Pumpkin Mask to Condition & Brighten Skin

Undoubtedly, pumpkin is a favorite ingredient this time of year.

 It's everywhere. It's in your coffee, in your pancakes, maybe in at least one candle, and more than likely on your Thanksgiving menu.   Hey, maybe it's in your face mask too ;)

That's because pumpkin is undeniably fantastic.  Nope, you can't deny it! This beautiful fruit - yeah, it's a fruit - makes its way into just about everything during the colder seasons. That's a great thing because it has so many darned uses and benefits that, well, why not just put in and on everything...

The bright orange color from pumpkin tells us a little about some of its benefits. Orange foods (ones that are naturally orange, anyway) contain special antioxidants called carotenoids. These are converted to Vitamin A in the body and help protect skin cells from damage. Pumpkin has vitamins, enzymes, and minerals that contribute to overall skin health, but it has some other unique benefits too...

Pumpkin is a natural skin brightener, plus it helps to even out skin tone, fade dark spots and boost collagen production (fighting signs of aging like lines and wrinkles). There are a lot of ways to use pumpkin on your face for a natural beauty treatment, but today I'm changing it up just a little for something that I actually really needed!

I've had my hands in the kitchen so much lately that they are looking pretty meh...even more than usual for this time of year. Ha!  Dull, rough, crackly, and dry....yuck. Not a good way to start the cold seaason.

Since I already had some pumpkin in the fridge, I made this easy hand mask to help brighten my skin, even out the skin tone, and condition dry areas like my knuckles, cuticles and in between fingers. It quite literally takes seconds to make and only 5-10 minutes for the benefits to soak in, which is the perfect amount of time for pie-piece-eating. Mixed with just a little unsweetened coconut milk, this hand mask is so conditioning and restoring that even I was surprised. If your hands have been looking a little beat lately, try this hand mask once a day for 7-14 days to give your digits a lift.

DIY Pumpkin Hand Mask to Condition & Brighten
1/4c. pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin is ok, just not pumpkin pie filling!)
1/2 tsp. unsweetened coconut milk (add an extra teaspoon if desired).
Whisk ingredients and apply to clean hands.
Leave on 5-15 minutes and rinse clean.
Follow with moisturizer if desired.

Try our Winter Pumpkin Fresh Mask for a fresh pumpkin mask whenever you want!