Starr Ingredient: Manuka Honey
I am excited to start our monthly STARR INGREDIENT series with MANUKA HONEY. It is a wonderful gift of nature, and I think this honey is just a hair short of miraculous.
Many of you have probably never heard of manuka honey until now. To be honest, I too was clueless about this honey until about a year ago. I was busy doing research and development for Tubb Starr when I came across this powerful nectar. I was instantly blown away by the amazing qualities this honey possesses.
So, to get started, I want to share with you the wonderful benefits that this powerful nectar provides to the hair and skin, as well as the health benefits it can give to our bodies. This article will also tell you why manuka honey is different than the honey you slather on your pancakes or use to sweeten your tea. Finally, I will share with you all the reasons other, more knowledgeable folks (like scientists and doctors) have hailed it as damn near miraculous too.
- HOW TO USE MANUKA HONEY IN HAIR & SKIN CARE
- Dry Hair, Breakage & Split-Ends
- Hair Growth
- Dandruff & Beard-Druff
- Seborrheic Dermatitis
- Dry, Irritated & Blemished Skin
- THE NUMEROUS BENEFITS OF MANUKA HONEY TO OUR BODIES
- Dry Hair, Breakage & Split-Ends
- Healing Properties & Wound Care
- Antioxidant & Anti-inflammatory Properties
- WHERE TO BUY MANUKA HONEY?
- WTF is the UMF?
- WHERE DOES MANUKA HONEY COME FROM?
- First Came the Bush
- Then Came the Bee
- Then Came the Manuka Honey from the Manuka Tree
- THE GREAT DEBATE
- STARR QUALITY
HOW TO USE MANUKA HONEY IN HAIR & SKIN CARE
Manuka honey can prove to be a powerful ingredient in hair and skin care since it exhibits emollient, humectant, soothing and conditioning effects (1). These qualities make it a great moisturizer and conditioner for dry hair, helping to prevent breakage, tangles, fraying and split-ends.
Its fungus- and bacteria-fighting properties make it an invaluable option to aid in the treatment of several different conditions of the hair and scalp, such as dandruff and sebborrheic dermatitis, as well as some causes of hair loss.
Manuka honey’s antiseptic properties make it great for skin care too since it has been used to treat acne, eczema and psoriasis, alleviating redness and inflammation of the skin. It can even reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and scars.
Additionally, all types of honey are great humectants, meaning they retain or preserve moisture. Thus, manuka honey has the moisturizing properties of regular honey but is a better contender in the fight against the causes of several common and problematic hair and skin issues.
DRY HAIR, BREAKAGE & SPLIT-ENDS
There are three layers to each strand of hair, and the visible or outermost layer is the cuticle. It is the gateway to letting moisture in and keeping chemicals and other harmful substances out.
The cuticle is made up of overlapping cells that are scaly and rough in texture and in some instances, like in curly hair or exposure to some chemicals (e.g., hair dye), these cells raise up. When the cells are raised there are many issues that can arise, including loss of moisture.
Typically dry hair is the result of a lack of moisture at the root of the hair or the inability of the hair shaft to retain moisture. Manuka honey, a natural humectant and emollient, can help keep hair full of moisture and shine.
Honey is comprised of sugars which do not contain much water in their raw, natural state. Thus, it is manuka honey’s hygroscopicity–its ability to absorb moisture from the atmosphere surrounding it–that make use of it in a hair care routine beneficial to thirsty locks.
Manuka honey’s emollient qualities then provide a protective barrier on the surface of the cuticle to lock in the moisture absorbed from the air, helping to prevent moisture loss. By filling in the rough gaps between the scaly cells of the cuticle, honey coats the hair shaft so that it appears smoother and feels softer.
The rough texture of the cuticle also makes it more susceptible to abrasion. Any one of the causes of damage below can eventually wear down a cuticle layer, allowing the keratin fibrils in the cortex and medulla to frizz, fraying the hair and creating split-ends.
