While it is true that beauty lies on the inside and our personality matters more, it is beneficial to round it out with a presentable appearance as well. Looking good can positively affect your mental health and affect several areas of your life.
Looking good can make you feel desirable and boost your self-esteem. This can make you more confident in your endeavors and put you in a more positive state of mind. This can positively impact your life across several areas like work and relationships.
Therefore, it is no wonder that most people always try new ways to improve their appearance, from a new hairstyle to a new cosmetic product.
One such trend that became popular through Tiktok is using banana peel for skin care. This article explores how banana peel benefits your skin and how you can incorporate it into your skincare routine.
Banana Peel
The outer covering layer of the banana fruit is referred to as banana peel. It is also referred to as banana skin, banana rind, banana jacket, banana husk, and banana bark.
Most people generally discard these when consuming a banana for its fruit. However, it is found to have several uses, like as a cooking ingredient and animal feed.
Banana peel is especially useful as an animal feed as it has plenty of beneficial nutrition and dietary fiber. It is found to contain about 10% protein and around 30% dietary fiber.
It is also found to be high in potassium and smaller amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous. It contains other trace nutrients like vitamins C, B6, and E. It also contains a significant amount of polyunsaturated fats, which are considered to be healthy.
Why You Should Put a Banana Peel on Your Face?
There are several reported benefits of using banana peel on your face. This is reportedly due to the various vitamins, antioxidants, plant enzymes, and compounds present in them.
Some reported benefits of using the banana peel for your face are:
1. Softer and brighter skin:
The hydrating properties of banana peel help the skin retain moisture and nutrients. The various vitamins and antioxidants in banana peel, especially vitamin C, effectively treat signs of sunburn, aging, and pigmentation. These benefits result in an overall softer, brighter skin.
2. Effective moisturization:
Banana peel contains several antioxidants and vitamins that are extremely beneficial for the skin. They help the skin retain hydration better and help repair any cell damage caused due to oxidative stress by free radicals.
This moisturizes the skin and helps it retain it for a longer period of time.
3. Reduced inflammation:
Skin inflammation is caused due to various factors like skin infection, allergic reactions, injury, and immune system responses. This can result in redness, pigmentation, blistering, and dark spots on the skin.
The vitamin C in banana peel is extremely effective in treating such inflammation and relieving you of its symptoms.
4. Preventing acne:
Acne is caused when the pores on the skin get clogged by oil and dirt. Such impurities get trapped in the hair follicles, leading to infections.
Excess production of skin oils is one of the leading causes of acne. This makes those with oily skin especially prone to acne. Banana peels are reported to be effective at controlling excess oil production.
5. Reducing the appearance of scars:
Past injuries, acne, inflammation, and outbreaks can lead to the presence of scars on your face. These scars contain excessive melanin compared to the rest of your skin, highlighting them on your skin's surface.
Banana peels have several antioxidants that can renew the skin in these spots to fade the appearance of scars.
6. Boosts skin elasticity:
Banana peel can be effective in adding some youthful elasticity to your skin. This is because of the banana peel's presence of vitamin C and antioxidants.
It can also counteract any sagging in the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, giving the overall effect of youthful-looking skin free from signs of aging.
7. Reduced dark circles:
Getting inadequate sleep on a regular basis can leave you looking like a bandit due to the development of dark circles under your eyes. This can hamper your appearance and give a hint about your nighttime activity to others.
This can be avoided by using banana peels, as it effectively reduces under-eye swelling and the appearance of dark circles.
8. Treat cracked heels:
The powerful moisturizing ability of the banana peel can help treat cracked heels effectively. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory property of banana peels helps to treat any underlying injury behind the cracked heels.
It also acts as a protective shield that prevents other impurities from penetrating the cracks and causing further harm.
9. Exfoliation:
Our skin constantly regenerates new cells; consequently, the top layer might be filled with dead skin cells. Getting rid of these dead skin cells helps clear out dirt and also provides radiance to our skin.
Furthermore, it also helps the skin regenerate cells more effectively. Banana peels are effective in exfoliating the skin to remove dead skin cells effectively to give you glowing skin.
10. Treat sunburn:
Being constantly exposed to harsh sunlight can cause sunburn leading to tanning and hyperpigmentation. Banana peel is effective in soothing, such effects of sunburn due to the presence of vitamin C.
Ways to Use Banana Peel for Your Face
You can use banana peel for your skin in several ways to reap its benefits. You can choose a way to use it depending on the challenges you face with your skin and the solutions you are looking at to address them.
Here are some ways to use banana peel for your skin:
1. Eye patches
You can use banana peels to reduce dark circles, crow’s feet, wrinkles, and puffiness in your eyes. For this, simply cut fresh banana peels into oval-shaped strips and gently massage the eye area for a minute.
Then leave the strips covering your eyes for a few minutes for the nutrients to seep through. The antioxidants and vitamin C in the banana peels help to cure many skin problems and prevent you from visiting dermatologists.
2. Scrub:
Banana peels are extremely effective as an exfoliant and can be used to remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. You can easily make an effective facial scrub by mixing banana peel with a few ingredients.
