Clicky

Crunchy Betty Honey Challenge – The Finale & Party!

crunched by on July 29, 2011
filed under Food On Your Face, Natural Beauty Recipes, Skin


We did it! Two whole weeks of washing our faces with honey, and (with rare exceptions) the final result was bee-yootifully fantastic!

As those of you who received my email last weekend know, this challenge wasn’t to do this only for two weeks. It was so you (and I) could commit, whole-heartedly, to giving it a long-term try.

Because, so very often when it comes to natural skincare, we abandon something within the first or second try – without allowing it time to work. (Nature’s a miracle worker, but it works those miracles in its own time, not ours.)

Bottom line: If this works for you, do NOT STOP NOW! Keep doing this for a month, or a lifetime – as gosh-darned long you keep seeing beautiful benefits and a glowing face.

For those of you who didn’t join in (or those of you who are seeing this page for the first time), do not be disheartened. You did not miss out – IF YOU DECIDE TO START RIGHT NOW. Right now, when you read this.

In fact, I’m leaving the linky party at the bottom of this post open indefinitely, so feel free, bloggers, to try this when it’s right for you, blog your results, and leave the link to your post here for posterity and all the world to see.

Crunchy Betty Honey Challenge Recap

Here’s a list of all the Honey Challenge related posts, so you can go back and learn, or you can relive the glory:

Good grief, that was a lot of information about honey face washing right there.

A lot.

(I go apiary over honey. Get it?)

Hands up, by the way, if at any point in the last two weeks, you’ve had the song Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me stuck in your head. Sorry about that.

What Some of You Had to Say About the Face Wash

So, seriously – around 300 of you signed up for this challenge. 300! Pat yourselves on the back. You’re an official crunchy hoard.

Needless to say, I’ve gotten TONS of comments on Facebook, via Twitter, and through email. And comments! Lawdy! The comments! (Especially at the Crunchy Community.)

But here are just a few random notes people sent me about their experience with the honey face wash:

The Honey Challenge is going amazingly well! I haven’t missed a single day of washing and I’ve stopped wearing makeup daily in the hopes of washing with honey twice a day instead of only once. I absolutely love the way my skin feels after a honey wash, and EVEN BETTER NEWS! My sister is being influenced by my crunchiness and has been asking me about different things like the honey wash and no ‘poo! I’m so excited about it I could almost cry! – Nina via email

I’m completely, undeniably, head over heals in love with honey.  My skin (which was previously dull, shiny and plagued by the occasional blemish) is now clear, radiant and soft!  I haven’t even touched my makeup in about a week! – Sarah via email

Just had to say that since starting the honey challenge last week my skin has never looked or felt better with any commercial product I’ve ever used! I was breaking our like crazy before this, and it just suddenly stopped! Love! ♥ – Melissa on Facebook

I thought I had it made with the OCM. Then I really thought things were going well when said no to the ‘poo. But I just love the honey challenge more than I can say. While my normally oily face had gotten more balanced with OCM, I honestly must echo everyone else to say that I feel that my face is more glowing. And is it just me, or are my pores shrinking? I love my soft, bright skin and have been telling everyone about it since starting it. – Allison via Facebook

And while the honey face wash worked for 98.5% of you (yes, I did the math … sort of), there were a few of you who still had issues with redness. If you’re one of those people, please hop over to the Crunchy Community and start a thread about how you’ve been washing your face until now, and I promise we will all work our hardest to help you find a fantastic (honey-less) solution that works for you.

What You’ve All Been Waiting For – The Linky Party!

I know we’ve had dozens of bloggers blogging their honey challenge experience, and I can’t wait to see all of the posts linked up at the party below.

But first, I just want to announce the two “winners” of the Colorado raw honey: KarinSDCA and Sarah, the Petit Gourmet.

Karin, you’ve been so incredibly supportive and helpful to everyone who’s been asking questions in the community, I had to give you one. Had to. You deserve it, and so much more. Thank you from the bottom of my crunchy heart. And Sarah? You were the lucky winner of the random drawing! (But thank YOU, TOO, because you’re also a breath of fresh air around here!)

Before we get to the linky party: Non-bloggers, PLEASE post your experiences with washing your face with honey down below in the comments section.

Did you love it? How did you notice a change in your skin? Did you find a trick to make it work better for you?

The first Honey Challenge post was to sign up and show your solidarity. THIS ONE is to tell the world about how great your skin feels (or not) – and to encourage curious people everywhere that this does work and that they shouldn’t be frightened or weirded out by the thought of honey on their face.



 

    Related Posts:

    • Would you like $10 to spend on natural products? Vitacost now has a Refer a Friend program - and if you use this link right here to register and then order, both you and I will receive $10 to spend at Vitacost.

      Right now, my favorite things at Vitacost are the Carlson Cod Liver Oil 1000-mg soft gels, the Aura Cacia argan oil, and YS Eco Bee Farms raw honey. (Although there is so, so much more goodness at Vitacost. So. Much. More.)

      Not to mention, they have the best prices on essential oils I've seen on the internet. Click here to register and check it out.

    • LindsayJ

      So I have to echo one of the comments above. I started on the OCM in April, and it was like an epiphany for my skin. A skinpiphany? Anyways, I moved to Beijing about a month ago, and with the new environment and pollution and whatnot, all my OCM work fell to pieces. Breakouts. Oiliness. Dullness. The (bad) works. A week of using honey, and not only have I gotten rid of the Beijing Blues, my skin is the best it’s ever been. Like, not this good since before I hit puberty or something. I’m in wuv!

      • Siobhan

        Really?! I live in Beijing too! Where did you buy your honey? (and was it raw?) That kind of stuff is generally a lot more expensive in China so I am keen to know any tips you might have about where to buy it cheapest! And yes. The Beijing smoke sure gets my skin down, sometimes :(

    • http://naturallifemom.com Julia @ A Little Bit of All of It

      I can’t see the sites entered into the linky. :(

      • http://naturallifemom.com Julia @ A Little Bit of All of It

        Never mind. I see it now!

    • http://www.fishwatermaps.com PennyAshevilleNC

      I JUST put it together that I have not used face powder (my only face makeup) since this second week of honey washing…..Coincidence? It is super hot, so that is one reason, but I am certain the honey wash has kept my face from looking dull & sad. I will continue doing the wash, but may drop it down #times per week to stretch my honey dollar. As always, thanks Leslie & Crunchy Community!

    • Anna

      Washed with the honey 3 times so far…planning on sticking with it even though I got in late on the “challenge”. Hoping for some good results for my oily, messy skin!

    • http://thepetitegourmet.tumblr.com Sarah, The Petite Gourmet

      Thank you Crunchy Betty! I never win anything, so thank you!!

      So far my honey experience has been going well. I am still breaking out in a few places but the blemishes are much smaller than they’ve ever been. Plus my acne scars are fading, my skin is softer and much more balanced.

      I plan to experiment with the OCM as well, especially for taking off makeup. I also plan to find some natural remedies for blemishes because traditional creams and gels aren’t doing anything at all anymore.

    • http://earthsgifts.blogspot.com SassyDebs

      Thank you so much for the wonderful challenge. This only day 11 for me but I will keep on washing with honey. It has made my skin look so much more smoother, softer, more glowy. I even notice that my hands are softer also.

      Congrats to all the winners.

      Hugs,
      Debs

      • http://www.woodwifesjournal.com Sharon

        You know, I noticed that too but didn’t make the connection! Glowing face and softer hands! Wow!

    • http://laurengrags.blogspot.com LaurenGrags

      I am loving the Honey washing challenge! So much so that I’ve been telling all my friends about it and passing them links to your blog! My face is really happy with me right now. :)

      And yes, I’ve had your honey song stuck in my head all week long- so cute!

    • http://www.makeitbakeitbuyitfakeit.blogspot.com Stephanie

      You’re so right about giving new things TIME before deciding on them. The honey-wash challenge was easy to “stick to” though because it was so simple and luxurious feeling.