Some causes for splitting and fraying of hair are excessive blow-drying; exposure to extreme temperatures; pulling or playing with hair; improper detangling; improper combing and brushing (like when it is wet or by using combs/brushes made of synthetic materials); using inferior or harsh products (like those containing sodium laureth sulfate); exposing hair to chemicals (like dyes); and using an excess of product.
To make hair shiny, smooth, soft and tangle free, the scaly cells of the cuticle must be smoothed over. The humectant and emollient properties of manuka honey achieve this so that the cells of the cuticle are sealed and moisture is locked in, meaning it will be retained longer. This leads to healthier, shinier hair, and it also helps prevent damage to hair from snags and abrasion.
HAIR GROWTH
Manuka honey can also help your hair and beard grow through its healthy zinc, iron, Vitamin C and B-Viamin content.
Zinc is an important nutrient to hair because it is involved in the building of keratin. Keratin is what gives hair its flexibility and strength. Zinc is also a component of good collagen formation which is needed to secure hair to the scalp and skin. Furthermore, zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss and manuka honey’s zinc content can help prevent this for some people by its supplementation in their diet.
Iron-deficient individuals may experience hair loss or a thinning of hair, and manuka honey is one way that people can add extra iron to their diet. With more iron being taken in, the better the chance that hair loss due to anemia will subside since iron controls the amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells and this is necessary for healthy hair function.
DANDRUFF & BEARD-DRUFF
Unlike the myths of the past, dandruff is not a result of poor hygiene. More surprisingly to some, neither is it a result of dry skin. Rather, dry skin can be the result of dandruff.
In the case of mistaking dandruff to be the result of a dry scalp, many have relied on repeated shampooing to eliminate the problem, often with a formulated product. This can actually worsen the problem.
Dandruff and beard-druff (dandruff in the beard) are both caused by the microbe Malassezia, which is a yeast/fungus that naturally occurs on everyone’s skin. This dirty scoundrel loves to feed on sebum, which is the skin’s life support.
Sebum is the natural oil produced under the skin by our sebaceous glands and which is pushed to the skin’s surface through hair follicles.
This connection between the hair follicle and its transport of sebum make Malassezia yeasts a problem for both hair and skin. Thus, a dry, itchy scalp and irritated skin where facial hair is sprouting may actually be the result of these microbes eating away at the sebum.
Lipids, which are fats, make up the skin’s sebum, and the building blocks of these lipids include free fatty acids, such as linoleic acid and oleic acid.
When a microbe like Malassezia feasts on sebum, it breaks down the healthy oils of the scalp and the skin underneath beard hair, eating away the linoleic acid. This results in the linoleic acid content of the sebum being near non-existent and oleic acid being what is left behind.
Too much oleic acid on the skin is the cause of dandruff and beard-druff, and it can lead to even more issues, such as dry skin, redness, itch, irritation, acne and even hair loss.
According to Head & Shoulders, nearly 50% of the population has a skin sensitivity to oleic acid. Thus, when that dirty little microbe feasts on your linoleic acid and leaves you with a heaping amount of only oleic acid, you have a one in two chance that you will develop skin irritation, if not dandruff or beard-druff (2).
The symptoms of dandruff/beard-druff are red, irritated skin and patches of dead skin cells that flake off. The skin is often dry and itchy as a result.
Manuka honey can help relieve these symptoms as it is an anti-inflammatory. Even better, because of its antimicrobial power, it may even ward off dandruff and beard-druff by working against Malassezia globosa and Malassezia furfur, the two strains that cause skin and hair issues for many folks.
SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS
If you are noticing more than just dry skin and flaking, like crusty yellow patches or hair loss, then you may be experiencing something more serious than dandruff/beard-druff. It could be seborrheic dermatitis, which is caused by M. furfur.
Seborrheic dermatitis is an over-production of sebum. When excess sebum is pushed up through the hair follicles of the scalp and face, clogging often occurs and the excess sebum forms yellow, scaly patches.
The first thing you should do if you find yourself itching your scalp or around your beard is to treat the area for dandruff by cleansing regularly, and moisturizing and treating the area with an antifungal ingredient, like manuka honey.
