It’s the season for pumpkin everything! Delicious foods and aromas surround us everywhere, bringing warm, cozy feelings of fall weather, comfortable clothes, and warm fires. Did you know that pumpkin is also great for your skin? A few simple ingredients and a little bit of time and you can have a nourishing exfoliator, wrinkle preventer, and beauty enhancer! You can make your own pumpkin mask at home, giving you spa quality results for a very small fraction of the price.
What’s So Great About Pumpkin?
Pumpkins pack a powerhouse of vitamins and nutrients that our skin needs to regenerate, fight acne, and stay wrinkle free:
- Vitamins A and C – Both vitamins help to create smoother skin as well as boost the production of collagen, which keeps your skin from sagging and wrinkling
- Enzymes – Help your cells continue to reproduce, allowing the old cells to die off, revealing fresh new skin
- Zinc – A natural acne fighter; zinc helps to rebalance the hormone levels and control the oils produced, allowing the skin to heal
- Vitamin E – Helps protect the skin and promotes healing
- Vitamin K – Helps to fade sun spots
As if that were not enough, pumpkin is molecularly tiny, which means it can get within your pores very easily. This means the pumpkin gets well beneath the skin and helps to work on the cells, giving you strong, beautiful skin as a result.
The DIY Pumpkin Mask
Anyone can make a pumpkin mask! It only takes a few ingredients that you likely have lying around your home already. As an added bonus, you will love the way the mask smells as each of the ingredients are traditional fall ingredients with amazing smells, just don’t be tempted to eat it!
The Simple Instructions
Start with ¼ cup of pureed pumpkin – this means the real stuff, not pumpkin pie filling. You can use canned or fresh; however, whichever is the easiest for you to get your hands on. To the pureed pumpkin, add an egg, both the white and the yolk. You need both parts because they each have their own healing properties for your skin – the yolk provides the nutrition for your face, while the white helps to tighten up your skin. Beat the egg well, so that it binds to the pumpkin. To that mixture, add 3 ½ teaspoons of honey and mix again. Honey does two things for your skin – helps to heal acne with its anti-bacterial properties and helps to moisturize it, which is essential in the crisp, fall air. To this mixture, you will add a splash of two liquids – milk to create a creamy mixture that is easy to apply to your face and apple cider vinegar, which gives your mask that astringent effect that is necessary to fight acne. Continue to whip the ingredients together until you have a smooth, beautiful mixture.
The Final Touch
Now comes the fun part! Not only do you get to apply the mask, but you get to relax while the pumpkin mask does all of the work. Generously lather the mask over every area of your face, but be sure to keep it away from your eyes and mouth (it’s not your pumpkin dessert just yet). You can use your hands or a makeup brush to apply the mask. Let the mask sit on your face for at least 15 minutes. You will know it is done when your face starts to get stiff and the mask starts cracking. Once you are done, thoroughly wash your face with warm water to remove the mask.
What you are left with is radiant skin that is growing fresh cells and turning over a new leaf, just like the fall season. Your skin is nourished with an abundance of vitamins and nutrients that will continue to work hard for you as you head out into the crisp autumn air and enjoy the beautiful colors of fall.
Your skin will glow after using the pumpkin mask!
