Since the dawn of not getting enough sleep, sun damage, and aging, people have looked for ways to get rid of their dark circles and wrinkles.
Today, the skin care industry is worth billions of dollars, and it’s only getting bigger. Experts predict that by 2023, it will increase by $45 billion.
That’s more money than most of our brains can even fathom – all in the name of beauty.
Despite the availability of thousands of products from hundreds of brands, choosing what to use to treat your dark circles, acne, wrinkles, and puffy eyes is no easy feat.
In fact, the overwhelming number of choices only makes it more difficult. And that’s to say nothing about how much money you’ll sink into the process of trying to find your “holy grail” product.
Thankfully, there’s a natural solution that is cheap, easily available, and tasty. That’s right, it’s bananas. Their peels, to be specific.
It’s truly a shame that banana peels have a reputation for being useless (that is, outside of comic slip-and-fall situations). In fact, these little yellow fruit coats have so much to offer us, to our health, and to our beauty.
How To Use Bananas to Reduce Dark Undereye Circles
Dark undereye circles are the generally undesirable dark areas under the eye that can look like anything from a mascara mishap to a black eye.
Older people, people with a condition called periorbital hyperpigmentation, and people from non-white ethnic groups tend to suffer from dark circles more than others.
Though common wisdom tells us that dark undereye circles are caused by lack of sleep, there are actually a lot of things that can lead to them, including, surprisingly, oversleeping.
Other causes include straining your eyes, allergic reactions, dehydration, and overexposure to the sun.
To use bananas for dark circles, follow these steps:
- Procure and peel a banana. Keep the peel. Do whatever you’d like with the fruit itself. We recommend this banana bread recipe.
- Cut the banana peel into smaller pieces to make using it more manageable.
- Place the banana peel soft side down onto your eye area. Closing your eyes is recommended for comfort.
- Relax for 30 minutes. Listen to an audiobook or something.
- Remove and discard the banana peel.
- Wash your eyes with a gentle cleanser.
- Repeat as needed. For chronic dark circles, everyday use is recommended.
Why It Works
Banana peels help to improve your blood circulation. That, along with their high levels of antioxidants and potassium, are thought to be the reason why banana peels help lighten the sensitive area under the eyes.
How To Use Bananas to Reduce Wrinkles
Wrinkles are a natural part of aging that occurs as humans get older. Though they happen to everybody, wrinkles are dramatically exacerbated by sun exposure. That’s why they tend to appear in places that get the most sun damage, like the face, hands, and neck. They’re also made worse by smoking.
Lifestyle decisions, like quitting smoking, using sunscreen regularly, and limiting exposure to the sun will help prevent wrinkles, but what about the ones you already have?
Instead of paying the big bucks for expensive wrinkle creams and serums, try banana peels! Here’s what to do:
- Use a mild cleanser to wash your face, clearing your skin of any residual dirt or makeup.
- Scrape out the soft insides of the peel of a ripe banana.
- Mix the scrapings of the banana peel with however much water you need to achieve a paste-like consistency.
- Gently spread the paste over your skin in the areas where your wrinkles are.
- Let your skin absorb the moisture from anywhere between 15 minutes and a few hours, depending on your preference.
- Rinse with cool water.
- Daily use will create the best results.
Why It Works
Banana peels are rich in many nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese. These reduce wrinkles by hydrating, boosting collagen production, and helping with circulation.
But wait… there’s more!
On top of being useful for reducing dark circles and wrinkles, bananas can also help with acne, acne scars, and puffy eye bags.
How To Use Bananas to Reduce Puffy Eye Bags
Though puffy eyes often happen at the same time as dark circles, and they tend to be thought of as a pair, they are in fact two separate phenomena.
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Puffy eyes are caused by an excessive accumulation of fluid, also known as edema, in the skin tissue surrounding the eyes. Because this skin is so thin, the swelling can be quite noticeable.
Puffy eyes are usually caused by overconsumption of salt, which can cause water retention, allergies that cause inflammation and swelling, sinus problems, dehydration, stress, aging, genetics, and crying.
And, yes, being tired or sleep-deprived can also be a factor, though it’s not as connected as people tend to think.
If your puffy eyes are caused by dehydration, diet, or allergies, you can help mitigate and potentially prevent them by drinking water, eating a healthy diet, and using an allergy medication.
But if you’re one of the unlucky few who has just inherited them from your parents, banana peels can help you reduce the appearance of your puffy eye bags.
You can use the banana peel treatment the same way you would for dark circles, placing a cut piece of banana peel over your closed eyes and relaxing for up to 30 minutes.
Or, alternatively, you can create a paste with scrapings from the banana skin mixed with aloe vera, which itself has calming properties.
This, combined with the anti-inflammatory powers of the banana peel, will send your eye bags packing. (… get it?)
How To Use Bananas to Reduce Acne and Acne Scarring
Nearly everybody who has been an adolescent is familiar with the tyranny of acne. This is a skin disease (the 8th most common disease in the world!) that occurs as a result of hair follicles being clogged with dead skin cells and oil.
The result is little bumps on oily areas of the body like the face, chest, and back. The worst part is that acne doesn’t always just go away and leave you in peace; it can often leave a nice little scar for you to remember it by.
Acne is thought to be caused by genetics in 80% of cases, though it’s also thought that diet, cigarette smoking, and skin cleanliness may or may not play a part.
The battle against acne usually involves a long, expensive trial-and-error period of testing what products work against one’s personal acne situation.
If you’re finding yourself frustrated and unable to get rid of your acne or acne scars, why not give banana peels a try?
You can use them similarly to how you would for wrinkles, creating a paste and patting it gently over your entire face, letting it sit for a while to seep in, and then rinsing it off with cool water.
The banana peel’s anti-inflammatory qualities should calm down your inflamed pimples, while its vitamin and antioxidant content help heal the skin.
And the same way that the peel can help lighten the dark skin under your eyes, it can help lighten acne scars.
Why Bananas?
If you feel hesitant to cut and scrape banana peels and rub food all over your face (maybe your parents told you once too often as a child not to play with your food), think about it this way. A typical dark circle cream will probably cost you a minimum of $20, but up to as much as $80, $90, or more than $100 is not uncommon. A decent wrinkle cream is no cheaper.
And there’s no guarantee that any of them will work, meaning you’ll probably have to try multiple products before you find one that you think will suit you. Of course, we can’t promise that banana peels are going to be your miracle cure, either, but you won’t spend more than 50 cents to find out.
Beyond that, it’s natural, harmless to your skin, accessible in any grocery store (or even gas station food mart) and it smells good without needing to be pumped full of scented chemicals.
So treat yourself to a spa day complete with a delicious, nutritious snack, and a product that will help with dark circles, puffy eye bags, wrinkles, acne, and ugly warts. Now that’s what we call an all-in-one.
