Get Gorgeous With Pumpkin

Pumpkin is plentiful this time of year, and it's popping up everywhere from your coffee cup (because PSL, baby!) to the huge bins in front of Trader Joe's. But besides baking muffins and pies, pumpkin can also be a fantastic natural beauty product. It's rich in vitamins A and C, plus betacarotene, potassium, zinc, and antioxidants--all this adds up to one exfoliating, hydrating, wrinkle reducing, glow inducing orange machine. Once you discover the beautifying benefits of this fruit, you'll want to slather it all over your body. 

1. For a simple yet effective mask that works wonders on your hair and body, combine ¼ cup pumpkin puree with 1 teaspoon each of olive oil and raw honey.
2. Whip up a DIY lip scrub for a soft, smooth pucker: mix ½ teaspoon fine sugar with ¼ teaspoon each of pumpkin puree and coconut oil.
3. Drink pumpkin juice for healthy skin and hair.
4. DIY a hair conditioner by blending 1 cup of pumpkin puree with ½ cup of plain yogurt and 1 tablespoon of honey. Pack it onto your hair, paying close attention to your ends, and leave on for 30 minutes before rinsing.
5. Add a few drops of pumpkin seed oil to your bath for soft, supple skin.
6. Snack on pumpkin seeds--they're a skin superfood that contain a ton of zinc, the mineral that promotes cell renewal and helps maintain collagen (in other words, you'll look years younger).
7. After spending the summer in sandals (which is surprisingly hard on feet and is the cause of dry, cracked heels), treat them to a foot rub with a pumpkin salt scrub. Make a paste with ½ cup pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons of olive or coconut oil, and enough salt to make a paste.
8. Whip up a moisturizing hair mask that will help keep frizz at bay. Mix a cup of pumpkin puree with 2 tablespoons of raw honey and apply liberally to your tresses, cover with a shower cap and let it do its thing for 15 to 20 minutes. 
9. To make a pumpkin pie face mask, mix together 2 teaspoons of pumpkin puree and ½ teaspoon each of raw honey, milk, and cinnamon. It'll smell just like the real thing and leave your skin looking and feeling all kinds of yummy.
10. Here's a recipe for a mani/pedi treatment that could rival any nail salon: combine ½ cup pumpkin puree with one whole egg and a teaspoon each of honey and almond or olive oil; slather on feet and hands; stick your hands and feet into plastic grocery bags and relax for 20 minutes; rinse.




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