Can we call banana the queen of fruits? High in carbohydrates, mineral, and vitamins, it is renowned among athletes to boost energy before and after exercise. Banana is even renowned in people who are getting weight loss program. It has many benefits from the healthy one until the beauty one. Not only its fruit, even the whole plant can be used for many things. Awesome, isn’t it?
The other magic that banana can offer is the beauty benefits. Either you eat it or using the banana for hair mask or facial mask. According to some studies, banana can really help you to get shiny-moisturized-pimple free face and shiny-clean-dandruff free hair.
Uses
For beauty purpose, you can use both of the flesh and the peel. You can use it as hair and facial mask or simply eat it as nutritional food to nourish your hair, skin, and nails.
Nutrients
Below are the nutritional values of one medium size of banana (118 g) = 105 kcal
| Nutrient | % Daily Value* |
| Carbohydrates | |
| Dietary fiber | 3,1 g |
| Starch | 6,3 g |
| Sugars | 14,4 g |
| Fats and Fatty Acids | |
| Saturated fat | 1% |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0,1 g |
| Omega 3 fatty acids | 31,9 mg |
| Omega 6 fatty acids | 54,3 mg |
| Protein and Amino Acids | |
| Protein | 3% |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A | 2% |
| Vitamin B1 | 2% |
| Vitamin B2 | 5% |
| Vitamin B3 | 4% |
| Vitamin B5 | 5% |
| Vitamin B6 | 22% |
| Folate | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 17% |
| Vitamin D | 1% |
| Vitamin E | 1% |
| Vitamin K | 1% |
| Choline | 11,6 mg |
| Betaine | 0,1 mg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium | 1% |
| Iron | 2% |
| Magnesium | 8% |
| Phosphorus | 3% |
| Potassium | 12% |
| Zinc | 1% |
| Copper | 5% |
| Manganese | 16% |
| Selenium | 2% |
| Flouride | 2,6 mcg |
| Sterols | |
| Phytosterols | 18,9 mg |
| Others | |
| Water | 88,4 g |
*% Daily Value for adults or children aged ≥ 4 years old, based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Daily values may be higher or lower based on individual needs (affected by gender, age, body mass index, and activities).
Beauty Benefits of Banana
We often think to treat skin, hair, or nails from the outside. But sometimes we forget to nourish it from the inside. Nutrients deficiency can lead to unhealthy skin, hair, and nails condition. Beautify skin, hair, and nails only from the outside, is like try to fix the problem without fix the source of the problem. No matter how hard you try to fix it, the problem will always appear again.
Banana contains macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals that both are needed to maintain the healthy skin and protect skin from environment exposure.
Unlike the other organs, skin needs nutrition from outside and inside. Skin is composed of two layers, the epidermis (the upper layer ) and the dermis (the underlying layer). Epidermis doesn’t have blood vessel which carries nutrients to nourish our skin. Blood vessels are found only in the dermis. That’s why we still need to treat skin from the outside to nourish the epidermis.
Let’s try digging out the benefits of each nutrient contained in the banana that can make skin, hair, and nails healthy! If you want to check your daily needs of each nutrient, you can check it in  http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/dri_results.php. It will calculate your daily needs based on your gender, height, weight, and level of activities.
General Requirements (Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats)
Generally, skin needs carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Glucose, the component of carbohydrate, provides backbones for modification of proteins and fats that compose the epidermis. Sterols and ceramides (fats) are needed for the formation of the stratum corneum (the outer side of the epidermis). Stratum corneum can absorb fat-soluble materials put on the skin. That’s why we can put on some materials to nourish the epidermis.
Amino acids (the compounds that making up the  protein) are needed for the production of both dermis and epidermis and producing the proteins and enzymes needed to protect epidermis. Since hair and nails are made of the protein called keratin, people who don’t get enough protein from the diet, tend to have dry and brittle hair, making it looks dull and result in hair loss.
Fatty Acids
Deficiency of essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can lead to skin lesions, hair loss, and brittle nails. Studies showed that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can protect the skin from UV light exposure; prevent skin aging; improve skin moisture, elasticity, and firmness; also accelerate wound healing.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for renewal of skin cells, keep skin smooth and glowing, protect skin from UV light, accelerate wound healing, and control excessive oils which also play the part of its effect on treat mild to moderate acne.