Some scrubs you can make with banana peel are:
(i) Banana peel and oatmeal scrub:
Mash banana peel and add some oatmeal powder to it. Add half a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of milk to this mixture and mix well. Use this mixture as a scrub to exfoliate your skin. Use this scrub to increase hydration in dry skin.
(ii) Banana peel and turmeric:
Cut banana peel into tiny bits and add some turmeric to them. Add a teaspoon of sugar and plain yogurt to this mixture. Blend all ingredients together without crushing the sugar granules.
Use this mixture after cleansing your face to remove dead skin cells. Use this scrub to avoid acne.
(iii) Banana peel and rice scrub:
Grind rice with a mortar or blender to get a coarse powdery consistency. Mash banana peels and mix with the rice granules. Add a little cucumber water to bind the mixture together. Use this scrub to clear trapped oil and dead skin.
(iv) Banana peel and ground coffee scrub:
Cut banana peel into tiny bits and add coffee grounds to it. Squeeze some lemon into this mixture and mix well. Add a spoonful of thick cream to the mixture to bind it together. Use this regularly for a brighter complexion.
3. Topical rubbing
You can choose to directly apply the banana peel to your face to get some spot treatment done. Use a fresh banana peel for this purpose, and use the underside to scrub.
To maximize the benefits, you can spray some rosewater or fresh lemon juice on the peel before applying it. This is best used in place of night cream before bed.
4. Face pack:
One of the best ways to use banana peels for your skin is to incorporate them into a face pack to reap the full range of their benefits.
Ideally, cleanse and scrub your skin before using face packs for maximum benefits. Gently massage the face pack all over the face in a circular motion to stimulate the blood vessels for maximum absorption.
Ensure you achieve even covering and let it dry for 20-30 minutes to dry. Once dry, gently splash ice-cold water and massage to remove the pack from your face.
Some of the most effective face packs to make with banana peels are:
(i) Banana peel face pack for oily skin:
Mash banana peel and add some Fuller’s earth to it. Squeeze some lemon into this mixture to achieve a pasty consistency that is neither too runny nor thick.
(ii) Banana peel face pack for dry skin:
Add some banana peel to a blender and blend it with a teaspoon of honey. Add aloe vera juice to this mixture and blend with a teaspoon of honey. Add powdered oatmeal or gram flour to the blend to achieve a paste that is comfortable to apply.
(iii) Banana peel face pack for acne:
Mash banana peel with some turmeric powder to get a gooey yellow mixture. Add a teaspoon of neem powder and orange peel powder to this mixture. Add diluted apple cider vinegar and cucumber water to this mixture for a convenient paste.
(iv) Banana peel face pack for skin brightening:
Add banana peel to a blender and a teaspoon of lemon juice and rose water before blending the mixture. Crack an egg and separate the whites from the yolk. Add the separated egg whites to the blender and blend again.
Add a slice of papaya to the blender and blend again to get a smooth blend. Add powdered oatmeal to get a nice paste.
(v) Banana peel face pack for sunburn tan removal:
Mash banana peel with tomato juice to get a gooey mixture. Add orange peel powder to this mixture and mix well. Add some freshly blended and filtered potato juice to this mixture.
Add a tablespoon of sandalwood powder to this mixture and mix till you get a paste.
Conclusion
Improving your external appearance can make you more desirable to others and make you feel better about yourself. However, it is important not to base self-love on external validation. Learning to love oneself without waiting for others to like your appearance is advisable.
Banana peel might be a good addition to your skincare routine and may benefit you. It is advisable to go slow when testing it out to ensure that it suits your skin and has a positive effect. When you are sure it is the right beauty ingredient, go ahead and be a diva!
FAQs
1. What are the uses of banana peel?
Ans: Banana peel is generally discarded by most people who eat bananas. However, there are several uses for banana peel. It is used as a cooking ingredient in the traditional cuisine of several countries. It contains several nutrients and can be used as animal feed for bovine animals like cows, ox, and buffalos.
2. What nutrients are present in banana peel?
Ans: Banana peel is especially rich in plant protein and dietary fiber. It is also rich in polyunsaturated fats and potassium. Additionally, it contains phosphorous, calcium, nitrogen, and vitamins C, E, and B6.
3. Can banana peel be eaten by humans?
Ans: Traditionally, banana peel is seen as inedible and discarded. It is difficult to digest but not completely inedible. Cooking it can make it easier to consume. Many cultures use banana peel as meat wrapping while cooking using steam and charcoal. Several people also use it as a meat substitute in vegan recipes, and it is considered to be a good replacement for pulled pork.
4. Is it good to apply banana peel on your face every day?
Ans: Banana peel has several benefits for the skin and can be used in several forms for this purpose. It is important not to overdo this and restrict incorporating other beneficial ingredients into your skin care regimen. Using it 1-3 times a week might be the best way to incorporate it into your skin care regimen.
5. What are the different ways banana peel can be used for the face?
Ans: Banana peel can be directly applied on your skin by rubbing the inner side of your face with gentle massages. Additionally, it can be used as an eye patch, face scrub, and face pack.
Read Also:
