Long known as the complete food, bananas are also popular with skin care aficionados. Bananas have loads of minerals and vitamins which are excellent for your system when eaten, but which can also be used by your skin for repair, rejuvenation and moisture if applied directly on it. Bananas can help to slow down the regular wear and tear of skin, which translates into delaying the onset of wrinkles. That’s why bananas are wonderful for face masks.
Banana Face Mask for a Glowing Skin
What’s more, bananas work great for all skin types so you don’t have to miss out on the benefits of this wonderful fruit just because your skin is too dry or too oily. It’s even gentle enough for sensitive, acne-prone skin. So without further ado, let’s get down to some enriching banana face masks that will give you glowing skin that looks like you’re lit up from within!
Banana Face Mask with Honey and Yoghurt
Ah! Three magical ingredients when it comes to skin care, so you can imagine how incredibly soft your skin will feel with this yummy face mask. The recipe is really simple. To a mashed banana, add approximately 2 teaspoons of yoghurt and 1 of honey, preferably an organic, non-commercial one.
Apply this mixture on your face and neck. Allow it to dry completely. Wash off with warm water. Your skin will feel firm, supple and very clean post this luxurious banana facial, which is what will impart an enviable glow.
Exfoliating Banana Face Mask
Sometimes, multi-tasking with a face mask can save you time, especially when the ingredients play off each other to enhance the benefits. If it’s been awhile since you exfoliated your skin, add half a cup of powdered oatmeal to one mashed banana and mix well. Apply on face for about 15 minutes and wash off. If you cannot powder the oatmeal, it’s OK to use it whole as well. Those with oily skin will find that this banana face mask makes their skin appear less greasy over the days that follow.
Banana Face Mask for Sensitive Skin
Since bananas are quite gentle, your skin will not suffer at all if you apply a mashed banana to your face. But why not let the face mask help you with your sensitive skin issues while it gives you a glow? If you have a rash, redness or scars, vitamin E can help.
Mash one banana. Add a few drops of Vitamin E oil. If you cannot find the oil in stores near you buy vitamin E capsules, cut them open and squeeze out the oil within. There is no difference between this oil and the kind sold in bottles except that the former is encapsulated. Don’t mix the banana and oil too vigorously. Apply on face and wash off after ten to fifteen minutes.
Banana Face Mask with Extra Moisturizer for Dry Skin
Long, biting-cold winter months can rob your skin of its moisture and leave it feeling itchy and flaky. You won’t find much of a glow like that. Those with oily skin can generally find relief with a good moisturizer, but those with dry skin suffer the most since their condition is exacerbated. A banana mask can help here too.
Mix a couple of drops of olive oil with one mashed banana and one teaspoon of honey. Apply for about ten minutes and wash off. You will notice that your skin feels less tight and itchy. Flakiness will also reduce. You’ll find right after the mask that your skin has retained some of its glow. Since these ingredients are natural, you can safely apply this mask twice a week if you wish.
Banana Face Mask for Oily Skin
Mash one banana. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and mix. Next, squeeze a few drops of any citrus fruit into the paste and mix again. Apply for about ten minutes and wash off. This face mask not only smells heavenly and tastes yummy, it will impart an undeniable glow to your skin and absorb excess oil so that the glow is not marred by grease within a few hours.
Tips to get the Best out of Your Banana Face Mask
- When it comes to any ingredients for a homemade face mask, it really is better to use organic as far as possible. There are hundreds of toxic chemicals used in the cultivation of non-organic foods and these do not wash away with water. You might argue that you are not using the peel, just the inside of the banana here, but the chemicals are present in soil too which means that they literally grow right into the molecular bonds of the fruit itself. Remember that your skin is a highly-sensitive, absorbent organ. It takes in everything you put on it. So what you feed your skin is in your hands. Do you want to give it chemicals, or wholesome, organic foods?
- Remember to always apply your face mask only when your face is clean. Wash your face with your regular cleanser or soap-free face wash and then apply the mask. Post the facial, do not wash with soap, cleanser, face wash or any other product. Apart from maybe a moisturizer, your skin is best left alone at that point.
- While getting your banana facial, do your best to relax. Finish another chapter in that book you’ve been reading, take a soak in the tub, or just lie down with your eyes closed. Being relaxed will prevent the face mask from getting smudged or cracked. However, there’s just something really luxurious about doing something non-work related while getting a facial so take advantage and get the full effect of the experience. You deserve a little you-time!
- Although not entirely necessary, rub the mask off with a warm, dampened face cloth once it dries. This will stimulate your skin, assist with exfoliation and help the nutrients in the mask to penetrate deeper into the skin. Wash off normally with water once you’ve gotten the bulk of the mask off with the face cloth.
- The best time to give yourself a facial is late in the evening when you know you won’t be stepping out anymore or just before bed time. A facial opens up your pores and if you go outside where there is dust or dirt, the benefits of your facial will be negated. You may also want to apply makeup and that too can hamper the progress your facial has made. Leave your skin alone for some time after a facial. Since this may not be possible in the day, it’s more convenient to schedule your facial at night.
Don’t limit yourself to the recipes in this article. Banana is a great ingredient for a facial mask so you can safely add it to a natural, homemade facial mask that you regularly use.
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