Vitamin B complex
Vitamin B-complex is needed for a healthy skin and hair. Many beauty products add vitamin B complex as its ingredient. Below is the benefits of each vitamin B.
| Vitamin B1 (thiamine) |
|
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) |
|
| Vitamin B3 | The complex of vitamin B3 is made of niacin and niacinamide.
|
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) |
|
| Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) |
|
Vitamin C
Vitamin C can protect the skin from the damage caused by UV light exposure. Vitamin C is not a sunscreen so it is better to still use sunscreen when you do activities outside. Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C can neutralize free radical that can lead to skin aging. Studies showed that vitamin C also accelerates wound healing and deficiency of vitamin C lead to dried skin.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of the process of skin renewal. This process is essential in wound healing and the barrier function of the skin. Vitamin D can also protect the skin from the damage caused by UV light exposure and regulate the hair growth hence prevent hair loss.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E has positive effects on hair density and brittle nails. It also It also helps maintain skin moisture and protect skin from UV light. Vitamin A, C, and E are antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals hence prevent skin aging caused by it.
Betaine
Betaine is used in cosmetics for hair-conditioning and skin conditioning agent. It can keep the moist and used as an anti-irritant.
Minerals
- Iron. Iron is an essential nutrient for skin, hair, and nails growth. The major cause of hair loss in women under 50 is nutritional and about 30% women are affected. Deficiency of iron can lead to hair loss and brittle nails.
- Zinc. Studies showed that zinc can stimulate cell proliferation and protect skin from UV light exposure.
- Copper. Studies showed that copper has the anti-inflammation effect on skin hence can help to treat acne and the other inflammation conditions on skin.
- Potassium. Potassium deficiency can cause acne and dry skin. Potassium is one of the electrolytes (along with sodium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and carbonate). Electrolytes deficiency can lead to dehydration which can lead to dry skin.
- Magnesium. Magnesium plays a role in regulating DNA replication and repair from free radical damage which can lead to skin aging.
- Manganese. Studies showed that the addition of manganese to sunscreen with titanium dioxide ingredient can increase its effectiveness to protect skin from UV light exposure.
- Selenium. Studies showed that selenium can protect skin from UV light exposure.
- Phytosterols. Phytosterols are sterol that is produced by the plant (phyto means plant). Meanwhile, cholesterols are produced by human or animal in liver. Chole means bile. That’s why a plant will never contain cholesterol because they don’t have bile. Phytosterols are widely used in the cosmetics industry in cream and lipstick.
Like mentioned above, the outer layer of the epidermis is stratum corneum. Stratum corneum is composed of ceramides, free fatty acids and sterols. This composition make the material from the outside is hard to penetrate the skin but help the body from water loss. This capability of stratum corneum is dependent on its elasticity and its elasticity is dependent on its composition of fats. This fats also plays an important role in skin moisturization.
Sterol is good for healthy skin, but if we apply cholesterol containing product on the skin, it may lead to inflammation and acne. Surprisingly, it doesn’t happen if we apply phytosterol containing product on the skin. Phytosterol even shows anti-inflammatory effect. Beside of its effect in rejuvenating the skin by improving its elasticity, phytosterol also triggers collagen and hyaluronic acid production. Hyaluronic acid help with skin repair after exposure from UV light (sunburn) and increase proliferation of skin cells.
DIY Beauty Recipes
Ripe banana peel alone can be rubbed on the face for removing darkness and cleansing. Banana peel also usually used for treat bruise, insect bite, itchy skin, and moisturize the dry heels. But you can add the other ingredients to get the best for your hair and skin. Here some of the simple treatment for your beauty hair and skin.
Beauty recipes for smooth, shiny, and dandruff-free hair
Recipe 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Instructions:
- Mash up all the ingredients in the bowl or blend it until there is no lump.
- Apply the mask on your hair, especially the hair tip. You can apply it on your scalp too.
- Wrap hair in a shower cap
- Wait for 15 minutes
- Rinse thoroughly with water
- Shampoo and condition your hair
- Let your hair dry itself before you comb it
Recipe 2
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Instructions:
- Mash up all the ingredients in the bowl or blend it until there is no lump.
- Apply the mask on your hair, especially the hair tip. You can apply it on your scalp too.