If this does not help and the irritation continues or you see scaly patches forming on your skin, then you should contact a dermatologist to check if it is something more serious.
Just remember, cleansing too often with the WRONG cleanser can strip your hair and skin of healthy, natural and necessary oils. Washing your hair and skin with the RIGHT kind of cleanser is effective at removing dirt and bacteria, unclogging hair follicles and pores, as well as preventing bacterial and fungal infections.
Tubb Starr has an Uber-Moisturizing Foaming Conditioner with Honey & Aloe and an Uber-Moisturizing Beard Wash with Honey & Aloe that are both formulated for every-day use and include manuka honey to help prevent dandruff and beard-druff.
DRY, IRRITATED & BLEMISHED SKIN
The problem of dry skin is much like that of dry hair. The skin’s lack of moisture and inability to retain moisture is what leads to other skin problems, like fine lines and flaky patches.
Manuka honey’s humectant and emollient properties help skin in much of the same way it does hair. It acts as a moisturizing agent to provide proper hydration to the skin and can smooth the skin’s surface. Its antibacterial properties help cleanse the pores of the skin of any microbes that could further cause irritation, like acne.
As an emollient it can also help regulatate sebum production. Although we produce sebum through our sebaceous glands naturally, there are several reasons why sebum production can become an issue. The most annoying of these issues can be acne.
The buildup of sebum in the hair follicles of the face mixed together with the skin-residing bacterium, known as Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), can cause an infection and swelling, forming pimples or acne on the skin’s surface (3).
Any fungus, yeast or bacteria on the skin can also result in dry, irritated and blemished skin. That is why it is so important to know what you are putting on your face and also how those ingredients will affect you.
Using products that are too alkaline (higher on the pH scale) can disrupt our skin’s delicate barrier of defense, which barrier is called the acid mantle. The acid mantle on our face typically has a pH of 5.5. This is slightly acidic since the pH scale is neutral at 7, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline.
The wrong ingredients on your skin can raise the pH level and over time, cause some major irritation.
Since the acid mantle of our face typically reads at 5.5 on the pH scale, a cleanser and toner that also has a pH close to 5 (meaning it is slightly acidic) will be the best option (4).
The pH of manuka honey can fall somewhere below 6, which means its application to the face will not disrupt the acid mantle.
The best ways to benefit from this powerhouse is to exfoliate with it by mixing it with a safe abrasive, like brown sugar to create a scrub. Manuka honey can also be used in a soap, wash or shampoo (like Tubb Starr’s Honeycomb Bath Soap).
Face masks made using the honey can help release dirt and other grime from pores and can purify, detox and moisturize the skin. As a natural anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, antiseptic, antiviral and anti-infection treatment for the skin, it can gently pull the bad stuff out of pores and hair follicles to the surface of skin so it can be washed away.
Finally, manuka honey is rich in Vitamins C and B-Vitamins, and these nutrients are necessary in supplying the skin and hair with proper hydration and strength, and can help maintain a youthful and healthy appearance.
THE NUMEROUS BENEFITS OF MANUKA HONEY TO OUR BODIES
Cave men may be depicted as being a dumb, naive people, but they were on to something way back then that we are still trying to more fully understand today!
Drawings of man with honey have been found in caves used during the Stone Age, approximately 8000 years ago. These paintings point to the use of honey for more than just food–they also used honey as medicine.
HEALING PROPERTIES & WOUND CARE
Not as long ago, some time during the 1800s, it was discovered by scientists that honey contained compounds that were antibacterial. This opened the door to honey’s extended use in medicinal care.
All honey, when diluted, produces low levels of hydrogen peroxide, which is what gives honey its special seat in the natural healing world. Peroxide works by releasing the oxygen from a cut or wound (which is that bubbling action you get). This removes dead skin cells and helps keep the cut clean from infection. The extra-special quality of manuka honey is not more hydrogen peroxide–it is the presence of NON-peroxide antibacterial properties.
