15 Surprising Uses for Bananas

15 Surprising Uses for Bananas

Sure, most of us love to enjoy bananas for breakfast or, perhaps, a snack. But bananas have so much more going for them than just a delicious and nutritious treat. In fact, so many of the reasons bananas are great for other things beside eating has to do with their nutrients! Click through for clever ways to use bananas to tackle everything from insect bites to aphids.

HEALTH & BEAUTY
1. TREAT DAMAGED HAIR. Our own Diana Herrington detailed Dr. Oz’s quest for the best damaged hair treatment out there. The results? Bananas! Click here to read Diana’s step-by-step guide treating your hair with bananas.

By Randy Fritz
Ingredients:
2 or 3 ripe bananas

These are the two bananas I started with. The less ripe one smelled so good when I peeled it that I decided to eat it instead. Good thing I have short hair.

Directions:
- Puree the banana completely. This is important.
- Pour the banana mixture into a glass or bowl.
- I added a few tablespoons of water during the process to get it out of the blender.
- With your hands, massage the banana puree into your hair.
It felt smooth and milky like a conditioner should, and I knew it didn’t have chemicals in it!
- Relax and wait 15 minutes.
- Rinse and shampoo your hair.

2. WHITEN TEETH. Dying for some pearly whites? Rub banana peel on your teeth for about two minutes every time you brush and you’ll be well on your way to that perfect smile.

3. PREVENT WRINKLES. Check out this recipe for a 3-time-a-week banana anti-aging mask!

3 Times a Week Banana Anti-Aging Mask
By Annie B. Bond
This excerpt is from Anti-Wrinkle Treatments for Perfect Skin, by Pierre Jean Cousin.

Here they are teamed with heavy cream (traditionally used to prevent wrinkles) and organic honey in a recipe crammed full of nutrients.

INGREDIENTS
1 small banana
2 tablespoons fresh heavy cream
1 tablespoon organic honey
1 tablespoon oat flour
Bottled or spring water
Rose hydrosol (see “Note,” below, about hydrosols.

METHOD
Mash the banana, using the back of a fork, and then add cream, honey, and flour. Stir to mix well. You may need to add a little more cream or flour to obtain the consistency of thick cream of yogurt.

Apply mask to the clean face, including the area around the eyes and the neck, and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse off with bottled or spring water and cotton pads, and dab on a little rose hydrosol, allowing to dry naturally.

Effect: nourishes
Skin types: dry, aging
Frequency of use: 3 times a week
Shelf life: 6 hours in refrigerator
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Treatment time: 30 minutes

Note about hydrosols: Also known as floral waters (but not flower waters), hydrosols are a byproduct of steam distillation, created while extracting essential oil. Hydrosols have properties similar to those of their related essential oils, although inevitably in a less concentrated form, but they are enriched with various water-soluble active ingredients. Their gentleness makes them an excellent way to tone, hydrate, and rebalance the pH of the skin, so they are frequently recommended as final cleansers/toners after cleansing or nourishing masks.

4. TREAT INSECT BITES. Rub some banana peels on the bites to alleviate the itch.

5. TREAT WARTS. Bananas are rich in potassium, which is said to help treat warts.

6. TREAT BRUISES, CUTS, AND SCRAPES. Potassium also helps with the healing process for cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

7. GET RID OF SPLINTERS. Can’t get that pesky splinter out of your skin? I feel your pain. Luckily, if you press banana peels onto the splinter, the fruit’s natural enzymes will work to get that sucker out.

8. EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN. Check out a great banana body sugar rub recipe here.

Banana Body Sugar Scrub
By Melissa Breyer

Bananas are a natural for body care. Their creamy pulp is luscious and soothing, and works well as a carrier for other ingredients. Banana is nourishing and moisturizing and can be used for gentle exfoliation and skin-tightening.

In this simple formula, bananas and sugar are combined for a wonderfully aromatic and gently exfoliating body scrub.

INGREDIENTS
1 ripe banana
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or your favorite essential oil (optional)

Mash ingredients together with a fork into a chunky paste. Do not overmix or it will become too watery. If you want a banana scrub for your face, reserve some of the banana and mash it separately without sugar.

In the shower, before turning the water on, slather the sugar mixture and gently massage over your body. For your face, gently massage plain banana there, avoiding the eye area.

Rinse off with warm water.

HOME & GARDEN
9. ATTRACT BIRDS & BUTTERFLIES. Like humans, birds and butterflies just love the taste of bananas. If you’d like to watch birds, leave a banana out.

10. FERTILIZE YOUR PLANTS. Dried ground banana peels make a fantastic mulch for seedlings and new plants.

11. POLISH LEATHER & SILVER. No need to invest in pricey, and often toxic, leather and silver cleaners. Instead, rub banana peels on the surface and buff with a cloth.

12. COMBAT APHIDS. Nobody likes a damaged plant. Bury some cut up banana peels 2-3 inches deep around the base of the plant.

13. DOG TREAT. Bananas are a perfectly safe, and perfectly healthy, treat for your beloved pooch!

14. PURIFY WATER. OK, this is perhaps best left to the professionals, but research has suggested that banana peels can actually absorb toxins in polluted rivers. But, if you ever find yourself lost in the woods with only a banana peel, you’ll be prepared!

15. MAKE "ICE CREAM". Craving the sweet stuff but don’t have the time, calories, or budget to spare? Simply blend a frozen solid banana in a food processor or blender. You’ll be surprised how much it tastes like soft-serve ice cream!