      After 2-weeks, my face is super clean and soft. I don’t wake up in the morning with an oily forehead (which I’ve done my whole life). Did I mention how dang simple it was? I LOVE that about it.

      I did really miss the OCM this past 2-wks and will probably resume that now, but I know I will use the honey-wash often… and I will never buy a face cleanser ever again. Not when this works so well.

    • laura

      This honey challenge has been awesome!I’m definitely going to keep it going!

      I love how soft and glowy my skin is. I keep my little bear of honey right next to the sink so i don’t forget to do it in the morning and the evening.

      I’ve gotten my fiance in on all this honey business too. It started with an extra sweet kiss every night while I waited for the honey to sink in and do its work…but now he is washing with honey alongside me!

      Much love and thanks to you, Leslie, for introducing me to the magic of honey!!

    • Devery

      So I’m a labor and delivery nurse. Do you know how depressing it was to see these pregnant glowing women walk in all the time when pregnancy thought it would be funny to dump horrible acne on me? I’m a few months postpartum, but my face (which had NEVER broken out before) still hadn’t cleared up all the way. So after doing the two weeks…excuse me, trip to the mirror…. I am down to maybe 7 or 8 small blemishes. Amazing. All the OTC acne medicines did nothing at best and irritated (royally pissed off) my skin at worst. So um, yeah. I think I’ll keep going :-) I will be trying the OCM for the mornings when I have makeup to take off (I work night shifts – not a stripper). I didn’t enjoy the 3 step w/ honey because my face felt a little assaulted with the combination of a washcloth, sticky honey, and baking soda. Apparently my face is sensitive, which I had never bothered to acknowledge until now. So yay for clear(er) skin and yay for my cute baby in spite of pregnancy acne and yay for actually paying attention to what my skin likes and needs!

    • Jean

      I was out of honey when I first learned of the challenge so I’m only on day 2. My face feels great though! We have very low humidity and I have fairly dry skin so am curious what will happen after a few weeks.

      So far, so good! Thanks for such a sweet idea!

    • http://Yahoo Judith Zuniga

      Simply Amazing! I turn 68 tomorrow and in the last two weeks,I see skin is truly better. My pores are shrinking. blemishes, the kind that are subtle until you look at your skin fm the side, are sayng “bye bye”. I haven’t worn much makeup in two weeks but when I did, Bare Minerals smoothed on with a mini brush, made my skin look just like velvet.!!!! I didn’t even have the organic honey!!!. I bought it yesterday and can hardly wait to see my face in two more weeks. Thanks Crunchy Betty and double thanks to SC who “turned me on” to your web site. I look forward to signing on to you every day.

    • Rachel

      After 2 weeks of washing my face with honey, my skin is glowing and soft to touch. The first few days I experienced a little breaking out, but now am definitely a believer in honey! I’ve tried many “natural” brands on my sensitive (and scent-sitive) skin such as Aveeno, Burts Bees, Aveda, Origins, to name just a few, and honestly my skin loves the honey treatment and so do I. Thanks for a fun challenge!

    • sandytrif

      I am in love with washing my face with honey. At 51, I had ok skin. It was starting to get a little lifeless. Now, I love the skin I am in. I use the baking soda to remove make up (when I wear it~which has gotten less often). I am going to try the OCM when I return to work in the fall and will be wearing make-up more. Since this was such a success, I can’t wait to try that. My 20 year old daughter is on day 2, and another friend started 2 days ago. HMMMMM wonder if she noticed my glowing skin the other morning at breakfast???

    • http://litasworld.com Jen @ Lita’s world

      Best face cleansing tip EVER!!! I love it and believe I will never ever stop using honey to cleanse my face!! A Million Thanks to YOU!!

    • Angela

      I am in love with the honey wash. Almost as much as I am in love with this blog. Thanks for helping me on my journey to become crunchier!!

