19 Bizarre Uses for Banana Peels

Curing Warts, Removing Splinters, and 19 Other Bizarre Uses for Banana Peels

 

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Health and Beauty

Banana peels are chock-a-block with antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, so they're a natural cure for many an ailment and an aid for cell regeneration. Here are just a few uses:

Bug Bites

Rub a banana peel on bug bites to soothe the skin and reduce itching.

Bruises

With restorative properties, banana peel can speed up the healing of bruises.

Teeth Whitening

It's said that if you rub banana peel on your teeth for a couple of minutes every day, your teeth could be noticeably whiter in a few weeks. (I'm not sure if you're supposed to brush your teeth before or after this treatment, since common sense would predicate brushing after eating...my guess is that you need to deal with banana-breath for a while for it to take effect.)

Warts

Not only do banana peels help eliminate warts, but they prevent their return. Simply tape (or otherwise fasten) a piece of banana peel to the wart overnight for about a week. Alternately, you can just rub the banana peel on the affected area daily (but I suspect the taping method would be more effective). This even works for plantar warts (on the sole of the foot).

Scrapes and Scratches

Rubbing banana peel on boo-boos can help promote healing.

Splinters

Among the more bizarre applications for banana peels is the removal of splinters. The enzymes actually help dislodge the splinter and start the healing process when you tape a piece of the peel over a splinter.

Acne

Banana peel will soothe the inflammation and irritation of acne and reduce outbreaks. Rub the peel over the acne (face or body) every night. Improvements should be apparent within a few days.

Psoriasis

Once or twice daily, rub a banana peel on a psoriasis-affected area. Bananas have all the properties to moisturize, reduce itchiness, and heal psoriasis providing noticeable differences in as little as a few days.

Rashes and Itches

Got poison ivy? Banana peel is good for relieving the itch. Rub the peel over the rash twice daily until it is gone.

Headaches

Next time you’re at a friend’s house, ask for a banana, peel it, discard the banana, and hold the banana peel across your forehead as a headache cure. Watch for their reaction; your friend may have lost faith in your sanity, but you also might not have a headache any more.

Wrinkles

Given the overall restorative and healing properties of banana peel, it is said that regularly applying banana peel to your forehead and cheeks can tighten the skin and reduce wrinkles. I wouldn’t hope for a miracle, but I’d expect that the skin will at least look healthier for it (and you won’t have a headache if you had one to begin with).

Household

The theme in household applications for banana peels is polishing. After removing the stringy bits from the peel, rub away and watch the shine. (See also: 10 Unexpected Home Uses for Mayonnaise)

Shoe Polish

Rub the banana peel on your (leather) shoes, then buff them up with a soft cloth.

Leather Polish

Leather jackets and furniture could benefit from those peels. (Please!) test a small area first before tackling your sofa with a banana peel and buffing it with a soft cloth.

Silver Polish

I can attest to using toothpaste to polish silver, but wouldn’t have dreamed of banana peel. The application is the same as above: rub and buff.

Kitchen

If banana leaves are used in Asian countries to wrap and cook foods, maybe the banana peel itself can help in similar ways.

Keep Chicken Moist

Roasting boneless, skinless cuts of meat (especially chicken) is an art in trying to keep the meat moist. By putting a banana peel on top of each chicken breast, you can help keep the meat tender and juicy.

Garden

Potassium seems to be the secret ingredient to banana peels making your garden bigger and better.

Fertilizer/Mulch

Dry out banana peels, grind them up (in a food processor, for example), and use as mulch for new plants and seedlings.

Plant Food

Cut up banana peels and chuck them in the soil as plant food. This is especially effective for roses and staghorns.

Houseplant Fertilizer

Put a banana peel into a large jar, cover it with water, and let it soak. Top up your watering can with the banana peel liquid (one part banana-peel water to five parts regular water). Keep topping up the water in your banana-peel jar (one banana peel goes a long way) to keep the fertilizer coming.

Shine Leaves

Using banana peel to clean your dusty houseplant leaves will remove the dirt and give them an extra shine.

Aphid Deterrent

Cut up some banana peels and bury them a few inches deep around the base of an aphid-affected plant and watch the critters head for greener pastures. Be sure to cut up the peel, however, since large pieces are too tempting for creatures who will dig them up.

Compost

Although it may seem obvious, don’t forget to simply compost your leftover banana peels! They’re great for adding nutrients, and they break down quickly. (Just remember to remove any stickers from the peels).

7 Bonus Uses for Banana Flesh

Just in case you have more uses for banana peels than you do for bananas at this point, here are a few applications for bananas themselves.

Face Mask

If the peel is good for moisturizing skin and healing acne, it stands to reason that the banana itself will be equally helpful. For a basic face mask, simply mash a ripe banana into a paste and apply to your face and neck. Rinse off with water after 20 minutes.

More complex face mask recipes include ingredients like yogurt, honey, or egg whites, and can easily be found online.

