DIY project: Two Pumpkin Face Masks.

Pumpkin is a wonderful ingredient for DIY skin care.  It’s high in vitamin C to protect your skin from free radicals, which means that it can help prevent wrinkles and fine lines.

Pumpkin is packed with vitamins and enzymes that rejuvenate skin, sweeping away dead skin cells to reveal a radiant complexion – this makes pumpkin great for aiding in dark spot removal.

With plenty of benefits for your skin, any pumpkin face mask is highly effective, so, pumpkin is the perfect ingredient for a homemade face mask.

First of all, you need to prepare pumpkin puree. In previous post I wrote how I made it .

For oily skin you will need:

-about 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree

- 1egg white

- 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. 

Egg whites contain two vital skin care ingredients: collagen and protein, which can be effective for those who are fighting any type of skin inflammation or fine lines and wrinkles.

Lemon juice has astringent properties that help shrink pores by tightening the skin.

For dry skin you will need: 

  -about 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree

- 1 egg yolk

- 2 teaspoons of honey  

The nutrients in egg yolks work to hydrate, nourish, and moisturize dull/dry skin.

Honey is a natural humectant, which means it moisturizes the top layers of the skin. This extra moisture can help improve wrinkles. It also soothes dry, irritated, and sensitive areas. Also, honey's antioxidant properties help delay skin aging.

How to do: 

Whisk together all ingredients to create smooth paste.

Apply mixture over your face, relax for 15 to 20 minutes, and rinse by water to reveal a brighter, firmer, smoother complexion.

 You can read also: 

- Benefits of Pumpkin Skin Care Products.

- How to make pumpkin puree.

How to make pumpkin puree.

Fall is here, and that means pumpkin is coming back in season. Harvested in September and October, pumpkins are an autumn favorite for Americans. In fact, the U.S. is one of the top producers of pumpkins in the world. Sweet, orange-fleshed pumpkins occupy a place on the hall table in many homes this time of year. Pumpkin has a range of fantastic health benefits, including being one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene. You can now eat pumpkin in all forms. There are myriad ways to indulge in the fall favorite: pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin pie, creamy pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter, pumpkin bread or muffins…

But pumpkins also offer a lot of benefits to our skin: help promote cell “turnover” or regrowth, smoothing skin, brighten skin, high in fatty acids and vitamin E.

We can use this wonderful “source of beauty” all year around, you just need to prepare pumpkin purée and freeze it! 

How to make pumpkin puree: 

 

 Rinse the pumpkin under cold water and cut in half.

Use a spoon to scrape the stringy fibers and the seeds out of each half.  Discard fibers and save seeds for toasting, if desired (they are edible and nutritious too).

Once the seeds are removed and the inside of the pumpkin is clean, the skin still needs to be removed.

But peeling pumpkin is hard. Recently, I’ve found some trick for that.

Place half of pumpkin cut side down on a microwave safe dish with a little water in it. 

Microwave your pumpkin until tender. The timing varies, depending on the size of your pumpkin. I cooked on HIGH about 15 minutes.

Remove pumpkin from the microwave when it’s ready. Allow to cool slightly to the touch.

 

 Then scrape out the tender flesh with a spoon; discard rind.

 Process the pumpkin pieces/scoops in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Some pumpkin, depending on the batch, can be dry; you can add a little water during the pulsing. 

 Now you have nice pumpkin puree! You can either use this immediately in whatever recipe you’d like…or you can store it in the freezer.

I’m going to make face mask tomorrow. So, I place some amount of puree in refrigerator.

But mostly all batch of this I will freeze for future use.

I spoon 1 to 2 cup portions of pumpkin into each zip-lock freezer bag. Use your hands to flatten out the pumpkin inside the bag and push out the air.

 Label contents, date and quantity, and store in freezer until ready to use. Store it for 6 to 8 months.

Enjoy!

Coming soon: Handmade pumpkin face masks recipes... 

You can read also: 

Pumpkins season! Benefits of Pumpkin Skin Care Products.