The GAIA Health Blog

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I'm glad to see some women starting to take me up on my invite to come on in and participate in my "Girl Talk" blog section.

I originally only wanted to write a few articles myself to get it started, and let the ladies come in and share health and wellness ideas, stories, experiences, beauty tips……you know, "Girl Talk".

Then, I can focus on my "Men's Health" section.

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Anyhooz, let me introduce Nicole Nelson, down in Southern Cali, who is gonna hook you ladies up with her experiences with the best honey in the world, UMF Certified Manuka Honey.

So I'm gonna get out of the way, and go check out some ESPN Sports Channel, and let Nicole "handle her business" …….

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How Manuka Honey Saved My "Vanity Sanity"……

By: Nicole Nelson 1/17/2015

There I was, sitting at my computer, frantically searching for yet another alternative face wash recipe.  I’d tried it all, and everything had failed miserably.  As far as my experience with different face washes goes…I’d been down the “cheap and accessible” drug store route. 

I spent years traversing through “blow your whole paycheck but at least you’re going to look hot, and look how fucking cute this bottle is” Sephora Land.  And more recently, I had set foot into “Native American mixed with the Great Depression Era topped with something from India” territory.  Nothing ever worked!

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For years I battled with redness, acne……..

……. and simply put, just really shitty looking skin.  My skin either looked inflamed, malnourished, or had Mount Vesuvius popping up in various locations.  Usually most face washes failed the test because they seriously burned my sensitive skin. 

Others were intolerable because they left behind a nasty residue.  There were face washes that didn’t burn or leave my skin feeling as if slime was about to drip off, but they exacerbated the redness and acne or left my skin feeling painfully dry.  

Now, back to me…….

…..anxiously demanding that Google provide me with successful results for “Natural face wash recipes”.  I had just about given up hope when all of a sudden, Google revealed a list of articles claiming that one could use honey as a face wash.  Intrigued, I began to peruse.  I found out that honey – let me back up – REAL HONEY is pretty much anti-everything! 

It’s anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and seriously medicinal.  People all over were reporting how amazing honey made their skin look AND feel.  I want to reiterate that we’re talking about raw organic honey and/or Manuka honey.  Not the wannabe honey that you buy for $13 and comes in a cute little bear-shaped plastic bottle.

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I was convinced! 

Well, I was convinced enough to try it.  This brought me to my next step of research.  I needed to find out the best honey to use.  Although I read that any raw organic honey would suffice, I felt the most intelligent thing to do would be to start off with the best of the best.  That way, if the honey face wash didn’t work, I could automatically deduce that it was not in part due to using a low-quality honey. 

I had heard that there was something magical about Manuka honey, but I didn’t know why.  So, into the Google Vortex I returned.  I came across Gaia Health Blog and Doug Wallace’s AMAZING article on Manuka honey.  Check it out here

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I’m not even going to try….

….to condense any of the information from that article into this one.  Doug has clearly done his homework, and I can’t accurately present the research in a few sentences.  (Plus I think you should read it for yourself because it’s really good!) 

What I will say is this…Doug’s Manuka Project article explains why Manuka honey is so magical, and he also reveals a scam going on in the Manuka honey industry.  He then provides the reader with significant information on which brands to trust and why you can trust them.  (Hint:  Check the label for the UMF license)

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Right away I ordered……

…….a jar of Mossop’s Manuka Honey UMF 15+.  My first choice was Trader Joe's brand because it was so cheap, but they were all sold out.  As soon as I received the honey, I began my experiment.  I read that honey would not work as a make-up remover, so at night I removed my make-up in my usual fashion…grapeseed oil on a cotton ball. 

I then dipped my fingers into the jar of honey and immediately was enamored with how soft and silky the honey felt.  I spread the honey on my face, careful to make a clean circle around my eyes.  (Pin your hair back unless you like sticky hair.)  It felt soft, gentle, and calming.  And it smelled great! 

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For the first few days……

…….I would leave the honey on for 10 minutes and then rinse it off in the shower.  In the beginning there was the slimy feeling of left-over residue when I would get out of the shower.  So I began to use a warm wash cloth to wipe the honey off my face. 

These days I don’t often notice the residue feeling, and I don’t always use a wash cloth to wipe.  But I tend to leave the honey on much longer. 

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The bathroom night-time routine……

……can be so exhausting, especially after a long day.  So I like to do these things in steps and take breaks in between.  I remove my make-up, spread on the honey, and then I let the honey sit on my face while I go finish other tasks. 

I might fold laundry, or pack my lunch for the next day, or sink into the couch and wonder if the motivation to spare my pillow from honey stains is actually enough to propel me back onto my feet and into the bathroom to rinse my face.  Turns out…yes, it is. 

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The awesome thing about the honey face wash…….

….is that no matter how long you leave it on for, it won’t drip.  (Unless you put a lot on, which is highly unnecessary.)  I’m pretty sure there was one time I left the honey on my face for almost two hours.  But no matter what, I leave it on for at least 10 minutes.  It wasn’t long until I started noticing a difference in my skin.  Right away I noticed that it didn’t burn, and that in itself was a miracle. 

But along with that, my skin began to look fresh and alive.  My acne went away and has yet to return.  And my best friend keeps saying, “Dude, your face looks so relaxed.”  I feel pretty, oh so pretty, and that is how honey saved my "Vanity Sanity". 

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Big thanks…..

….to Doug for providing us with that fabulous article.  And if anyone would like to gossip about skin care, you can find me on my Facebook Page or my Website. Have a happy, healthy skin day, everyone!

….about Nicole Nelson

"I’m a born-again artist living in San Diego, CA.  At 27 years old, I’m young enough to live as if I have life all figured out, but old enough to understand that I most certainly do not.  My passion is, creating a life that is aesthetically pleasing to all 5 senses, and I’m always seeking collaborations to help complete that mission."

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~stay healthy~

click here or photo below below for  all my articles in "Girl Talk"