    • KarinSDCA

      I am so excited!!! Thank you soooo much for the raw Colorado honey! :)

      My face is wonderful from all this honey love and this will be my new face wash from now on. On the rare occasion I wear makeup (once in the past two weeks), I like the OCM with a smidgen of honey added. Feels soooo good!

      I had that song in my head a lot over the past two weeks, actually. LOL My DD loved watching the video of you singing, so I saw it a few times… ;)

    • KarinSDCA

      I forgot to mention the “trick” that made the honey washing easier for me. There were two, actually…

      1) My honey is crystallized. Since it was so thick, I found I had to use a lot the first time I did the honey wash because I literally could not move it around my skin. From the second washing on, I used damp-to-wet fingers (varied it to check out the differences) to apply the honey. PERFECT! If my fingers were wet, then I got a very thin coating of honey…if my fingers were just damp, I got a thicker coating…and everything in between. I had fun playing with the variables for rinsing immediately and leaving on a few minutes and leaving on for a mask and leaving on throughout a shower. When I wanted to do a full on mask, I used wet fingers and applied the honey all the way down my neck and decolletage and left it on for 20-30 minutes. With a thin coat like that, it wasn’t very sticky and I could read a book or whatever while the honey performed it’s magic.

      2) I found I strongly preferred to rinse my face with tepid water (just barely above body temperature). If it was warmer than that, it felt like my face was “slimy” and I don’t do slimy. LOL This meant on shower days, I had to rinse my face in the shower with cooler than usual water. Unexpected BONUS!!! My hair has been loving this as has my whole body!

      And, here’s an odd benefit to honey washing I discovered…
      I have blepharitis / blepheritis (sp?), which is a specific type of dry eye where the tear ducts get blocked by miniscule particles of shedding skin. What it means is I could no longer wear contacts and my eyes were always slightly pink-to-irritated red, depending on the level of irritation build-up by the day’s end and they would itch at varying degrees. I realized today that my eyes haven’t been itching much at all lately and I haven’t had the highly irritated red eyes by day’s end. Could it be the honey??? I’m attributing it to the honey until otherwise proven… ;)

      • Jessica

        When I was deciding to try this challenge I reseached honey online and there were several posts about mixing a few drops of honey with distilled water and putting in eyes for various eye related issues.

    • andrea

      The honey wash has been fabulous. No problems and when a pimple started to threaten, it was gone the next morning. I love doing this, but wouldn’t say that my skin was night and day, to me. That said, the other night, my friend said that I looked glowing, so maybe it is more noticeable than I thought!

      Will definitely keep it up!

    • Mary

      The honey wash is fantastic. I haven’t touched moisturizer since Day 3 and my skin is so soft and supple AND problem-free. Also loved, loved, loved the OCM + honey. That is now my favorite nighttime ritual. When I wake up in the morning, my face is ready to go with nothing but sunscreen. Thank you for all that you do!

    • gayle

      Thanks so much for this wonderful idea! After struggling with bad skin for years and years, I finally quit putting chemicals on my face about two years ago and saw a dramatic improvement. Washing my face with honey for the past few days has taken it to a new level. My skin looks better than it ever has (at least since I turned about 13!)

    • http://www.woodwifesjournal.com Sharon

      Sorry about the name links above. If there’s a way to change it let me know and I’ll fix it. I could remove them and add again but that might mess up your list. What do you think? The list wasn’t showing when I first posted or I would have realized after the first one. Feeling pretty dumb right about now.

    • http://www.soulilluminastion.com stephanieE

      I loved the honey wash. I must say I have pretty good skin to start with. An occasional breakout from hormones. But one thing my skin is now that I have gotten older, is uneven in color and texture. Since starting the honey was my skin is even and glowing, I even think my frown lines are better!

    • Sam

      Sooooo, I am on Day 10 of the honey wash and I am still slightly unsure? I have to admit that after washing with honey my skin feels wonderful and there is absolutely NO NEED for moisturizer (except the Vit E oil around my eyes). BUT I still have blemishes and these strange clogged pores on my forehead (never had before). Anyone else experience that? I have to say though, even with the clogged pores my skin still feels way better than it did before with all the chemical-laden products!

