Mythbusters: Is Honey Good For Hair?

It's sweet. It's sticky. It's honey!

Oh, did you know that honey is one of the most versatile ingredients ever? Not only do we use it for cooking, but we can also use it to make all kinds of DIY beauty treatments.

Honey is certainly good for a lot of things, but in today's episode of ZALA Mythbusters, we just have to ask: is honey good for hair?

History of using honey on hair

Throughout history, honey has always been one of the most popular ingredients for beauty treatments, regardless of what body part we're talking about.

It's impossible to accurately point out the first time that someone ever used honey for their hair, but according to historians, Ancient Egyptians are some of the earliest people to recognize the benefits of honey in one's beauty regimen.

In fact, Cleopatra, undoubtedly one of the most famous names in Ancient Egypt's rich history, was said to regularly bathe in milk and honey. Beekeeping was already a common activity for Ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, so using honey for home-made treatments was certainly not out of the question for them.

Benefits of honey for hair

While Queen Cleopatra may have been using honey to make her skin much smoother and softer, as it was commonly used for, this sweet syrup also had plenty of benefits for her crowning glory.

These benefits include:

• locks in moisture in the strands. Honey is extremely good in locking in much-needed moisture in your beloved strands. You might have already guessed, considering how thick and sticky it can be.
• effectively cleanses dirty hair. Honey also has lots of antimicrobial properties, so it also surprisingly makes a good cleanser for your hair.
• protects hair from bacteria. Thanks to the same properties mentioned above, honey also has the ability to protect your hair from bacteria that could gather from environmental pollution or just dirty surroundings in general.
• naturally lighten hair. If you're looking for a way to lighten your hair without having to resort to harsh bleaching treatments, you may want to consider a honey treatment. A chemical process in honey allows it to effectively bleach your hair, provided that you leave it on for an extended period of time.
• remove hair. Honey is also good for removing thin or fine body hair. If you've got sensitive skin and fine hair, you're better off using honey than any commercial procedure our there.

DIY hair treatments with honey

Hair conditioner

What you need:

• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Completely mix the two ingredients together, warming them up if necessary.
2. Apply the mixture to slightly damp hair, making sure to comb through the strands to detangle and smoothen them out.
3. Rinse with water then wash with shampoo.

Honey hair mask

What you need:

• 1/2 cup of honey
• 2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until you achieve a smooth consistency.
2. Spread over your strands, covering the scalp and roots.
3. Leave on for 30 minutes.
4. Rinse with water then fully wash off with shampoo.
5. For best results, repeat 1x-2x a week.

Hair removal

What you need:

• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Mix these two ingredients together until they're blended well.
2. Gently apply the mixture to the areas you want to rid of hair.
3. Wait for 20-30 minutes.
4. Wipe off carefully with a warm, wet cloth.
5. Pat dry with cold water.

Is honey good for hair?

Honey is very good for hair, although not a lot of people like using it for that purpose. After all, honey can be rather sticky, which annoys some people.

That said, if you're open to trying something new (that's also guaranteed to show amazing results for you) then do try out this DIY hair treatment now!

For more hair tips and tricks, please feel free to check out our ZALA blog!