Bananas are good for you. They’re great for debloating, creamy enough to be an ice cream base, wonderful in banana bread, and, yes, nice on your face. The high potassium content, the vitamins and natural oils inside these fruit will soften the skin and hair, enriching them with necessary nutrients. So when your bananas turn a little brown, go ahead and raid the fruit basket to mash it into a mask right away.

10 Ways to Mash Up a Banana Mask for Face, Hair + Feet

1. Sandal foot mask. Mash half a banana with a few drops of honey, then slather it all over your feet and wrap in plastic for 10 minutes. Instant soft heels.

2. Banana coffee foot scrub. Combine 1/4 cup fresh coffee grounds, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup olive oil and half a banana, slather all over the feet. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scrub and rinse.

Banana hair masks

3. Banana and honey hair mask. Blend 1/2 cup organic honey with 2 ripe bananas and 1/2 cup olive oil. Apply from the top of the head to the hair tips and cover with a shower cap for 10 minutes. It soothes an itchy scalp and moisturizes the hair at the same time.

4. Banana & olive oil hair treatment. This simplified version only asks for a banana and one tablespoon of olive oil, pureed and massaged to the hair and scalp, leaving it on for 30 minutes before rinsing.

5. Deep conditioning banana hair mask. Mix two ripe bananas with two tablespoons of yogurt (or coconut milk or coconut oil or olive oil) and apply to dry hair. Allow to set for 20-30 minutes under a shower cap (via JJ Begonia).

Banana face masks

6. Face mask. For an anti-aging mask that fights fine lines, mash a ripe banana and an apricot together with one tablespoon olive oil. Apply to the face for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

7. 4 ingredient banana bread face mask. A face mask that smells like baking, from Call Me a Hippie. Mash half a banana, add almond meal, brown sugar and cinnamon. Allow it to sit on the face for 5-10 minutes before washing off.

8. Acne mask. Mix a banana with one teaspoon milk, a pinch of nutmeg, and a teaspoon oatmeal. Apply to the face and allow it to dry before rinsing.

9. Banana honey mask. Mix the two ingredients – half a banana and two teaspoons honey – in a bowl, and apply to the face after doing a facial steam. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before washing. (via Kittenhood)

10. Oily skin treatment. Get rid of excess oil and lighten your skin by mixing a banana with two teaspoons of lemon juice. Let it sit on the skin for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Photos by Ana Stanciu

12