Ghee, Honey, Milk Cream, Olive Oil and Aloe Vera: How Well Do Winter Home Remedies Work?

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The short answer

Ghee, honey, milk cream (sor), olive oil and aloe vera: none of these is "magic", and not all of them are bad either. Honey draws in water for a short time as a lip or face mask; ghee and milk cream soften cracked heels or lips a little, but carry smell, dirt and germ risks; olive oil, used regularly, has been shown in some research to weaken the skin's protective barrier, so it is not a good choice for baby massage or eczema; aloe vera cools and soothes, but on its own it is not enough in winter.

For winter dryness, the most reliable option is a good moisturiser: Cerave Moisturizing Cream For Normal To Dry Skin on the face, CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin on the body, and Laneige Lip sleeping mask on the lips at night. If you like aloe, apply a thin layer of Bring Green Aloe 97% Soothing Gel and put a cream on top.

At a glance: what each remedy can and cannot do

Ghee: can work on lips and heels, not on the face

Ghee is almost entirely fat. On the skin it forms an oily layer that slightly reduces water loss. That is why grandmothers put ghee on cracked lips or heels, and for many people it worked.

Limits: there is almost no good research on ghee for skin. It smells, stains bedding and clothes, and attracts ants and dust. Old ghee goes rancid when exposed to air, and then it can sting the skin.

Risks: on the face, especially if you get acne, ghee can clog pores and make breakouts worse. The old habit of putting ghee on a burn is wrong; it traps heat. For a burn, cool running water for 20 minutes first.

Better option: on heels at night, Bioderma Atoderm Crème Ultra-Nourishing Cream or another thick cream with socks; on lips, Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter. These are clean, low in smell, and made for daily use.

Honey: fine as a short mask

Honey pulls in water, so it works as a humectant. The honey used on wounds in hospitals is specially sterilised medical honey, not kitchen honey.

How: apply a very thin layer to clean lips or face for 10 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water. Always apply moisturiser after rinsing, or your skin will feel tight again soon. Two or three times a week is enough.

Limits and risks: left on overnight, honey gets sticky and attracts dust and ants. Adulterated honey (mixed with sugar syrup) is common in the market. If you are allergic to bees or propolis, avoid it. Never put honey on the lips or pacifier of a baby under 1 year old; if the baby licks it, there is a risk of a serious illness called botulism.

Better option: for lips at night, Laneige Lip sleeping mask or Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter. On the face, a good moisturiser already does the water-drawing job that honey does.

Milk cream (sor): feels soft, but spoils fast

Milk cream contains fat and a tiny amount of lactic acid, so skin feels soft for a while after using it.

Limits: the softness does not last more than a few hours. The acid in it is so low that it does little to exfoliate.

Risks: milk cream spoils very quickly at room temperature, grows germs and turns sour. Do not put it on cracked or cut skin, on acne, or on itchy patches. Putting old cream from the fridge on your face is never a good idea.

How, if you really want to: fresh cream, on a clean face, for 10 minutes, then rinse and moisturise. Skip it if you are acne-prone.

Better option: for sensitive skin, a gentle cream or lotion such as Purito Seoul Oat-In Calming Gel Cream or Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for Normal to Dry Sensitive Skin gives the same softness with no risk of spoiling.

Olive oil: the most misunderstood remedy

Many people think olive oil is the most "nourishing" oil. But olive oil is high in oleic acid. In a well-known study, adults who applied olive oil to their forearms regularly for 4 weeks showed a weakened skin barrier. That is why many paediatric specialists advise against olive oil for baby massage or eczema-prone skin.

What it can do: a few drops after a bath make skin feel oily and soft for a while. It is fine now and then on hair ends or around the nails.

Limits: oil does not add water by itself; managing winter dryness with oil alone is hard.

Better option: on the body, CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin or Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Glow Body Lotion on damp skin after a bath. For babies, only baby products such as Sebamed Baby Cream Extra Soft. There is more on oils in our posts on mustard oil in winter and coconut oil.

Aloe vera: soothing, but not alone in winter

Aloe vera gel is mostly water, with a few water-holding compounds. It gives cool relief for sunburn or mild stinging.

Limits: in dry winter air, aloe alone lets water evaporate, and after a while skin can feel even tighter. So you need a cream on top.

Risks: a raw leaf cut from the plant has yellow sap (aloin) near the skin of the leaf, which causes stinging and itching for many people. Some people are allergic to aloe. Packaged gels may contain fragrance, so patch test any new gel behind the ear first.

How: wash your face, apply a pea-sized thin layer of Bring Green Aloe 97% Soothing Gel or Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel, wait a minute, then put Cerave Moisturizing Cream For Normal To Dry Skin on top. For a detailed comparison of gels, read which aloe vera gel is good. We also have a separate post on glycerin and rose water.

Your winter routine: when, how much, in what order

1. Morning: wash your face with lukewarm water and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser Normal to Dry. While the face is slightly damp, add a thin layer of aloe gel if you like, then one fingertip of cream.
2. Within 3 minutes after a bath: body lotion on damp skin, about two finger joints per arm or leg.
3. Two or three days a week, if you want: a 10-minute honey mask or fresh milk-cream mask, then rinse and moisturise. Do not stack several remedies at once.
4. Night: thick cream on the heels with cotton socks.
5. Before sleep: a thin layer of lip sleeping mask or lip balm.

See the whole day's order in the 24-hour winter skincare routine.

Common mistakes

• Leaving honey, milk cream or ghee on the face all night.
• Mixing honey, lemon, turmeric and cream into one "special pack"; if it stings, you cannot tell which ingredient did it.
• Massaging a newborn with olive oil every day.
• Using aloe vera and thinking "I don't need a moisturiser".
• Putting kitchen ingredients on cut, cracked or infected skin.
• Using old cream from the fridge or old, stale ghee.

The Bangladesh reality

These remedies have been passed down for generations in our homes, and there is a lot of love behind them. When a mother puts a little ghee on her child's lips on a winter morning, she means well. The problem starts when a remedy is treated as medicine, or when we assume the same thing will suit everyone's skin.

In winter, Dhaka's dust, the dry wind over open village fields, and hot-water baths together already weaken the skin barrier. Adulterated honey or spoiled cream on top of that raises the risk of irritation. The remedies that genuinely harm skin, like lemon, baking soda and toothpaste, have their own post: home remedies that damage your skin. To learn where Vaseline belongs, read Vaseline: where to use it in winter.

Why buy authentic

TheSkinProof is an invoice-verified skincare marketplace. The source of every product is checked against an invoice. If a product is proven counterfeit, you get twice the price back; claims must be made within 7 days of delivery. We deliver across Bangladesh, and cash on delivery is available. Nobody knows what is inside a fake cream or gel, so when you move from remedies to products, choose authentic ones.

When to see a doctor

• After using any remedy, the skin turns red and swollen, stings, or develops tiny fluid blisters.
• A baby has red, rough patches, intense itching, or oozing (this may be eczema).
• A crack is bleeding or oozing pus, or you have diabetes and a wound on your foot.
• After 2 to 3 weeks of proper moisturising, dryness and itching are not improving.
• New, intense itching starts during pregnancy.

Read more

Short answers to home-care questions are on our winter home remedies FAQ page.