Stingless Bee Honey - Madu Kelulut

I never knew that there was such a thing as a stingless bee! Wow....

A friend gave me a bottle of honey called 'Madu Kelulut', and my first thought was....
"Kelulut? Hahaha...What a funny name!"

 I tasted the honey and subsequent reaction to the honey was...
"Eh why does it taste sour? And it's so runny, not like normal honey? Must be fake lah! Or spoiled!"

I was duly informed (and educated!), that the honey is also called Stingless bee honey, and that it's supposed to taste sour, and it's more medicinal and more expensive than normal honey. And then I thought...
"Ohhhhh... If it's supposedly better than normal honey, then maybe I can use it on my face!"

I have previously read on how honey makes such a great natural face wash, especially for dry sensitive skin like mine. However, when I tried regular honey on my face, my face will be red and itchy not long afterwards. I never knew why, but was very disappointed that it did not work for me. Which was why I somehow hoped that Madu Kelulut might be different!

So I slathered a good amount of this special honey on my face and waited for my skin to start itching, and it never did! It was very easy to apply and rinse off due to its runny consistency, and it did leave  my skin feeling hydrated. Of course, I continued to use it twice a day (these days I only do OCM once a week because I just don't have the time to do it daily!). Did get one or two pimples although nothing major, but I noticed a difference in my skin after about 2 weeks. Certain persistent dry patches around my lips (due to conventional toothpaste!) were almost totally gone and my skin felt healthy and was more radiant. Thank you Madu Kelulut for coming into my life!

Anyways, this post is supposed to be all about this honey and why it's so special, so do read on to find out.

Stingless bee honey is renowned in Africa and Asia for treating digestion problems, suppressing coughs, and boosting immunity.  It’s also cherished for its anti-oxidant and anti-biotic effects. These bees are only found in tropical climates, and they produce much less honey than the typical honey bee. Honey bees can produce up to 50 times more honey than the stingless bees, which makes the stingless bee honey rare and thus more expensive. Madu Kelulut can be found across Malaysia, usually in the more rural areas, and are used by the locals more as a medicine than a condiment because of its rarity. Stingless bee honey also contains much less sugar than regular honey, which is why it has a tangy taste. It's also supposedly not as 'heaty' as normal honey. 

In addition to the unique flavor and aroma of stingless bee honey, there are numerous studies about its medicinal value and health benefits.  Stingless bee honey and some honeys, in general, are reported to:

• Suppress coughing
• Treat stomach ulcers and mouth sores
• Have anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-parasitory, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-tumor effects
• Serve as a pro-biotic in the gasto-intestinal system  
• Treat eye infections and wounds due to anti-bacterial effects
• Be a viable table sugar replacement due to it's low glycemic index and other health benefits
• Moisturize the skin
• Reduce cardiovascular risk factors when used as replacement for table sugar (sucrose)
• Enhance the immune system by increasing antigen production

So I've been using madu kelulut to wash my face twice a day now, and my face is no longer as dry as it was before. In fact, I dare say that my skin is almost 'normal' or balanced! And I think it will be much better if I could find an effective non-foaming toothpaste because I am almost certain that regular foaming toothpaste is the culprit to the persistent dry lips and dry skin around my mouth area. New mission --->find non-foaming toothpaste!

I love madu Kelulut so much that I am planning to offer it for sale as part of an all natural face care regime.... So if you want to try out this special honey for yourself, do stay tuned to future postings as I hope to be launching my new face care line very soon..... Che che Face Care Line! Actually the products are very simple and all natural face care products for those who are sick of using commercial face care... For those who want to simplify their face care regime whilst using only potent and pure ingredients on the face....for those that want healthy glowing and radiant skin the natural way! And I have priced them to be very affordable, yet still using high quality natural ingredients with NO fillers.

So do stay tuned or send me an email if you're interested!

Why I LOVE VCO! Reason #1 - Best For Baby

Okay I was going to write a long post of all the reasons why I love Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) but I don't think I will ever be able to finish it so it is best I write about each reason separately. VCO is the one oil I always have to have in my home because I use it for so many things...as a baby oil/lotion, as my body oil/lotion, on my hair, etc... and I even consume it on a daily basis! The only area i do not apply VCO is on my face because for me it has a tendency to cause breakouts, not too sure why though. Maybe it is a bit 'heaty' especially in our hot humid weather or maybe it has a strong purging effect...so I cannot recommend VCO for the face, although it is fantabulous everywhere else! I even know how to make my own, and it will share the easy albeit a bit time consuming process soon ya.

