Honey for Hair: The Benefits and How to Use It
You already love honey for its delicious sweetness. And you’ve probably heard about its incredible healing properties for the skin. But did you know that there are lots of ways to use honey for hair, too?
It turns out that honey is a natural humectant. What does that mean? It means that honey can pull water molecules out of the air and draw them into the hair follicle and scalp. The result is super shiny, healthy hair that resists breakage.
It’s a bit like magic, really. And the benefits don’t end there! Let’s dive into all the ways honey is good for your hair and our favourite must-try ways to use it.
Is Honey Good for Your Hair?
Yes! Honey is good for your hair due to its hydrating, strengthening, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has the ability to hydrate and strengthen the hair, boost shine, soothe the scalp, and more.
The Benefits of Honey for Hair
It turns out the secret to lustrous, healthy hair has been in your kitchen all along, and you didn’t even know it. Here’s a deeper dive into the immense benefits this antioxidant-rich ingredient can provide for your hair.
Honey for Healthy Hair Growth
You may have heard that honey is used to promote wound healing and prevent infection. Studies show that honey has the amazing ability to promote cellular growth, particularly the growth of epithelial skin cells. These cells make up the hair follicles and hair ducts of the scalp, which are essential for healthy hair growth.
Honey can even wake up or strengthen hair follicles that have become dormant, further promoting new hair growth. Honey also contains nutrients that boost hair strength and structure, which can reduce breakage to help hair grow longer over time.
Read more: How To Use Honey For Hair Growth
Honey Softens, Detangles, and Conditions the Hair
Honey makes an amazing natural hair conditioner because its moisturising properties soften, detangle, and smooth the hair. Honey also contains nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants to protect the hair from damage and improve overall hair health.
Honey Adds Luster and Shine to Dry or Curly Hair
Honey has emollient and humectant properties that add moisture to the hair follicles. This naturally smooths the hair shaft and restores shine and luster to frizzy, dry, curly, or dull hair. Its natural humectant properties seal in moisture to prevent future moisture loss, too.
Honey Can Boost Natural Highlights
Honey contains a natural enzyme called glucose oxidase. It also contains a natural sugar called glucose. When the enzyme breaks down the glucose, it leaves behind hydrogen peroxide, which is known to lighten the hair by breaking down the melanin in the hair.
While honey can’t bleach the hair like chemical treatments, leaving honey on the hair for an extended period of time could boost your natural highlights without causing the damage associated with harsh chemicals.
Honey Prevents Hair Breakage and Hair Loss
Honey is loaded with vital nutrients for hair health, including trace amounts of keratin. Keratin is a naturally occurring protein that adds structure and strength to the hair.
When combined with its antioxidant properties and moisturising effects, this makes honey an excellent choice for combating hair fall and breakage.
Honey for Scalp Health
Honey is amazing for the scalp because it helps to remove the buildup that can clog the hair follicle and lead to conditions like dermatitis. Honey also has anti-inflammatory properties that may improve conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Interestingly, dandruff is often caused by fungus or bacteria. Due to its antibacterial properties and anti-inflammatory effects, honey is also ideal for relieving dandruff, chronic seborrheic dermatitis, and the inflamed scalp that often accompanies both conditions.
Honey for Natural Hair Care
Organic honey is a fantastic choice for anyone interested in making the switch to natural hair care. It gently cleanses while adding moisture to the hair. It also gives the roots and strands of the hair a boost of vital amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Due to its regenerative properties, it’s great for the scalp, too.
Amazing Honey Facts
If we haven’t convinced you to incorporate honey into your haircare routine yet, these amazing facts about honey just might do the job. You already know that honey is made by honey bees, but we bet you didn’t know that there are over 300 different kinds of honey.
Each type of honey is specific to the flower blossoms the bees collected the nectar from. For example, Mirsalehi honey is sustainably sourced from the Mirsalehi Bee Garden, where the bees collect nectar from thistle, white clover, wild blackberry, and other native wildflowers. All of our Honey Infused products contain sustainably sourced honey from our own Mirsalehi Bee Garden.
Once the nectar is collected, it’s stored in the hive’s honeycomb and eventually converted into simple sugars. This process is achieved by water evaporation caused by constant fanning from the bees’ wings.
The result is sweet, thick honey that contains fructose, glucose, concentrated sugars, and numerous micronutrients. Due to its unique chemical composition, raw honey can be stored indefinitely without going bad.
Now let’s dive into some of our favourite ways to use honey for hair!
How to Use Honey for Hair
You’ll find honey as an ingredient in hair products formulated to nourish the hair and scalp and boost moisture and shine. It’s also a popular ingredient in hair oils and hair masks due to its regenerative benefits. Here’s how to incorporate honey into your haircare routine.
Honey Hair Wash
If you’re looking for a nourishing shampoo with beneficial ingredients like minerals, amino acids, and vitamins, you can’t go wrong with Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Wash. With honey as the key ingredient, this gentle hair cleanser removes build-up from the scalp and hair, while maintaining moisture balance.
Honey Conditioner
Who doesn’t love a weightless, nourishing conditioner that leaves the hair hydrated and manageable? Gisou’s Honey Infused Conditioner strengthens the hair with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids while restoring the moisture balance and leaving the hair tangle-free. Prefer a leave-in treatment? Try our Honey Infused Leave-in Conditioner, which hydrates, detangles and protects hair from heat damage, pollution and breakage.
Honey Hair Oil
Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Oil is a multitasking product made with Mirsalehi Honey. It is formulated to repair and rebuild the hair, add moisture and shine, and leave the hair soft and silky. Add it to your hair mask, use it as an overnight treatment, or try it as your everyday pre-styling and finishing product.
Honey Hair Mask
Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Mask is intensely nourishing and hydrating. It improves the overall elasticity, shine, and strength of the hair with honey as the main ingredient. It can be used before or after your shampoo, or as an overnight treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Honey for Hair
Is honey safe for hair?
Absolutely! Honey is completely natural and full of vital nutrients that improve the health, shine, and texture of your hair and scalp.
Which hair types can benefit from honey?
All hair types and textures can benefit from honey! Honey adds moisture and shine and reduces frizz by smoothing the hair follicles. However, certain hair types and textures may benefit even more than others.
For example, honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to benefit those with a dry, inflamed, or itchy scalp and conditions like dandruff. And, those with extremely dry, brittle, damaged, or curly hair will especially benefit from honey’s humectant properties and regenerative proteins
What are the side effects of using honey for hair?
Unless you’re allergic to honey or bee pollen, there are no known side effects of using honey for hair and scalp health. In fact, due to its many therapeutic properties, it’s an excellent natural ingredient for daily hair care.
How often can I use honey on my hair?
Honey can be used daily as an ingredient in shampoo, conditioner, or hair oil. Or, you can apply a honey hair mask once or twice a week, allowing it to sit on your hair for 10-15 minutes. It works well with coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, and other carrier oils traditionally used to add moisture to the hair.
Wonder which Honey Infused hair products work best for your hair? Take our Hair Quiz and find out!
Wrapping Up
For centuries, honey has been used by cultures across the globe for its amazing healing properties.
It contains abundant vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, along with anti-inflammatory properties, that make it beneficial for everything from wound healing to soothing a sore throat.
It’s no surprise that using honey for hair is a fantastic way to nourish and boost the health of your hair and scalp.