- Wrap hair in a shower cap
- Wait for 15 minutes
- Rinse thoroughly with water
- Shampoo and condition your hair
- Let your hair dry itself before you comb it
Beauty recipes for skin
Moisturizing mask (good for oily skin, too)
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon of honey
Instructions:
- Mash up the banana and honey in a bowl
- Add a few drops of lemon juice into the mix
- Apply on your face
- Wait for 15-20 minutes
- Rinse with water
If you want to add some fragrances in your mask, you can add lavender oil for relaxation. Lavender oil can be used for all types of skin. If your oily skin is pimpled too, you can also add tea tree oil. Besides work as a fragrance, it can help to treat acne. You can also use patchouli oil, ylang-ylang oil, jojoba oil, or peppermint oil. If you have dry skin, you can add rosemary oil, chamomile oil, neroli oil, or geranium oil.
Hydrating mask
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 ripe avocado
Instructions:
- Mash up the banana and avocado in a bowl
- Apply on your face
- Wait for 15-20 minutes
- Rinse with water
Gentle Exfoliating Scrub
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- A tablespoon of sugar
Instructions:
- Mix the banana and sugar in a bowl
- Apply on your face
- Rub slowly in circular motion
- Rinse with water
Other Ways to Eat Banana
Maybe you start to consider eating the banana every day to get its beauty benefits. But maybe you start to think, would it be boring to eat it just like the usual. Don’t worry! Here we sum up some simple recipes of banana so you can eat it different ways every day.
And please keep in mind, despite its beauty (and health) benefits, don’t over eat it. Eat it too much (8-10 bananas outside of you regular meals), it may cause gain weight.
BOB (Banana Oat Ball)
Ingredients
- 1 large banana (the riper the better)
- 1 cup of oatmeals
- 2 tablespoon of honey
- Sprinkles (anything you like, don’t use too much-sweetened sprinkle)
Instructions
- Mix the banana, oatmeals, and honey in food processor or just mix it with spoon in the bowl
- Pick one tablespoon of the mixture and roll it with hand
- Continue until all the mixture is rolled
- Keep in the refrigerator for hardening (about 30 minutes)
- Roll it on sprinkles
- Eat it
- If you want to eat it next time, keep it in container and store in the refrigerator.
French Toast
Who doesn’t like french toast? Maybe you want to eat it with fewer calories? Try to skip the egg, sugar, and butter and instead, use banana. Try to change the milk with almond or soy milk.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1 cup of almond or soy milk
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 5 slices of bread
Instructions
- Mash the banana in a bowl using a fork.
- Add the almond or soy milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Heat a pan on medium heat.
- Slice the bread in half into ten slices or let it be 5 slices.
- Add olive oil sufficiently to the heated pan.
- Dip bread in the banana-soy-milk mixture, flip to wet the other side, then place on the hot pan.
- Cook on each side until golden brown. Carefully use a spatula to flip the slice since it tends to stick a little.
- Serve immediately with sliced fruit, plain yogurt, honey, or maple syrup.
Rehydrating Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 300 ml pure coconut water
- 1 tablespoons of plain yogurt
- Stevia or honey (for taste)
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients in blender until smooth
Frozen Banana Popsicle
Craving for a cooling snack in hot weather? Why not try this one?
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 4 popsicle sticks
- 5 tablespoons of plain yogurt
Instructions
- Peel the ripe banana.
- Make four equal-sized pieces by cutting it in half, then cut the halves in half.
- Push a popsicle stick three-quarters of the way through the bottom of each piece of banana
- Dip each piece in the yogurt, twirling it around to cover evenly.
- Place in the freezer for at least four hours.
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Want to eat free-guilty ice cream when in weight loss program? Try this one!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
Dairy-free choco chips or another sprinkle that you like
Instructions
- Slice the bananas and place in a container.
- Keep it in the freezer for at least two hours.
- Place the frozen bananas and cocoa powder in a food processor, and blend until smooth. At first, it will look like sticky lumps, but as the mixture begin to melt, it will look like creamy.
- Move into a bowl or glass and sprinkle with a few dairy-free choco chips or another sprinkle that you like
Banana for Skin and Hair Benefits already have proven evidence, many beauty product use all of its nutrients to make great products.