by bees that pollinate the Manuka bush. It is one of the most beneficial forms of honey in the world.

Bee Propolis (Bee Glue)

Propolis is made by bees from the sap on needle-leaved trees or evergreens. The bees combine the sap with their saliva and beeswax. A sticky brown product is formed that they use as a coating to build their hives. This is called propolis.

Royal Jelly (Bee’s Milk)

Royal jelly is produced by worker honey bees. It is a milky secretion that they feed to all larvae as well as the adult queen.

Beeswax

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honey bees. Beeswax is very important to the bee colony as it is used to make the combs in which the bees raise their young. They also store pollen and surplus honey in the combs to see them through winter.

Bee Pollen

The young bee feeds on bee pollen which consists of about 40% protein. It is also packed with vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fats.

How Honey & Bee Ingredients Can Benefit Your Skin

 The skin benefits of honey and bee ingredients are plentiful and extraordinary which is why Argan Republic could not deny their use in their natural skin care products. 

Honey Skin Benefits

In ayurvedic medicine, honey was used for the first time well over 3000 years ago. Honey was used by many different cultures as emblems. The bee was often used in Egyptian hieroglyphs and symbolized royalty. Greeks used honey to heal the sick, Romans used it in cooking and offered it to the gods. In ancient times women used honey to keep their skin hydrated and glowing.

• Honey is filled with fructose, glucose, vitamins, minerals and is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the skin against the damaging effects of free radicals, including the sun, and slows down the aging process, keeping those wrinkles and fine lines at bay.

• Honey retains moisture and keeps the skin hydrated with a youthful glow. It cleanses, nourishes and moisturizes the skin, keeping the pores unclogged.

• Honey is especially wonderful for acne treatment due to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Redness and inflammation is controlled by its anti-inflammatory properties making it a great product for sensitive skin.

• You can whip up a honey face mask to absorb all those sweet honey benefits and blast acne.

Read more about the different types and the amazing benefits of honey HERE! 

Manuka Honey Skin Benefits

Manuka honey is one of the most beneficial forms of honey in the world. The nutritional content is as much as four times that of normal honey. It has a much higher level of enzymes than is found in normal honey. Manuka honey has strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and is very successful in the treatment of acne and eczema. Redness and inflammation is reduced. It draws moisture into the skin, hydrating and moisturizing the skin, giving it a radiant, youthful glow.

• Used on the face, honey promotes skin regeneration and repairs cellular damage. It contains antioxidants, protecting the skin against free radicals.

• Manuka Honey reduces acne scarring and gives the skin a brighter, lighter appearance. Manuka honey removes harmful bacteria and sterilizes infections which is why it's so fabulous for acne treatment.

• Manuka Honey's primary compounds are glucose, fructose, lactic acid, vitamin C, niacin and riboflavin.

Our favorite raw Manuka Honey is available here!

Bee Propolis Skin Benefits

Known for its amazing preservation properties, bee propolis was used as far back as 5000 years ago by the Egyptian pharaohs. Hippocrates, known as the “Father of Medicine”, used propolis in the healing of infections.

• Propolis has strong antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in antioxidants. It encourages skin regeneration and tissue repair.

• Its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it an excellent acne treatment and also brings soothing relief to eczema sufferers. Rich in antioxidants, bee propolis protects the skin against the damaging effects of free radicals. It hydrates the skin and keeps it nourished so it can stay smooth and supple.

• Apart from its skin benefits, bee propolis has a host of other health benefits. It acts as a natural antibiotic and has been shown to be resistant to fungal nail infections.

Royal Jelly Skin Benefits

Royal jelly is a bee product secreted from the glands in the heads of worker bees, and are fed to all the larvae as well as the queen. Royal jelly is collected from the honeycomb. The queen bee has a much longer life than any other bee due to the nutrient rich royal jelly.

• Royal jelly is rich in proteins, natural hormones, B vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and fatty acids which make for beautiful skin.

• Royal Jelly contains antibiotic and antibacterial properties which makes it a must for acne treatment. It has wonderful skin and wound healing properties and it's anti-inflammatory properties make it an excellent choice in the treatment of acne and eczema, or any skin sensitivities.

• The vitamins, minerals and enzymes in royal jelly boost the production of skin collagen, which in turn will aid in skin renewal as well as improvement in elasticity. It supports tissue renewal and helps the skin appear youthful and radiant.

• Royal Jelly protects against damaging UVB rays. The unsaturated fatty acid content, which stimulates collagen production, also has anti-tumor and antibacterial properties.

• Royal Jelly's antibacterial properties aid in faster healing of wounds. It also contains royalisin, an immune boosting protein.

• Egyptian women used royal jelly for its wonderful hydrating properties, giving the skin a healthy glow.

• Royal Jelly also balances hormone levels and reduces cholesterol levels.

Beeswax Skin Benefits

In ancient Roman times, beeswax was used in a broth which was given to those suffering from stomach ailments. It was also discovered that it worked very well as a skin softener. Statues were made from beeswax to honour Romans. In ancient Egypt, wax figures were made from beeswax and placed in graves.

It interesting to know, that at one time, beeswax candles were the only candles allowed to be used in the Roman Catholic church.

Its natural honey fragrance makes it a popular choice to use in soaps and other skincare products.

• Beeswax provides a natural protective barrier when applied to the skin, protecting it against the harsh environment, preventing dryness and keeping the skin hydrated. It is, therefore, a very popular ingredient in lip balm.

• Beeswax contains strong antibacterial properties, which help keep the skin clear and is, therefore a beneficial acne treatment

• Beeswax is a humectant which means it keeps the skin hydrated, locking in moisture and helps to keep those wrinkles at bay, giving you a radiant, youthful complexion.

• High in vitamin A, royal jelly aids in skin regeneration and cell renewal. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties, which aid in the treatment of acne.

Bee Pollen Skin Benefits

Bee pollen’s wonderful benefits have been appreciated for thousands of years by many different cultures. Hippocrates used it for its wonderful healing abilities. Native Americans discovered their energy properties and would wear it in pouches around their necks so they could eat it regularly when going on long trips.

• High in protein, bee pollen contains all essential amino acids, calcium, magnesium, vitamins B, C, E and D, 11 enzymes, carbohydrates and is rich in fatty acids. Bee pollen is also high in antioxidants that boost the immune system and contain cancer fighting properties.

• The high antioxidant levels in bee pollen protect the skin from free radicals due to stress, pollutants, chemicals and exposure to the sun, keeping skin looking youthful.

• Bee pollen has strong anti-aging properties due to its high levels of nucleic acids. It stimulates growth of new skin tissues and prevents premature aging by keeping the skin hydrated. It is an excellent moisturizer for dry, mature skin helping to fade wrinkles and fine lines.

• Due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it is excellent in the treatment of acne and redness of skin. It will, therefore, help improve and sooth the skin of eczema sufferers. It has also been very successful in treatment of dermatitis.

Today, like the Native Americans from so long ago, many athletes use it before a workout as it will not only improve the quality of your workout but also boost your energy levels.

Mother Nature has given us all the answers and they are right before us, towards a healthier more youthful looking skin. All you have to do is to educate yourself, don’t use all those commercial products with the harsh chemicals, remember natural is best!