Bananas: Beauty's Oldest Best Friend

As kids, we've all had bananas forced down our throats by doting family members. Skipping dinner? At least have a milk and banana to tide you over until morning. No time for breakfast? Grab a banana on your way out. Need a healthy midday snack? Bananas to the rescue. Now we know why. Packed with vitamins A, B, C, E, zinc, lectins, amino acids and potassium, they work wonders for your body both on the inside and outside. Say hello to great skin with bananas by your side. Here's how.

Moisturise, moisturise moisturise

No matter how much you love the winters, it comes with its fair share of beauty complications. One of them being, the lack of moisture in the air, which can make even the healthiest skin turn dehydrated and flaky. For those of us with naturally dry skin, the added dryness of winters can be a beauty nightmare. If you know what that feels like, bananas are a god-sent for you. Mash a ripe banana to pulp, till there are no hard chunks left (you can even ripen it by keeping it in the fridge for a few hours). Add some honey to the pulp and mix well. Apply this paste to your face. Keep this mask on for 20-25 minutes and wash it off using lukewarm water. The vitamin A in bananas helps in restoring lost moisture and act as a collagen builder. This banana and honey mask will not only moisturise but also help you with skin pigmentation. Bananas really are the cheapest, natural and safest home moisturiser out there.

Reduce the acne

Acne is caused by two things, mainly: pollution and oily skin. When these two meet, they create a situation that can be best described as the skin's kryptonite! While there are several dietary changes you can make to control oily skin -- cutting down up spicy food, for one -- you can also use bananas to mitigate some of the effects. Cut off small pieces of banana peels and rub them on the affected areas until it turns brown. Leave the peel fibers on for about 30 minutes and wipe off with a damp towel. Start this treatment as soon as you start to see the first signs of breakouts, and repeat a couple of times a day, every day. This home remedy will not only help in reducing inflammation, but will also even out your skin tone. But don't forget to apply moisturising serum after.

Teeth whitening

The trusty banana's peels seem to pack in as many benefits as the fruit itself. Have you ever heard of someone complaining that their teeth are too white? No, right? Whether you already have a perfect set of pearly whites or are wishing for one, bananas can help. Take a small piece of a banana peel and rub the inside on your teeth for a minute or so before brushing as usual. Within a few days, you'll see a difference.

Mask the age

A banana mask is a great anti-ageing treatment. Loaded with vitamins A and E, they're great to slow down the effects of ageing on your skin. Mash an avocado and a banana together and apply the mixture on your face for 20 minutes. Rinse it thoroughly with lukewarm water, after. The vitamin E in avocado combined with all the antioxidants in bananas will fight the damage and ageing of the skin as a result of the free radicals in the body caused due to exposure to UV rays, pollution and cigarette smoke.

Puffy eyes won't be a problem anymore!

Bags under the eyes and dark circles can be a pain to deal with, after a night of partying or long hours at work. With the lifestyles most of us lead, sleep deprivation is almost inevitable. In such a scenario, are we doomed to live with raccoon-like eyes? Not while there are bananas in the kitchen pantry. Take the banana peel and carefully separate the white fibrous threads from it. Mix the strands into a scoop of fresh aloe vera gel. Dab some under the eyes every night before going to bed. The potassium in the peel, combined with the moisturising aloe gel with soothe your eyes and help with bags and dark circles.

To make the most of bananas for your skin, give some of these beauty hacks a try.

So don't forget that bananas aren't just delicious for breakfast, they work magic for your skin too.