DIY Pumpkin Beauty

Halloween’s around the corner and pretty soon you’ll have a mess of pumpkin goo all over your kitchen table- you know, post-carving fest, of course. But I’m thinking maybe it would be a good idea not to throw it out, because after all that drinking, late-night munchies, party sweat, and heavy halloween makeup, your normally lovely skin is going to be begging and pleading for help.

As it turns out, pumpkin is great for your skin! It is rich in vitamin A, which carries a healing property to the skin and is essential to maintain and repair skin tissue. Let’s not forget that it also helps reduce lines and wrinkles. (Yup, you heard right!) So…you (or your skin) can thank me later, but here’s a few glorious recipes that’ll help your skin look fresh again.

Pumpkin Face Mask: This one was apparently from the October issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine. (Yeah, I know, not the hip-est of magazines out there, but they certainly have a great idea here. Beauty guru Erika Katz invented this facial that just requires 2 teaspoons of pureed pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoon of honey, and 1/4 teaspoon of heavy whipping cream. This one’s especially good if you have dry, flaky skin– the whipping cream will soothe that right up!

Rejuvenating Pumpkin Mask: This one, originally from an article in Vogue Magazine, was created by Santa Monica facialist Chanel Jenae. Personally, I like this one because it is good for all skin types. It requires 1/2 cup of pumpkin pulp, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of almond milk (for drink/combo skin), 1 teaspoon of honey (for dry skin), and/or 2 teaspoons of apple cider/cranberry juice (for oily skin). I tried this one out, and let me tell you- feels awesome!

Pumpkin Foot Scrub: So maybe your feet are complaining about all that excessive high heel- wearing. WTF!?!, they scold. No worries little feetsies, here’s something special just for you. 1/4 cup of pumpkin, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of almond oil (olive oil/jojoba oil works too), 1 tablespoon of ground coffee beans, and 1/2 of a lemon’s juice. Your dogs won’t be kickin’ after that, that’s for sure!

Luscious Pumpkin Body Butter: Well, while you’re pumpkin-ing your body in amazing refreshing-ness, you might as well lather up your body in some pumpkin guts too. (Well, maybe not the guts..but…) Try 1/2 a cup of pumpkin puree, 1/2 a cup of solids from a can of coconut milk, and 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. After that, your whole body will be beaming a big ol’ jack-o-lantern smile.

Happy Halloween! And happy pumpkin beauty partying!

Photo Courtesy of ChicaAndJo.com