Hangover Cure

For rehydration and replenishment of nutrients, have a banana milkshake after a big night out.

Combat Depression

The tryptophan in bananas can be a relaxing mood enhancer, helping to combat the symptoms of depression. (But don’t go off the meds just yet).

Ulcers

If you have ulcers, bananas are probably on the short list of foods you can eat. This is because they’re easily digested, and they neutralize stomach acid to prevent digestive problems (including more ulcers).

Tenderize a Roast

Adding a ripe (peeled) banana to the roasting pan can tenderize and moisturize your next Sunday roast.

Bird and Butterfly Watching

A ripe (or better yet, overripe) banana left out on a protected or raised surface will attract a host of birds and butterflies to your backyard. Of course, you’ll also attract some larger critters too, as well as wasps and bees, so employ this wildlife-watching technique strategically.

Relieve Constipation (and Diarrhea)

Yup — bananas can do both. Eating a raw banana reduces constipation, and eating a boiled one can help with diarrhea.

Please note that I can’t personally attest to all these applications of banana peel, so if you’re in doubt, do a small test first.

Do you have any creative uses for banana peels? 

Cheesy Pepperoni Twist Rolls

☆•♥•Cheesy Pepperoni Twist Rolls Recipe!•♥•☆

I love bread and I love cheesy pepperoni pizza too, so thanks to pinterest, this was an amazing combination!

Now this one can be with as much or as little cheese and pepperoni as you want , its up to you, as long as the dough is covered its fine♥

Ingredients:
Frozen bread dough *homemade is fine as well*
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
1/4 cup tomato sauce (Optional)

Directions: 
Loosely cover the frozen bread dough with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to thaw for a few hours at room temperature. When the dough is completely thawed it will be slightly puffed up.
Here's a tip: Spray the plastic wrap with cooking oil, or brush it with cooking oil and lay it, oiled side down on the bread dough. This allows the bread dough to rise and move easily under the plastic wrap without it sticking or holding back the dough. 

Roll dough out to an approximately 11 x 11 inch square. One frozen dough log makes one pepperoni roll.

Brush dough with olive oil or whatever cooking oil you prefer. Lay pepperoni on the dough covering entire surface. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Next, sprinkle it with shredded Parmesan cheese and lightly sprinkle it with Italian seasoning. Add a sprinkling of garlic salt (optional).

Roll up the dough starting at one edge of the square. 
Place rolls on baking sheet, leaving space between them if you are making more than one roll. Brush some melted butter on top of the uncooked pepperoni roll(s).

Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 15 to 25 minutes. Oven temperatures and times may vary. When done, the top of the rolls should be golden brown and you should be able to make a tapping sound on the crust with your fingernail (the same as when baking bread). 

Make sure you allow your pepperoni roll to cool completely before slicing and serving it.

Springtime and unfair health care

We have green clover in our yard, I know most people would spray it, but HEY we have green and our neighbors still have dead grass so I am happy to see it popping forth.
The birds today are going crazy outside, I haven't seen or HEARD this many song birds in ages. Spring has sprung here in Oklahoma.
The only bad thing is it was almost 80 last Friday and today its 60 and yesterday all day it felt like 40 or less. I froze all weekend and was almost too weak to get out of bed. These days I ask myself why I have to be lucky to have so many problems which I try to ignore and hope they go away. Doctors are almost worthless and since I have no insurance there is nothing I can really do but go sit at an ER and be scolded and told I need to go seek wound care (foot ulcers suck) well at $500.00 a visit I wont be going there, other solution at ER is we will amputate and I go home! They wont do that unless I am unable to fight.
The meds they give people for High blood pressure, diabetes and so many typical conditions that about 80% of America has will kill you if you take it and if you don't they say you will die early, what's the difference I ask? Do I want to live to be old and wrinkled and half dead from liver failure and other things brought on by man made medicines? Or do I want to enjoy the life I have without insurance and live each day till I can't go another step?
I am jobless, well almost other than my crafts I make to sell, and I can't afford the things I need hardly, without my family and after following orders of a boyfriend who has almost died of hiding his drinking, which I saved his pathetic life, and I ask myself why did I? He is worse off now than if he was dead, he lied to everyone and even himself. I am glad to rid of that family and their controlling mother who caused all his problems. I have enough of my own problems to worry about, but at least I don't use drugs, never have never will and I am not an alcoholic
I am a strong woman but today's society is making me think something needs to be done for us who can't work, and can't afford insurance, and yet I hear we will be taxed and penalized soon if we dont' have any insurance. well I say F*** the Government. We are a free country and by damned I will not start to become a prisoner here in the US.
So I will live my life trying not to hurt anyone, as long as they either help me fairly and the rest of us average people. I will enjoy the green grass and flowers beginning to bloom and try to keep my mind off my weeping oozing painful foot ulcer and nuropathy pain I endure daily and smile every hobble of the way.