    • Christina

      Are you bored of everyone saying how fantastic it is? Well it is! The honey is the perfect compliment to the oil cleansing at night to remove face powder, and lovely on it’s on in the morning. My husband has repeatedly remarked how nice my skin looks, and I haven’t had any of the relentless break out problems that had been with me forever.

      I can only lament as I look at the hundreds of dollars of beauty products going to waste in my bathroom. I see no need to do anything else. As you said, if it was good enough for Cleopatria, it’s good enough for me!

      And now I can direct all of those funds previously spent on chemical beauty products toward nice oils, etc.!

    • http://twitter.com/#!/NatalieInCA NatalieInCA

      I’ve just completed my 2 weeks and I still cannot believe the results! Amazing!!! Thank you Crunchy Betty. :)

      I tend to leave it longer than a few minutes because my honey is still in my kitchen and I apply it before cleaning up my kitchen at night, which takes more like 15-30 min… and my skin feels nice and smooth but a bit dry. Do you think that the longer the honey stays on, the drier the skin becomes? Should I try a few minutes instead?

      • Cheryl

        I do like how my face looks/feels/acts with a honey wash. I find that straight honey tends to dry out my face, especially in the T-zone (very sensitive skin in a Colorado environ). I’ve been cleansing with a 1:1 combination of raw honey and homemade milk kefir. Sometimes I just wash, sometimes I let it set there and “masque” ’til I get around to rinsing. :) If I need it I will moisturize with a VERY little bit of raw coconut oil – as in, rest my fingers on a clump of solid oil, then rub what melts onto my fingers into my face. Since coconut oil is also anti-bacterial, I massage in a little extra bit on any areas where I can feel blemishes forming (usually along my hairline or jawline) and by morning/evening, there’s significant improvement.

    • http://www.sunnyglobaldiva.com Marilise

      I got my raw honey today and will be starting tomorrow, but am hoping to go much longer than 2 weeks :)

      I have a question for anyone who comes across my comment: what kind of moisturizer do you use afterwards?

    • Jem
    • http://wanderluck.wordpress.com Kate

      Just a followup for myself: I did the two-week challenge and didn’t really notice much of a difference. Even so, I kept it up and even started doing OCM+honey every other night, or whenever I wore makeup. I stopped in the middle of last week because my in-laws came in – and while I can handle my husband laughing good-naturedly at me, I wasn’t sure how they would deal with me wandering around the house with honey on my face. (Looking back, I can’t believe myself – like they’re gonna be in the bathroom with me while I wash my face?) It wasn’t two days after I stopped washing with honey every morning that my skin flipped OUT – huge breakout with deep-rooted & painful blemishes from hair to jaw. It was terrible! Now that my routine has settled back in I’m going back to honey wash in the mornings. After one day, I can already tell the difference. No more silly store bought facial washes for me! Au naturale all the way!

    • Ellashambles

      I’ll be honest, I was a little skeptical about this, even though I try to use as many natural products as possible, I found it hard to believe that honey on its own would do my face much good. Now, I’m hooked after the first use! I can’t believe how good my skin feels :D I read that making a paste with cinnamon & honey works wonders for sopts if you leave it on overnight, has anyone tried this?

      • monica

        Hi! I infused the honey with cinnamon and it definately works . .you can see my recipe above x x x 

    • Renata

      this is late, but I DID IT!  I also got my stepmom using the honey wash too!  And she is loving it too!  It has been two weeks for me, and actually I started OCM at the same time.  Now, I have AWFUL hormonal acne and getting scars.  I am currently on accutane and I am trying to decide if I should stop taking it, as my skin magically has been clearing up like a dream!  I have skipped 2 sets (I take it twice a week so I have skipped one week now)  and I am a bit fearful of breaking out, but I need to see if it’s the cleansing or the pills.  Either way, I will continue to use this method as my skin is so soft and radiant, it really doesn’t matter!  I doubt I will ever use commercial cleansers again, I realised how drying it was once I tried this!  Thank YOU!  ♥♥♥

      • Renata

        I also feel as if it is helping my scars, and the healing of acne is quicker… I got a few mean ones at the start, but they cleared up at least 50% faster than my normal cystic acne!!!

