While Dr. Berson says she wouldn't necessarily advise her patients to swap out their usual cleanser for honey, she also says — provided you aren't experiencing any sort of rash, abnormal breakouts, or allergic reactions to the honey — she doesn't see the harm in using it, either. "Natural honey has some antimicrobial properties, but it's not antibacterial," she notes. "However, honey is very gentle; it has emollient properties, so it can be hydrating. It contains silica, so it can help remove oils from the skin. It might also contain ingredients that are similar to an alpha-hydroxy acid, so it could theoretically help keep pores unclogged, and the pH is appropriate to the skin."All that said, Dr. Berson notes that with something like this (as with all ultra-natural treatments) because they lack preservatives, you need to pay very close attention to the product's shelf life — or run the risk of it becoming contaminated or growing bacteria. Bottom line from Dr. Berson: "It's not something I would recommend to my patients, but if you are doing this and you feel good about it, your face feels clean, and you're not getting any adverse side effects, then that's fine — go for it."Even though my little science project ended a while ago, here I am, still "washing" my face with honey. My skin feels awesome and looks just as good as it did when I was using my regular face wash. That photo up there? That's me without a stitch of makeup on, save for some tinted lip balm.I actually find the whole process rather enjoyable and even pampering — not something I could say for my usual washing-up routine. It smells heavenly, and it's oddly soothing to do. Plus, thanks to the nice folks over at Manuka Doctor — who saw my Instagram post documenting my experiment and sent me a little care package — I now have some raw manuka honey to test out on my face. Gotta see if it's really that much better, right?Finally, I have to say, I kind of like being able to drop this casually into conversations with my friends. "Well, during my morning honey cleanse..." is definitely a conversation starter, although I'm sure they are getting really sick of my self-righteous cleanser preaching. This must be what Shailene Woodley feels like all the time.