Crafting with beads-Spiral Rope Tutorial

Spiral Rope Tutorial

this is a easy beading tutorial put together by a very smart beader

be sure to go check out her blog as well. ;)

The Spiral Rope is another of the major off-loom beadweaving stitches. It has a very simple structure that can be modified to create all kinds of beautiful spirals, and it is often used to create bracelets and necklaces.

Here's how you do it!

You will need:

Beads (I usually use a combination of size 11 and size 8 seed beads, but I'm using just 8s for the tutorial)

A needle

Thread

A spiral rope has two major components: the spine, and the loops. The ratio of one to the other decides how the finished rope will look. For example, if you have a very short spine component with a very large loop, you'll come out with a big, soft spiral. If your loop is only slightly larger than your spine component, you'll end up with a slim, tight spiral. I suggest that you use an odd number of loop beads: there are more finishing possibilities that way.

As shown, I'll be using a three spine bead to five loop bead ratio.

Start by threading a tension bead and passing back through it again.

Add three spine beads: they will be your first spine component.

Now, add 5 loop beads: they'll be your first loop.

To actually create the loop, pass upwards through the three spine beads you have on your thread.

OK, that's the first loop!

Time to get ready for the second loop. To do so, thread on one spine bead.

Now, add on 5 more beads: they'll be your second loop.

OK, now we need to make the second loop. To make it look the same as the first loop, we need a ratio of 3 spine beads to 5 loop beads, right? So pass your needle upwards through the top three spine beads.

Two loops down! Not so bad, right?

As with the last loop, start loop 3 by threading on one spine bead.

Add 5 more loop beads.

Next, as you can tell, you need to pass upwards through the top three beads. Not a problem, right?

One important thing to keep an eye on, as you get to loop 3, is to make sure you are creating a spiral. Spiral rope is just a bunch of loops around a central spine: it only spirals because you tell it to. The way to tell it to spiral counterclockwise (which is what I'm doing here) is to make sure you create each new loop directly to the left of the previous loop. If you hold your work vertically and look down, you should be able to see each new loop added on in a counterclockwise direction.

OK, you're done with three loops! See how it's starting to spiral?

Repeat Loop 3 over and over again until the spiral rope is as long as you want it to be, making sure you keep adding each new loop in a clockwise direction.

Here I have a short spiral rope of 8 loops. ...Yeah, it doesn't look to impressive, does it? Well, one way to define the spiral better is to add what I like to call "frill" beads. Frill beads connect the middle bead in each loop (remember when I mentioned to use an odd number of beads per loop?), and you can use any kind of bead you like. I'm just going to use some blue size 8s. Frill beads are totally optional, but I like the way they give shape to the spiral.

To start adding frill beads, pass back down through the top three beads of the upmost loop.

String one one frill bead.

Find the second-highest loop: pass your needle down through the middle bead of that loop.

Here's one frill bead completely added in.

To add another one, string one frill bead, then pass your needle down through the middle bead of the next loop down. Repeat until you get back down to the very first loop, and you're done!

Here's the thread path while the piece is still 2D (a 3D threadpath would be beyond my capacity in a 2D graphics program!). As you can see, the stitch is just a bunch of beaded loops added to a vertical central spine.

Variations! And oh, there are many.

Variation 1 is the bracelet that caused me to give up spiral rope for a couple of years the second that I completed it. It's so pretty, but I was so new to the technique I kept messing it up and having to redo sections of it... proof that you need a -smaller- project when you've just started working with a new technique! It uses size eights as core beads and mostly size 11s for loops. It's an example of double-spiral-rope, where you make two (differently-colored-and-shaped) loops per spine component.

Variation 2 is from this tutorial, size eight seed beads with a 3:5 spine to loop ratio.

Variation 3 is a differently-colored version of Variation 1, a double-spiral.

Variation 4 is another double-spiral, with a ratio of 3 size eight spine seed beads to 6 size eleven loop beads, and to 4 size eleven and one size eight loop beads.

Variation 5 is all size 11 seed beads, with a ratio of 3 spine beads to 4 loop beads.

Variation 6 uses Japanese drops and size eleven seed beads as its spine, and it has a ratio of 3 drops and 3 size eleven seed beads to one loop of 5 seed beads. I used size eight seed beads for the frill.

Variation 7 is a little more unusual, but I love the pronounced spiral. It has an approximate ratio of three spine size 11 seed beads to 4 size 11 loop beads: but in this case, the loops are more like spikes (to create a spiky loop like these, string four beads, pass down through the third, add two more). I used size 8 seed beads for the frill. I'll cover spiky loops and double-spiral rope in the forthcoming Spiral Rope: Advanced tutorial.

Variation 8 is a pair of earrings where I used drops for both the spine and the frill.

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and I hope you try it out, because spiral rope is a lot prettier in person than it is in 2D pictures.