In addition to treating wounds and helping to heal cuts, manuka honey has also been used to treat a sore throat and as a cough suppressant. Many use it to aid digestion, to clean teeth and gums, to treat insomnia, cardiac pain and heart palpitations, and it is being looked at for the treatment of ulcers. It can also help lung imbalances and anemia. Some have even used it to treat various eye ailments, including the prevention of cataracts, and to improve eye-sight through application of the honey to the eyes!
Not too long after the antibacterial findings, manuka honey was found to have even MORE antibacterial compounds than the average honey. The reason for this lies within the manuka bush.
Bees who pollinate the manuka bush are exposed to a specific compound called dihydroxyacetone (DHA). It is this this DHA content that serves as a precursor to methylglyoxal (MGO) being produced from the resulting honey, but this process can take more than 12-18 months (5).
After the DHA is converted, slowly, into MGO, this MGO content gives manuka honey its even more amazing healing benefits because it has more than just peroxide activity in its antibacterial property. It has been reported that it has an inhibitory effect on nearly 60 species of bacteria, including the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
ANTI-OXIDANT & ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES
An antioxidant is something that inhibits oxidation so that preservation-like activity occurs, typically of food and in some cases, cosmetics and other body products. However, despite a common misconception, an antioxidant is NOT a preservative. Although it can slow down the deterioration process of food and other substances, it does not have a true preservative effect. (We discuss this in more detail in our blog post, “Preservatives: Why They Are a Must”.)
Despite manuka honey’s anti-oxidant property not making it a true preservative, it does have its own preservation effect that makes storage of the honey long-lasting. You can open a jar of properly sealed manuka honey from 100 years ago and enjoy it as if it was made that day. Manuka honey’s low pH level and antiseptic qualities do make it a better preservative than just regular honey; however, this does not mean that honey exposed to air (not having been sealed) would be just as good as honey that had remained sealed. This is because it could eventually go bad since certain bacteria could form in its absorbed water content.
An anti-inflammatory works by reducing production of prostaglandins, the body’s naturally produced fatty acid compounds that control inflammation. A report has shown that manuka honey can reduce activity of two enzymes responsible for the production of prostaglandins, thus reducing inflammation in the body. Since NSAIDs and other medications are known to have sometimes serious side effects, this allows manuka honey to enter the ring as a safer option for many who experience health complications (6).
(Of course, we at Tubb Starr are not doctors nor are we giving any medical advice. Please do not rely on this post or information found on the internet as professional advice, and please see the footer of this post for more information. You should always consult with your doctor before trying any new changes to your diet and exercise routine.)
WHERE TO BUY MANUKA HONEY
In using manuka honey to treat various ailments, or if you are making an at-home cosmetic application or when applying it to the hair, buying raw, pure or unfiltered form is best. When you shop for honey, you can be faced with a very large selection to choose from as there are over 300 varieties of honey (7).
Some of these varieties include (as said in our best Bubba from Forrest Gump voice) local honey, imported honey, honey that is raw and honey that is pasteurized (or that has been treated). There is liquid honey, honey that still has the beeswax comb in it (comb honey), granulated honey, chunk honey and cream honey. There are even different flavors of honey based on the source, such as sourwood, blueberry, clover, eucalyptus, buckwheat… I think you get the idea.
Honey sold by your grocer may not be entirely pure, despite labelling, and may be adulterated with the addition of high fructose corn syrup. So buying honey from local beekeepers or putting your trust in pure honey from health food stores is often the best way to go when buying any type of honey.
The same is true for manuka honey. Health food stores and vitamin/nutrition shops often carry manuka honey because of its amazing benefits to the human body. A lot of big grocery stores have expanded their inventory to include aisles devoted to healthy, organic and whole foods.
I have found manuka honey being sold at a vitamin store and my local grocer. There was more varieties of manuka honey at the vitamin store than with the large grocery chain (which had two brands for purchase). Both stores had it priced higher than what I have been able to find online.
However, I ran into a little issue when looking for manuka honey, which is the Unique Manuka Factor…
WTF IS THE UMF?
The Unique Manuka Factor (the “UMF”) was created by marketing genius, Bill Floyd in 1991 as a response to the rising demand of manuka honey across the world. The National Beekeepers’ Association of New Zealand that hired Floyd was looking to regulate the production and exportation of the manuka honey being put on shelves.
