The Most ‘Bananas’ Uses For Banana Peels

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If someone asked you what you do with banana peels after eating the banana, you might look at them like they are crazy. Most people just toss the peel in the trash right away. And outside of setting up a very cartoonish slip-and-fall trap for someone, what use could a banana peel possibly have?

Relief from itching made easy

Woman rubbing banana peel on her hands to hydrate skin. Zero waste and natural skin care concept.

Do you get itchy very easily? If so, we feel your pain…literally! And if you’re like us, you’re probably getting fed up with all the over-the-counter ointments and creams that cost way too much money and don’t really help with the pain. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised to discover that banana peels can help out with a certain kind of itch.

Basically, if you’ve been bitten by a mosquito or even walked into some poison ivy, you don’t have to just wait out the pain. The inside of a banana peel can provide natural relief. Just rub it on the affected area and marvel as the pain suddenly goes away!

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The key to tasty tea

Do you like tea more than coffee? If so, you probably know how expensive it can be to buy blend after blend at your favorite local store. But provided that you like to eat bananas, you may already have the perfect ingredients for a tasty tea on hand.

Banana peels, whether you use them dry or chop them up fresh, can easily be boiled in water. Once you add a sweetener, you’ve got yourself a seriously flavorful tea. Not only can this help soothe your nerves, but knowing how much you’re now saving on tea can help you relax in a powerful way.

Relieving skin treatment

We already touched on how banana peels can provide relief after you have been bitten by a mosquito. It can help out with other bug bites, too, but the relief doesn’t stop there. Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on yourself can also help with the itching pain caused by sunburns, eczema, and even psoriasis.

What’s the secret that lets banana peels be so beneficial to our skin? The peels have anti-inflammatory qualities as well as antimicrobial qualities and even antioxidants. Throw in the tannins inside them and you have a ready source of pain relief that can even prevent infections!

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Soil enrichment

We’ve been focusing a bit on how good banana peels are for skincare. And while we’ve got even more of those tips to share, here’s something completely different: as it turns out, these peels can help you give your soil the same TLC that you give your skin!

You might have heard before that you can create better, healthier soil by mixing in organic materials such as wood ash and eggshells. Banana peels work the same way, and the final result is enriched soil that can help your plants grow nice and strong.

A cheap, natural face mask

Sometimes, people tell us skincare doesn’t have to be expensive. That always leads us to ask the same question: have you seen the cost of face masks? That’s why we were so excited to discover that you don’t have to pay a thing for masks as long as you have a steady supply of bananas.

Peels can be used as masks and can help your skin in a number of ways. For example, if your skin is feeling red, puffy, or simply irritated, the peel mask can provide immediate natural relief. Just don’t let anyone take any pictures of you with a banana on your face and you’ll be fine!

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Great for compost mixing

Not everybody is into composting. Those who are, though, are always searching for the best way to improve the composting process. And you guessed it: banana peels can help this process go much more smoothly!

In short, the peels are a great source of nitrogen. This helps the compost pile break down organic materials that much more easily. The final result is much richer, making banana peels a vital tool in any compost lover’s toolbox!

Plant spray to keep everything growing

Whether you have an entire garden or just a few measly houseplants, you know how hard it can be to keep everything growing. It all sounds so easy on paper…a little water, a little sunlight, what could go wrong? But sometimes, stubborn plants need a little something extra to help them reach their full potential.

Home and garden stores are stocked with many over-the-counter supplies, and it’s possible to pay a small fortune in your attempt to keep your plants alive. But if you’d rather save that money, all you have to do is soak some banana peels in water for a couple of days. The result is an organic spray you can apply to all your plants, giving them the nutrients needed to grow strong and healthy.

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