# What keeps honey from getting runny in lotions?



## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

I have used honey on my skin for cuts,burns,blemishes, etc. It works great but once it gets warm on my skin, it starts to run and eventually gets so thin that it drips.
Does anyone know of a natural additive I could use to prevent this? Thanks. J


----------



## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Thinking this belongs in Products Of The Hive....


----------



## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

What's your recipe? Never made any lotions but do make lip balm which may be similar. Some lotions recipes use two parts oil and one part bees wax. Increase wax content to make it firmer. Not sure if you can mix honey in oil or wax. 

You might also look up soap recipes, some have hardeners added to them, some also use honey.


----------



## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Thanks Flower. I have just put raw, solidified honey on myself. So, I don't have a recipe and that's what I am looking for. The only thing I have made from my hives was wood butter for preserving wood cutting boards and I made that with wax and coconut oil. I will check out the soap recipes. Looking for something that I can use so the main ingredient is honey, yet it doesn't run once it gets warm. Thanks for the help.
For those who may not have tried honey on your skin, I want you to try it. I am a middle aged man that is not too concerned about how I look, but I have used honey on cuts and blemishes and it seems to heal the skin quicker. We all know that it is a natural antibiotic, but I was a bit skeptical as is my nature. But my nurse daughter told me that they are now using a honey based ointment in the hospital for burns and infected skin areas and it is working well. J


----------



## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

So, I ordered a Kunaka honey based skin remedy and it has glycerin in it. It is less runny that just putting honey on my skin so think I am going to try adding it to some honey. Anyone have suggestions as to how much? Thanks, J


----------



## Arbol (Apr 28, 2017)

you just can't mix honey into lotions or cremes.
there is to much water in honey and glycerine doesn't blend well for it to mix correctly.
You need to emulsify the blend so the honey water fraction stays mixxed.
otherwise forget your idea it won't work.
veg glycerine is not easy to work with and it takes over a year for glycerine to age correctly
to absorb the medical value of your additives.
I have a blend of honey propolis bee venom wax glycerine and herbs with a
blend of oils, been making it for 40+yrs and it does not have the crappy olive oil in it
that all beeks use to ruin their salves and balms. most if not all oils go rancid, only a few specific oils stay fresh.
No way, I will not give out my recipes, it's our standard, and how our products stand out above and beyond
the nasty junk sold out there.


----------



## PaulT (Sep 2, 2015)

HMMM. I must have missed the part about stealing a business formula. Sounds more like a sales pitch rant than a beekeeper helping a beekeeper. JMHO


----------



## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

So in the USA, anyone can just make and start selling home made skin creams, without disclosing the ingredients? This would not be the case in my country.



Fivej said:


> Does anyone know of a natural additive I could use to prevent this? Thanks. J


A pure guess, but lecithin? Then you could emulsify the other ingredients in.



Fivej said:


> I have used honey on my skin for cuts,burns,blemishes, etc. It works great but once it gets warm on my skin, it starts to run and eventually gets so thin that it drips.


You say you are using hard honey, this is part of the problem. The crystal size means when you spread it on your skin you spread it pretty thick, so it is more prone to run and drip. Use liquid honey and spread it thinner.


----------



## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Thanks everyone. This is for my own personal use, not for sale, and I am not looking to steal anyone's recipe. Oldtimer: I do use liquid honey and it runs as it gets warm. However, I bought Kunaka honey for acne (which I think you mentioned in some other post which led me to buy it) and it is less runny. The only ingredients are honey and glycerin which led me to believe that perhaps it is the glycerin that makes it less runny. J


----------