Quick intro on VCO - it is the oil that is extracted from the coconut milk obtained from fresh coconuts. The key word here is 'fresh', which is why VCO smells so good and yummy! For more info on VCO, you can click HERE

VCO is:

• Anti fungal
• Anti Viral
• Anti Microbial
• Anti Inflammatory

I literally cover my little ones in VCO after every bath. I mix some essential oils such as Lavender, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus with their VCO for an additional skin healing boost and refreshing smell. Not too much essential oils for their delicate skin, keep it below 20 drops per 100ml of VCO. I don't even use that much, probably around 10 - 15 drops in total. So here are some ways I use VCO for the little ones...

My trusted refillable VCO bottle

1. All over body and face oil - I cover my little ones in VCO after their bath. I try my best to cover every inch of their skin, which is a feat in itself if you have wriggly ones that just can't keep still! For younger babies, make sure to always apply on skin folds and joints to prevent rashes and keep their skin clean. I never use baby powder because I find that the 'nice' smell quickly fades and baby will not smell nice for long. However, with VCO, the kids have no BO, even after many hours and even with perspiration. That's because of the antibacterial nature of VCO that helps to keep their skin clean and inhibit odour causing (as well as other types of) bacteria.

2. Ear cleaner - I put some oil in the palm of my hand, dip the cotton buds in VCO and use it to clean around and in their ears. VCO is antibacterial so this helps to keep ear infections at bay, plus the goop comes off much easier with oil.

3. Heal minor cuts and scratches - just dab a little oil and it will heal much more quickly.

4. Nappy oil - I always apply VCO after every diaper change, and so far no rashes!

5. Cradle Crap - I've always applied VCO on their heads from day one, and they only had a very very minor case of cradle crap. It was on a very small area, smaller than the size of the 5sen coin, which went away after a few days.

6. Massage oil for boo boos - whenever my active toddler comes running to me crying that somewhere hurts, eg feet, ankle, knee, hand, head, etc, I will check to see if it's anything serious. Most of the time, it's not, so I take some VCO and rub a little on the painful area, give a kiss and send them running happily away, hopefully not to do more damage! Once, my son had a minor ankle sprain, and he was limping a bit for a day or two. Nothing too serious but I massaged his ankle with the oil 2 - 3 times a day to speed up his recovery and help strengthen the joint.

Important notes:

• Don't use VCO on a newborns face for the first one or two weeks (anywhere else is fine). This is because the skin at this stage is very delicate and VCO can clog those tiny tiny pores and cause an acne breakout. Some babies will get a form of acne in those first few weeks with or without having used VCO, and in my experience applying VCO on that only makes it worse. In fact, it is advised to not use any cream or oils during this stage, and the acne should clear by itself in about a week or two. It is helpful to apply breast milk on the affected area from time to time whenever possible. 

• When applying VCO on baby's face, a little goes a long way. Apply a bit of oil onto fingers, warm it up a bit and then apply on baby's face. Too much VCO on the face can clog pores and cause a type of acne which forms in small clusters, usually on the forehead. If you see this, use less VCO for the face.

• There are some rashes, especially the ones on the face, that just won't go away even after applying VCO, and for these type of rashes I will apply some Emu oil (sometimes mixed with Tea Tree or Lavender essential oil) instead. Emu oil is very effective for healing stubborn rashes, and will do so quite rapidly too. I apply Emu oil on the affected area every few hours and the rash will be gone in a couple of days. I use Emu oil sparingly though because it is very expensive!

*You can get VCO in most supermarkets nowadays, and I usually buy the 1 liter bottle which costs between RM60 - RM80 depending on the brand. They also sell in 500ml sizes for approx. half the price, which makes it perfect if you want to try out the oil for the first time.

Stay tuned for more wonderful ways of using this fav oil of mine!

KINDER SOAPS Needs Your Help!

Here is Kindersoap's story....

(if for some reason you cannot see the video, pls click on this link > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e741_nceTo8 )

She started it as a home based business, and grew and grew and now to really spread her wings she needs your help. Having had a natural home based skin care business myself, I know what Michelle is going through and I really want her to succeed. Believe me, if I had the money to spare, I would gladly invest in Kindersoaps in a heartbeat! Sadly, I dont have that much money (not yet at least ;), but I did contribute a little to her Indiegogo funding project and got myself 3 bars of her lovely soaps. She still has a long way to go to achieve her goal, and not much time left, so I thought if I help to spread the word, maybe it can help her a little.

I want Kinder Soaps to succeed because she represents the underdog in our local skincare industry... honest to goodness natural stuff that deserves a space in every conventional retail outlet (like the pharmacy or the supermarket) so more people can have access to it. Personally, I'd rather spend my money building up honest businesses like her's, rather than giving it to those big name brands who put rubbish in their products!

So watch her video and visit her online shop NOW!