    • Monica

      Thank you crunchy betty!! I am currently on a very long trip away trying to cycle around south america . . one year in and half way now. Well, lugging around cleansers and moisturisers was the way of life before this and trying to find anything in the wilderness apart from evil soap has been a nightmare! Now i have a pot of honey and stock up whenever I want . . im amazed at my skin and how convenient this is. I have recommended this to all my friends in London and am seriously on the honey train. A few days ago I tried something which may or may not be beneficial . . I infused the honey with some herbs and spices . .now not only does it leave me soft, clear and smooth . .but it tingles and calms and exfoliated a little. My recipe was - 

      1 cup of honey
      1 tbs of ground cinnamon
      1 tbs chammomile
      1 tbs coffee grounds
      A few drops of sesame oil

      I let this reach boiling point (there will be a white foam on the top . .take it off the heat just before it boils) then let it cool and repeat the heating process 2 or 3 more times for a stronger effect. While its still hot use a sieve to take away the larger granules. 

      I love honey!! In fact im so on it that I have made a few batches of my infused honey and am selling it to weary backpackers on my way!!

      Thank you x x 

      • monica

        just saw the “infused honey” article . . ooops! the evident pitfalls of never having internet access. So know I know that I dont even have to semi boil! yay!

    • Celeste

      I started this about three weeks ago and it has done wonders for my skin. The acne I had on my cheeks, jaw, chin and neck have cleared up very well. It’s like all that was underneath the skin are coming up and are coming off. I use the baking soda with the honey at night because I wear makeup to work, but in the morning it is just the honey. What is also wonderful is that it seems like the acne scars I had are just going away. I’m so happy and will continue to do this as my skin loves it! Thank you so much for getting us connected with these much more natural ways to care for our skin.

    • Juju

      Just wanted to leave a comment about this (even though no one will probably read this) but I have mild rosacea on my left cheek.  I have been doing the raw honey wash in the mornings (and OCM at night- although I’ve also mixed OCM and honey together) and just the other day found some online threads about using raw honey for seb derm and rosacea.  The threads recommended sparingly using coconut oil after the honey wash (and by sparingly, they meant small pea sized amount for the whole face).  I’ve been avoiding using CO on my face because it can potentially clog pores, but I’ve decided to put small amounts on my rosacea and see what happens.  It’s been two days, and while I don’t know all of what could be affecting my rosacea, I will say that it looks less inflamed than it has for the past several weeks/months, and feels hydrated.   Just FYI!

      • tealily

        Hey, Juju!  Any further updates?  I, too, have rosacea as well as acne (lucky me!) and have considered using a honey wash.  Did the honey alone make any difference to your rosacea?

    • Leah C

      Betty you are the answer to my prayers! I’m 29 years old and have suffered from moderate-severe acne since 12.  12!  I would have moments in between when my skin would clear up, but it was always with the use of products that gave me massive side effects.  I have tried every potion, pill, cream, wash etc, and nothing.  Last year I decided I didn’t want to use chemicals any longer and tried to go natural. I found Lerosette (sp?) and had ok results that became less and less effective.  I found your blog via Pinterest and immediately ran to my kitchen to slather honey all over my face.  I immediately felt my skin changing and it’s been about 3 weeks now and for the first time in years, I went out of the house without makeup on my skin today! The deep scars left are fading and the acne that does come up is minor and goes away quickly.  You are a godsend and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for the gift you’ve given me!  I haven’t felt pretty in my own skin for a long time, and it’s a nice change to not worry what I will see when I look in the mirror in the morning. 

    • norine

      Hey Crunchy Betty Peeps! Do you wash your neck with honey too?