According to the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (the “UMFHA”), the UMF is used to certify a particular brand of manuka honey as one that has special qualities. If the front label of the honey you are wanting to purchase does not have “UMF” on it, you may want to put it back on the shelf and save your money. Or, you may want to do as I did and question just what the UMF should mean to me, the consumer?
To answer that question the best way I know how, I decided to look at the history of manuka honey. I am going to share that with you all so that, just as I did, you can decide whether the UMF is a way for New Zealand to profit off a special kind of honey only grown in certain areas of the world, or if it is indeed a way to protect the manuka honey buyer.
Manuka honey that is UMF certified is made in only one region of the world–New Zealand . However, New Zealand is not the only location that manuka bushes are grown or that bees pollinate this kind of flower. Yet the producers and exporters of the “liquid gold” from manuka bushes are held to strict quality standards set by the Kiwis. It is only if they meet these standards that they are then allowed to use the UMF trademark on their product. If they do not have this certification, then they are indicated to be below the set standard (8).
Hmmm….
WHERE DOES MANUKA HONEY COME FROM?
Although the manuka honey we use in Tubb Starr products and that which is hailed for its medicinal qualities is currently sourced from New Zealand, the honey is argued to have originally come to fruition in Australia.
FIRST CAME THE BUSH
The manuka bush/tree (Leptospermums) made its debut when it was first described by German explorer, Johann Forster in a 1778 book he published as the result of a voyage around the world with fellow explorer, James Cook.
Forster found the bush in Australia, where 83 of the 87 species of the Leptospermum plant are said to reside. The native plant is able to withstand the droughts, fires and floods common to Australia, making it highly sustainable (9).
The Leptospermum is a species of the myrtle family, as is the tea tree. It has thin, pointy green leaves and pretty white flowers that are sometimes pink or even red. They are identifiable by their five rounded petals and the five stamens (the pollen-producing parts of a plant) that alternate with the petals.
The bush spreads quickly since its seeds are light and numerous, making them easily dispersed with wind. The ability of the manuka bush to withstand arid, hot climates give it sustainability, but it is almost a pest when it germinates in moist and even weakened soil. For this reason, in Hawaii, where the plant has also been introduced, it is deemed as a weed. It can also affect pastures, causing a lot of farmers the headache of removing the bush from their land (10).
THEN CAME THE BEE
The European bee (Apis mellifera) was introduced to the Australia mainland in 1822.
For New Zealand, the A. Mellifera were introduced to the manuka bush by Mary Bumby, an English beekeeper. She traveled nearly six months with her bees she kept in baskets before setting up her apiary on the North Island (10).
With the introduction of this bee to the Leptospermum, the beautiful dark and bitterly sweet nectar of manuka was born.
THEN CAME THE MANUKA HONEY FROM THE MANUKA TREE
What I find a little humorous is that due to the particularly strong flavor of manuka honey, it was initially undesirable to consumers. Thus, farmers whose crops were inundated with the bush spent a lot of time and money working to remove it from their land, considering it to be nothing more than a nuisance. If they had only known then what we know now…
It was not until 160 years after Forster first described the manuka bush during his voyage that manuka honey’s marvelous antiseptic properties were uncovered.
In 1973 a Welsh scientist, Peter Molan, moved his family to New Zealand where he established the first biochemistry course at Waikato University. In his position as Director of the Honey Research Unit at the university, Molan researched the antiseptic qualities of the honey produced by bees pollinating the flowers of the manuka bush.
In 1981 Molan discovered that manuka honey is different and far superior to many other types of honey because of its high methylglyoxal (“MGO”) content.
Due to the hard work of this late and great scientist, the world now knows that manuka honey has a special non-peroxide antimicrobial property due to its high methylglyoxal (“MGO”) content. This MGO content is because the bees who pollinate the manuka bush are exposed to a specific compound called dihydroxyacetone (“DHA”). This is something we discussed above when we learned of its antiseptic quality.
