Minty Gal

Open Journal Entry One: Honey and I 

Amidst the endless droves of skincare products that line market shelves and swarm social media feeds is me, with an empty bottle of face wash and an even emptier wallet. Little old me- sad, broke, and facewash-less. I had to find something fast- and soon enough, I found myself plunging my hand back into my old DIY bag of tricks, the same bag I abandoned in my middle school locker. 

I didn’t make a conscious decision to abandon this bag. It’s not like I’m unaware that half the products on the market are, essentially, useless. It’s just… marketing is one hell of a tool. And when the current window of beauty is before maturity, it’s easy to get swept up in the sweet, ageless lies that beautiful models and influencers tell you. The same models and influencers that are reading off a script, not from their own pen. The same ones that get a cut every time you make a purchase, as long as you don’t forget to use their code at checkout.

I digress. Let’s get back to little old me. Still sad. Still broke. Still facewash-less. If I’m honest, I would just skip washing my face altogether. I got away with it in college. Somehow, despite getting 8 hours of sleep a week and running on canned tuna and coffee that was darker than sin, my skin was glowing. I’ve never looked more vivacious and youthful. After the clock struck midnight on my 25th birthday, my skin has never been the same. It demands attention. Routine. Something I have never been the best at maintaining. Maybe it’s the realization that I check a different box now. I’m no longer in the 18-24 category. Now I am a full-fledged adult, and my whole being craves the kind of orderly life an adult is expected to have. 

Now, here I am- a full-fledged adult looking at 13-year-old me’s DIY Pinterest board. Perusing the recipes, I couldn’t help but notice how dangerous some of them are. Lemon and baking soda to whiten teeth? Coconut oil and coarse sugar scrub for face? No way I followed these ones. Or maybe I did, and those memories are buried under embarrassing moments and fictional crushes. 

There’s also one other thing I notice- every single skincare recipe, from masks to scrubs, includes one important ingredient: Honey. I knew honey was good for you, but you can’t just smear something all over your face out of desperation. At least, not without Googling it first. A few convincing articles later, I was slathering that sweet golden syrup on my face, one fingerful at a time. 

It felt weird at first. Sticky. Thick. Gripping my eyebrows and delicate upper lip hair, reminding me of the hairy beast I am (LOL). But it also felt strangely satisfying. Slow, methodical, sweet on my lips. I fell in love with how the translucent gold shimmered on my bronze skin, reflecting the poor, dying lightbulb in my bathroom with an almost ancient glow.

Washing it off almost felt better than applying it. Once I pat my skin dry, I relish the touch of my buttery smooth skin bouncing back on my finger pads. I must’ve been in the bathroom for about 5 minutes, just feeling my happy skin. 

I did this for the next week. Every morning and every night, I painted my skin with the sweet golden elixir. I began to look forward to my new ritual. I know this sounds dramatic, but I almost felt like I was replenishing part of myself- a part that was lost in the sea of 9-step skincare routines, shipwrecked on the journey of looking 20 forever. 

By the end of the week, my skin was glowing. The small dark marks that a few angry pimples left on my face were faded now, and the stubborn blackheads on my nose had disappeared, things that my previous routine couldn’t get rid of. I am still shocked- Honey is better than my normal face wash. It is cheaper, more effective, and makes me feel amazing. I recommend that anyone reading this give honey a try. Who knows- maybe it will work better than your current face wash. Maybe it will make you feel better, too.

Just don’t forget- Raw honey only. Locally made, if you can find it.