INSIDE + OUT: 3 BANANA BEAUTY RECIPES + SLEEP WELL BANANA TEA

REMEDIES, SKINCARE + MAKEUP | 2 COMMENTS 
JANUARY 19, 2017 BY DEBORAH HARJU

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Globally, we eat about 3.2 billion pounds of bananas every year. This fruit is as delicious as it is popular, and the health benefits are numerous. Bananas are rich in B6, copper, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, and biotin; they can help lower blood pressure, relieve anemia, and provide relief from heartburn.

The health benefits from bananas don’t stop there. Did you know banana peels can provide relief from rashes and bug bites when rubbed on the skin? And the meat of the banana also contains nutrients beneficial for skin and hair, specifically vitamins A, B, E, and potassium. The next time you reach for a banana, consider making one of these simple homemade beauty recipes.

3 Banana Beauty Treatments

Cooling Banana Face Pack

• 1 chilled ripe banana

Bananas are great for dry skin, adding much-needed hydration and evening out skin tone. The vitamin A in bananas helps brighten the skin too. This recipe couldn’t be any easier! Just mash a chilled banana with a fork and apply it to your face and neck. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes for maximum benefits.

Acne-Fighting Banana Treatment

• 1 ripe banana

• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Once or twice a week try this acne-blasting treatment. Mash 1 banana and stir in the turmeric powder; apply to problem areas or all over the face if you are prone to blemishes or congestion. Leave on for 10-15 minutes before washing off with warm water.

Healing Banana Hair Smoothie

• 1 ripe banana

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

This banana hair smoothie heals split ends and strengthens the hair follicles. Blend the banana, coconut oil, honey and olive oil together until completely smooth. Once it’s blended well, apply the smoothie to your hair and scalp. You can cover your hair with a shower cap for a little heat penetration, but it’s not necessary. Leave on for 5-10 minutes, carefully combing it scalp to end the final minute. Rinse thoroughly and shampoo to get rid of all excess oil.

Sleep-Well Cinnamon Banana Tea

If falling asleep is difficult or you wake up several times during the night, this magnesium-loaded cinnamon flavored banana tea is the best natural sleeping pill. And the cheapest!

Maybe it sounds strange to simmer a whole banana, but trust us on this one. While banana flesh is rich in essential minerals that activate the melatonin, the sleep hormone, its skin is even more packed with magnesium and potassium. This is why boiling the banana whole does wonders for your sleep. Ginger and Ayurvedic spices have digestive soothing and antioxidant effects, preparing your cells for a restorative sleep. Always use organic bananas, since they’ll be simmering in the saucepan for a while and you don’t want to drink the pesticides from the peel.

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SLEEP-WELL BANANA TEA

Author: Hello Glow

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: Vegan

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 2

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups purified water

• 1 whole bananas, sliced

• 1-inch ginger knob, peeled cut into slices

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 anise stars

• 2-3 cloves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all the ingredients into a medium sauce pan and bring to boil over medium heat.

2. Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain and drink warm.

Photos and tea recipe by Ana Stanciu