Pumpkins are often considered a Halloween decoration or a delicious Fall treat. But did you know that pumpkins are a superfood? That’s right; this humble fruit is packed with nutrients that can benefit your health in various ways.

But what about pumpkins and beauty? Can this superfood help you achieve a more youthful appearance? As it turns out, pumpkins can do wonders for your skin, hair, and nails; we’ll take a closer look at the beauty benefits of pumpkins and how you can incorporate them into your beauty routine.

Read on to find out;

• How Nutritious Is Pumpkin?
• The Benefits Of Pumpkin For Skincare.
• How To Make A Pumpkin Face Mask Scrub
• The Benefits Of Pumpkin For Haircare
• DIY Pumpkin Hair Growth Mask Recipe

How Nutritious Is Pumpkin?

Pumpkin is a highly nutritious winter squash fruit commonly considered a vegetable because it isn’t naturally sweet. While most of us associate pumpkins with pies and eagerly awaited pumpkin lattes, pumpkins are a nutritional powerhouse with excellent health and beauty benefits.

Pumpkins contain a rich antioxidant cocktail of vitamins A, C, E, B12, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. If you are not a fan of eating this nutritious fruit, you can still use these same nutrients applied topically to feed and beautify your hair and skin!

The gorgeous, glowing orange color makes pumpkins rich in beta-carotene, which is sun-protective and boosts eye health.

The Benefits of Pumpkin for Skincare.

Pumpkin is a superfood beauty ingredient. It is no surprise that more and more skincare products use Pumpkin as an ingredient due to its anti-oxidant-rich nutritional profile.

So how can Pumpkin plump up and restore the glow to your skin?

• AHA’s Pumpkins contain alpha-hydroxy acids in the form of pumpkin enzymes, helping with skin exfoliation.
• Vitamin A. Pumpkin is abundant in this vitamin, which stimulates collagen production.
• Vitamin C: An anti-aging, sun-protecting vitamin that helps with sun damage, fine lines, and wrinkles.
• Zinc. It helps to reduce breakouts on the skin by balancing the skin’s oil production.
• Beta-carotene. Beta carotene is a highly effective treatment for Melasma[hyperpigmentation], and research shows its regular use on the skin can help diminish and reverse this condition.

Now that you know some of this incredible fruit’s excellent skincare benefits, look for it in pumpkin-infused natural beauty formulations.

We love this Pumpkin Purifying Enzyme Peel from Naturopathica.

You can also whip up some Pumpkin DIY beauty recipes.

DIY Glowing Pumpkin Face Mask Scrub Recipe.

One of the best ways to use Pumpkin on the skin is as an exfoliating scrub; this makes good use of the AHAs in Pumpkin to remove old dead skin cells and reveal a more glowing complexion.

Ingredients.

• 1/4 cup of oatmeal crushed.
• 1 TBSP Pumpkin puree
• 1 TBSP filtered water.
• 1 TSP Manuka honey.
• 1/2 TSP Pumpkin powder.
• 2-3 drops of Pumpkin Oil.

Method.

• Mix filtered water into the Pulverised Oatmeal. You may use more or less water, depending on your preferred consistency.
• Mix in one tablespoon of Pumpkin puree.
• Add in 1 TSP of Manuka Honey.
• Add 1/2 TSP of Pumpkin powder.
• Add 2-3 drops of Pumpkin Seed Oil
• Blend to a smooth paste.
• Apply to the face in circular movements. You can use your fingers or a flat brush.
• Leave on the face for ten to fifteen minutes.
• Rinse off gently. Applying a warm, damp cloth to your face may help the process.

Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your needs; this type of edible beauty recipe will feed your skin, cause no harm with unknown chemicals, and is a simple, natural way to take care of your skin.

If homemade beauty is not your thing, try this exfoliating Pumpkin Vanilla Chai Sugar Scrub, made from all-natural plant-derived ingredients from Dayspa.

• Oatmeal is excellent for the skin; it has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties that calm and moisturize the skin. Oats are full of anti-oxidant-rich vitamins and minerals and contain saponins, which gently cleanse, and flavonoids to protect from UV damage. This is an excellent ingredient for almost all skin types and one to add for gentle exfoliation.
• Manuka Honey is delicious to eat and healing, soothing, and medicinal to the body inside and out. Honey has been used throughout the centuries for its wound-healing capabilities. See this post about Manuka Honey’s excellent skincare benefits for its emollient, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and humectant properties.
• Pumpkin Powder is a plant-based superfood supplement to add to hot drinks and baking recipes, but don’t forget to add this ingredient to your homemade masks and scrubs for a nutritional boost.
• Pumpkin Seed Oil is a delicious, rich, nutty dark oil to be savored and drizzled over salads and soups. Well known for its benefits in assisting hair loss by blocking DHT, Pumpkin Seed Oil can be just as successfully incorporated into skin care recipes.

The Beauty Benefits Of Pumpkin For Haircare.

Pumpkins have a rich nutritional profile of vitamins A, C, E, and B, magnesium, potassium, zinc, omega-three fatty acids, and phytosterols.

Pumpkin is one of the best natural ingredients to add to your hair care routine, especially if you have fine, thinning hair.

• Phytosterols, a natural plant compound found in Pumpkin, protect against female and male baldness by reducing DHT levels in hair follicles.

• B Vitamins are known as hair vitamins and for a good reason. These vitamins help relieve stress in the body, deliver nutrients to the hair follicles, and have powerful antioxidant benefits. B Vitamins help maintain the hair’s health and support the building blocks of healthy growth.

• Beta-carotene can help relieve dull, dry hair that can lead to hair breakage.

• Omega 3 fatty acids can help relieve inflammation in the hair follicles and support hair loss and thinning. They nourish weak, brittle, sparse hair to encourage thicker, denser-looking hair.

Look for Pumpkin oil for hair growth, or whip up some Pumpkin DIY hair recipes with this easy-to-use natural ingredient.

DIY Pumpkin Hair Growth Mask For Healthy Hair.

Ingredients.

• 3 TBSP Pumpkin puree
• 1TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 TSP Manuka honey.
• 1/2 TSP of Pumpkin Oil.

Method.

• Add all the ingredients together and mix into a smooth paste.
• Spread evenly over damp hair, focusing on the roots and ends of the hair.
• Cover in towel wrap and leave for up to 30 minutes
• Rinse off in warm water with a gentle natural conditioner or mild shampoo.

Pumpkin is a fantastic moisturizing ingredient, helping to soothe dry, fuzzy hair. Using this mask once a week will help nourish weak, thin hair. Pumpkin contains folate to promote healthy growth and collagen to build and strengthen the hair. Pumpkin also helps improve scalp circulation, supporting lackluster hair and making it more dense and voluminous.

Pumpkins are a seasonal vegetable, but you can stock up on canned puree while you have the chance or puree and freeze it when available. Look for Pumpkin powder and Pumpkin oil, which you can buy year-round and are not only delicious and healthy to consume but also add a boost to all your natural beauty products and creations.

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