In our household we get through about 20 bananas a week and there’s only 2 of us! Bananas are one of my favourite snacks, whether I eat them alone, in oats, with peanut butter or frozen – they’re always going to be up there on the top tier.

This also means I’m forever throwing away banana peel, although it does go into our compost so it’s not a complete waste. I started to think about what else banana peel could be used for and this is what I found!

Help reduce acne.

The peel of a banana contains vitamin C and vitamin E, along with potassium, zinc, iron and manganese. All of these nutrients can help to calm inflamed skin and in turn, reduce breakouts you may be having. So what do you need to do?

♡ Clean skin and make sure it’s dry
♡ Rub banana peel (the inside) over the breakout area and leave to soak in for 5 – 10 minutes
♡ Rinse your skin
♡ Repeat twice daily until the breakout has reduced

Polish your silver.

Silver can often start to look dull and start to tarnish. The potassium on the inside of a banana peel can help to clean metal objects. There’s a paste you can make to use around the house.

♡ Put the banana peel in a blender and add half a cup of water
♡ Mix it up until it becomes a paste
♡ Use the paste and rub it on your silver for a few minutes
♡ Wipe off with a clean non-abrasive cloth

Improve elasticity of the skin.

Similarly to the above, the nutrients in the banana peel can also help to reduce wrinkles and improve the elasticity of the skin. To carry out this treatment, you’d need to do these steps;

♡ Clean skin and make sure it’s dry
♡ Rub the inside part of the banana peel over the face and leave on overnight
♡ In the morning, wash your face and moisturise
♡ For the best results, it’s advised you do this around 3 times a week

Compost.

As I mentioned above, me and my husband put all of our banana peels into our compost in the garden. It’s a great way to use the peels and they’ll bring calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium into your compost, which is great for the growth of plants.

If you don’t have the time to wait for the banana to break down in compost, you can cut it into small pieces and bury it underneath the plant you want to fertilise.

Reduce inflammation of the skin.

As you can tell, banana peels are great for skin health. Swelling, redness and even scarring can be reduced thanks to banana peel. Similarly to reducing wrinkles, you’d apply the banana peel to the affected area overnight and continue to do so until the swelling, redness or scarring is reduced.

Help to treat headaches and migraines.

As someone who suffers with migraines, this one really interested me and I’m definitely going to give it a try next time one strikes. When I do have a migraine that makes me feel a bit sick, I like to eat a banana anyway as they help to settle your stomach. If I do this, it means the banana peel can then be used to treat the aching side of the migraine too.

The potassium is the key ingredient which helps to reduce headaches.
♡ Put the banana peel in the freezer for an hour
♡ Apply a line of peel to your forehead and another to the back of your neck
♡ Leave on until the banana peel becomes warm and if the pain continues, repeat process

Stops irritation of bites.

Banana peels contain histamine, which is a compound involved in local immune responses, including inflammatory response and also the mediator of itching. This is why they’re great to use if you do get bitten or maybe stung whilst out and about.

♡ Apply the banana skin to the affected area and leave it there for 10 – 15 minutes
♡ Repeat as necessary

Wow, weren’t those facts amazing. I’ve never thought to use banana peel in anyway apart from with my compost. I’m definitely going to be trying to migraine one out the next time one strikes. Are there any that you’ll be trying?!

Love, always – B
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