how to store liquid honey? Bath and Body Works question too?

Question

I looked on Wikipedia to confirm that, yes, honey can be kept at room temperature due too high sugar content and low moisture content inhibiting/killing bacteria and yeast. HOWEVER... I had this facial scrub from Bath and Body Works, from True Blue Spa, that quickly became mold-infested. My question, then, is two part: >>>1<<< Can liquid honey (food grade) be stored on the shelves and be resistant to most (common) simple bacteria and eukaryotes (mold included)? >>>2<<< Is it probable that the Bath and Body Works facial scrub was not in fact HONEY (with jojoba beads) if honey does in fact inhibit/kill mold? Perhaps they used a honey blend (high fructose corn syrup, etc, no honey) OR perhaps the moisture content was heightened sufficiently to allow mold growth (and easy spreading on the face)? >>>I don't want to get sick from the food grade honey. Thanks in advance. (i'm a molecular biologist, feel free to use big words)

okay, so also obviously mold is everywhere (my skin, etc) and clearly I eat it inadvertently often. I don't very much about mycology, but let's just say for the sake of argument that most molds in my environment wouldn't make me sick anyways (though I don't know if that's true or not, is it?), and perhaps the mold would grow so slowly in honey that I wouldn't get a large enough dose even if the mold was toxic (or otherwise bad to eat) (and I don't know if that's true or not either). I still don't want mold in my honey because it's gross to look at. But I don't want to put it in the fridge if I don't have to. Thanks again.

so, wait... why is it not so great to put honey in the fridge?

okay... sorry... my questions, to be more simple, are: 1) can mold (not bacteria) grow in food grade liquid honey? 2) what are your thoughts on the facial scrub discussed above (I didn't ever find out what the ingredients were)? 3) why (if at all) is storing food grade liquid honey in the fridge (though I don't care to if I don't have to) not so great?

Answer 1

The facial scrub, I'm pretty sure, has other ingredients in it which is what probably causes it to mold. Honey can safely be stored at room temperature (in fact, I've heard not to store it in the refrigerator), though personally I would probably throw it out if it was, say, a year old or so. If it solidifies, leave it in the jar and warm it in a pan of hot water on the stove (NOT the microwave) and it will re-liquefy.

Answer 2

You shouldn't store liquid honey in the fridge simply becasue it causes it to crystallize and solidify faster. (also keep it tightly capped to avoid crystals).

I think your facial scrub must have been contaminated in production somewhere because a facial scrub has soap and preservatives in it and generally molds don't grow in soap voluntarily.

Yes, food grade honey can generally be stored on the shelf and not grow bacteria or mold but if by chance it does you will certainly notice the mold growing so just throw it out. I believe honey does naturally keep bacteria/mold from growin in it because of where it comes from (bee spit, essentially). Hopefully this answers some of your questions.

Answer 3

Honey is the only natural food that won't spoil. The shampoo probably had a very small amount of honey in it, so I doubt that the mold fed on it. Mold can grow on a surface and not feed off of the surface. I had mold in my shower on the shower curtain and it certainly wasn't edible. I suppose you could resort to storing the face scrub in the fridge.

Answer 4

I've been using honey facial masks for years and they work great! The best thing is you can make it yourself. This honey facial mask is a my favorite and i use it everytime:
http://tinyurl.com/q3z4e9g