As you may have seen from their first post, Heather and Dom Ridout have upped sticks and swapped their London lives for a brand new venture in Brazil with a few bees called Beeconomics! Firstly they told us why they’re going, and now they’ve kindly written a fantastic piece on the benefits of bees and beauty! 

They’ve started up Beeconomics, and if you like what you read from their very first post for us, then good news! There’ll be more updates in the coming weeks! Also, if you feel inclined to support the cause, you can find out all you can follow them on Facebook andTwitter

Most importantly, they’ve just launched a crowd funding campaign called Show me the Honey! to help their cause, so if you want to support it, then click here!

Back to the Beauty bit!  

Honey has incredible skin and hair care properties. It has been revered throughout history for this purpose – the Egyptians used it in mummification (the ultimate anti-ager!), Cleopatra bathed in it, the Romans used it on battle wounds, whilst the wife of the Roman Emperor Nero, Poppea, formulated a honey based moisturiser. Queen Anne of England used it to condition her hair and Madame du Barry (famous for her beauty and for being Louis XV’s final mistress) may have been the first to make a homemade honey face-mask, a practice continued by modern starlets such as Scarlett Johansson who attributes her healthy glow to a manuka mask (just honey, nothing added).

This remarkable substance is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It soothes and moisturises and is a humectant meaning that it draws moisture towards it and seals it onto the skin, prolonging its moisturising effect. It contains phytochemicals which make it antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory. It is also self preserving (due to its anti-microbial constituents, low PH, moisture content and water activity) as famously illustrated by archeologists who found 2,000 year-old jars of honey in Egyptian tombs!

Honey can be applied neat to the skin or combined with other complementary ingredients. We’re sure you will be keen to get some on your skin – so here are some ideas for a homemade face mask using honey and things you might find in the fridge:

* Make a simple Cleopatra-esque mask using plain yogurt/cream (we find milk doesn’t stay on so well!) and honey to moisturise and soothe (recommended for sensitive skin)

* Mix honey, oats (best if ground first to avoid clumpiness) and a little lemon/lime (rich in AHAs and vitamin C) to moisturise and exfoliate

* Blend some enzyme-rich papaya (also contains vitamin A) and honey together to brighten and banish dead skin cells without scrubbing

 TAHDAAAHHH!!!! You’ll be looking like a goddess in no time!

Happy Bee-autifying!!