Monday Musings: {The Seed Catalog & A Challenge}

"Growing food was the first activity that gave us enough propsperity to stay in one place, form complex social groups, tell our stories, and build our cities."

                                                                                           -Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

It's cold out this time of year.

Windy. Icy. Snowy. Grey.

It's easy to grow weary of the short days and early darkness.

The earliest spring bulbs are starting to poke through.

Spring is so close you can almost smell it.

Then, it arrives...the beacon of hope that every gardener anticipates.

The seed catalog.

Monday Musings: Raw Honey Skincare Regimen

For the past several weeks, I have been washing my face with raw, local honey. 

It has totally transformed  my skin.

No moisturizer necessary, even in January, when my skin is the driest.

Generally speaking, I'm a big fan of honey...in the same way this guy is a "big fan"...

I buy honey from my neighbor (to use primarily in cooking, tea, and battling seasonal allergies).  Honey is basically a superfood in that it will never spoil and it does not require synthetic preservatives.  While I could go on and on about the glories of honey, it never occurred to me to slather globs of it all over my face in the name of cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing.  Until recently.

The search for decent natural skincare

(read: does not smell like oatmeal and actually removes makeup)

As you probably know, the cosmetics industry is not well regulated as far as labeling is concerned.  Many products have plants on the bottles or contain "natural ingredients", but also contain harmful ingredients that are absorbed into the bloodstream through the body's largest organ--our skin.  Google "ingredients to avoid in cosmetics" and you'll find several lists ranging from this to this.

For the past 7 years, I have used a skincare line available at Whole Foods.  While I really enjoyed the products, because of the high quality of the ingredients and glass packaging, the products weren't cheap (prices comparable to the higher end of Estee Lauder).

All you need is honey.  

Raw Honey.

Raw honey is perfectly unprocessed.  It has not been heated, filtered, strained or altered in any way.    I keep this jar in my bathroom and just scoop out a blob bit with my fingers and massage on my face.  Then rinse with water.  It melts off with warm water.  When I first read about this, I thought "what a sticky mess".  By some miracle, it isn't.

I find that it has balanced my combination skin.  I do not use a separate moisturizer.  Honey has natural properties that gently exfoliate.  Additionally, I find that it is an effective daily makeup remover.  (For reference, I primarily wear bareMinerals makeup.  If an extra boost is needed to remove eye makeup, I use a touch of oil on a cotton pad).

I store honey in this airtight glass jar.

I hope you decide to try this.  It was a strange idea for me, too.  It is inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic.  As with any change in skin care regimen, it may take your skin a couple days (or weeks) to adjust.

 I have read that adding cinnamon does certain things, as does adding baking soda or nutmeg or vinegar.  I have found that plain honey is perfection for my combination skin.  I encourage you to do your own research and experiment to find what suits you.  Please let me know how it turns out!

 Rumor has it that Cleopatra used honey as an integral part of her skincare regimen.  Isn't that reason enough to give it a try?  If it's good enough for the Queen of the Nile, it's certainly good enough for me.

Note: I'm a honey superfan, not an expert.  If something above is incorrect, do let me know.