Now comes the dispute… Yes, even manuka honey can be something people can argue about.
THE GREAT DEBATE
According to the Australian Manuka Honey Association (the “AMHA”), A. mellifera were brought to Australia 20 years prior to the bees’ appearance in New Zealand (AMHA). This would mean that the Aussies were producing manuka honey long before the Kiwis (9).
The bush is grown in both Kiwi and Aussie territory, this is something that is agreed upon. However, the farmers in Australia, seeing the bush as a nuisance, imported scale insects to destroy the bush so that it would be eradicated from their land. The high levels of scale insect attacks on the bush is the reason it began to dwindle in Australia, and there was hardly any viable honey being produced from these plants.
Once Molan’s breakthrough was announced to the world, the Kiwis were ready to take the manuka-hungry world by storm, and this they did.
The New Zealand Manuka Honey Appellation Society even went as far as trademarking “manuka honey” as theirs, excluding Australia and other areas where the bush grows from being able to make claim to its production. This certification means buyers in other parts of the world can be assured that manuka honey from New Zealand contains the specific qualities that make it so special: the DHA, MGO and Leptosperin content.
Jelly bush honey and other types of manuka honey that are produced in Australia and places other than New Zealand do not have this rating system; however, there are other grading systems out there, like the KFactor and MGO.
The AMHA was put together in October of 2017 to fight the claim of the kiwis that manuka honey is specifically and only honey produced from bushes grown in New Zealand, wishing to be able to use the term on honey that they produce on Aussie territory.
To support this, the AMHA points to the fact that 83 of the 87 known species of the manuka bush are located in Australia. They also state that only one species can be found in New Zealand, and that species was one that originated in Australia (9).
So, whether you are in line with the UMF being the only acceptable way that manuka honey can be graded or believe that all manuka honey can be created somewhat equal, so long as there is some way of checking the properties that make it special, you are sure to find that it is not cheap either way.
Although we cannot even say which way is better or if this is all just a money and marketing issue, we do know that the cheaper the manuka honey the more questionable it should be since there is a lot of money to be made in producing this honey.
In fact, if we wanted to add more to this debate we could point out the sustainability of the manuka bush in other parts of the world…
Growth has been reported in places far from New Zealand and Australia, like parts of Europe, Southeast Asia and South Africa.
With great advances in technology, e-commerce and science, and with information literally at our fingertips, the manuka bush has made its way to certain areas of the USA, as well. It has been reported to have successfully grown in certain areas of Florida, California, Texas and Louisiana, as well as some other locations.
So does this mean that even I, as a Texas resident, could be making my own honey from a manuka bush grown in my backyard?
STARR QUALITY
My hope in writing about this month’s Starr Ingredient is that you will be equally as surprised and excited as I was to learn of manuka honey’s numerous benefits. I also hope that you see how its inclusion in Tubb Starr products makes our Uber-Moisturizing Beard Wash with Honey & Aloe, facial scrubs, face wash, Honeycomb Bath Soap and bath bombs just that much better.
(2) Head & Shoulders. Beard Dandruff Explained. Proctor&Gamble. Last viewed on July 15, 2018.
(3) Nordqvist, Christopher. What you need to know about acne. Medical News Today. November 27, 2017.
(4) Anna, Author & Expert. Balancing Act! pH Balance of Skin. SkincareRx. October 29, 2016.
(8) The Manuka Honey Grading System. UMFHA. Last viewed on July 11, 2018.
(10) Von Eaton, Cliff. Manuka: The Biography of an Extraordinary Honey. Exisle Publishing Limited. 2014.
This article and the blog where it is published are for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views and opinions in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Tubb Starr or its affiliates. The facts included, referenced and cited in this article are true to the best of our knowledge; however, there may be omissions, mistakes and/or errors. Any inclusion in this article of advice, whether it be from a physician, medical practicioner or professional, licensed or not, is intended for informational purposes only and to induce conversation. It is not intended, nor shall it be used or relied upon, as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any reliance upon views, opinions, facts and/or advice given in this article is done so at the risk of the reader.
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