How to get rid of blackheads with honey and a DIY facial steam

Hey, honey! Here’s how to get rid of blackheads with sticky honey and a DIY facial steam cleanse. Your pores will thank you!

How to get rid of blackheads with honey and a facial steam

Want to get clear skin? Honey can help! You just need a little hot water to open those pores first. Here’s how:

DIY facial steam

Before you start: Make sure your face is clean of makeup and you have a towel and a jar of honey to hand. If you want to be fancy, get some sliced fresh lemon, too.

Boil some water in a pan (about 4 cups).

Take the water off the pan (important!) and put it on a heatproof flat surface that you can safely lean over.

The fancy bit: Pop some fresh sliced lemon into the just-boiled water. The astringent lemon has such a lovely clean smell when you inhale the steam in the next bit.

Drape the towel over your head like a tent (or your very own blanket fort) and put your face over the steam rising from the pan.

Stay like that as long as you can! If it feels really uncomfortable, stop doing it. But you should find that it’s kind of pleasurable to breathe in and out into the steam. See if you can stay like that for 3-5 minutes. This opens up your pores to the honey magic later on.

Remove the towel. Pat cool water onto your face (with clean hands) to soothe it. Pat dry with a towel.

Honey cleanse

Now for the sticky honey bit! Pour some honey onto a plate. With your fingers, dab it gently onto your face. Avoid your eyes and mouth, though. They’re gorgeous just as they are. Next, massage it very gently into the skin with a circular motion.

Well done – you’ve now got honey on your face! Keep it on for about a quarter of an hour. Try to keep your facial muscles loose and relaxed – that means sitting quietly and maybe watching TV or reading a book.

When you’re done, rinse the honey off with tepid (lukewarm) water, very gently rubbing the honey away. You may even see those little blackheads come away as you do it. Finish off with a splash of cold water to close the pores up again.

Finally, your face dry with a towel, moisturise in your usual way and you’re done!

The science bit: why honey is good for acne and skin

• Honey’s stickiness helps to clear blackheads by gently pulling dirt from your skin’s pores, especially if you’ve opened the pores first with a clean. The blackheads get pulled away, too!
• Honey is hydrating. It hydrates your skin, and tightens your skin pores too.
• Honey contains a cornucopia of good things that destroy germs and the impurities which can clog your skin. Along with its antibacterial properties, honey contains antioxidants and antiseptic.
• Honey’s low pH levels (somewhere between 3 and 4.5) reduce your skin’s suitability as a breeding ground for blackhead-causing bacteria.

Good work, honey! Here’s to looking and feeling your best!