BANANA MASK

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.infohealthy.net/?p=426)
Here they are teamed with heavy cream (traditionally used to prevent wrinkles) and organic honey in a recipe crammed full of nutrients.

Bananas are one of the most nourishing fruits available because they contain large quantities of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, iodine, and vitamins A, B (folic acid), E, and F.

INGREDIENTS
1 small banana
2 tablespoons fresh heavy cream
1 tablespoon organic honey
1 tablespoon oat flour

METHOD
Mash the banana, using the back of a fork, and then add cream, honey, and flour. Stir to mix well. You may need to add a little more cream or flour to obtain the consistency of thick cream of yogurt.

Apply mask to the clean face, including the area around the eyes and the neck, and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse off with bottled or spring water and cotton pads, and dab on a little rose hydrosol, allowing to dry naturally.

Effect: nourishes
Skin types: dry, aging
Frequency of use: 3 times a week
Shelf life: 6 hours in refrigerator
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Treatment time: 30 minutes

Note about hydrosols: Also known as floral waters (but not flower waters), hydrosols are a byproduct of steam distillation, created while extracting essential oil. Hydrosols have properties similar to those of their related essential oils, although inevitably in a less concentrated form, but they are enriched with various water-soluble active ingredients. Their gentleness makes them an excellent way to tone, hydrate, and rebalance the pH of the skin, so they are frequently recommended as final cleansers/toners after cleansing or nourishing masks.

Do Using Of Banana Mask
1.Do give yourself a homemade facial once a decade. Sure, some people have the money to have it done weekly, and some people have the time to do it themselves monthly.....but for the rest of us, it's kinda nice to set aside 20 minutes once every few years to do something like this.
2.Do microwave the banana for 45 seconds or so if it isn't ripe. Most of us don't leave bananas lying around until they're technically 'ripe' anyway, and if we do, they're going to have gnats flying around them and we don't want to touch them anyway. Just toss it in the microwave and it'll get all mushy for you.
3.Do taste it. Yes, you're getting ready to put it on your face, but this stuff smells like fresh banana nut bread right out of the oven (after all, you just heated the banana, didn't you?). You don't have to tell anyone....just dip a finger in and enjoy the warm bananas and honey.
4.Do give yourself a homemade facial once a decade. Sure, some people have the money to have it done weekly, and some people have the time to do it themselves monthly.....but for the rest of us, it's kinda nice to set aside 20 minutes once every few years to do something like this.
5.Do microwave the banana for 45 seconds or so if it isn't ripe. Most of us don't leave bananas lying around until they're technically 'ripe' anyway, and if we do, they're going to have gnats flying around them and we don't want to touch them anyway. Just toss it in the microwave and it'll get all mushy for you.
6.Do taste it. Yes, you're getting ready to put it on your face, but this stuff smells like fresh banana nut bread right out of the oven (after all, you just heated the banana, didn't you?). You don't have to tell anyone....just dip a finger in and enjoy the warm bananas and honey.
7.Do dry your face first. You should give it a quick wash before putting this stuff on, but if you leave your face wet, it's going to slip and slide right off your face.
8.Do use the last 10 minutes (remember, spend the first five over the sink, heh) to do something else, but...

Don't Using Of Banana Mask
1.Don't think that you'll get by with only half a banana. I don't care how tiny your face is, it's not going to cut it because the stuff is thick and goopy.
2.Don't add nuts and eat like you would banana nut bread batter. I know it's tempting, but you don't have time to make a full loaf right now.
3.Don't do it while kids, husbands, wives, or even blind grandmothers are home. The first 3 are going to laugh at how you look....and the last is going to try to lick your face because it smells delicious.
4.Don't think that you'll get by with only half a banana. I don't care how tiny your face is, it's not going to cut it because the stuff is thick and goopy.
5.Don't add nuts and eat like you would banana nut bread batter. I know it's tempting, but you don't have time to make a full loaf right now.
6.Don't move away from the sink immediately after putting it on. Dry face or not, it's going to slip and slide right off your face....
7.Don't use that time to paint your fingernails. This is a facial...not a spa treatment. Your face is going to itch at all the wrong times and then there'll be banana goop all over the place....not to mention that your nails will be ruined.
8.Don't eat it out of the bowl afterward. Trust me, you're going to be standing there, leaning over the sink, thinking about how you won't want to admit that you ate your facial leftovers in your blog later. Just throw it away and the world will be fine. You can make more later, 'after' you blog and won't have to think about it while blogging.