Pumpkin isn’t just one of our favorite Thanksgiving flavors—it’s also one of our favorite skin treats. The reason? Packed with skin-healing Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Zinc, pumpkin puree is perfect for perking up dull, dreary complexions. Appropriate for all skin types, especially for environmentally damaged or sensitive skin, pumpkin also provides a slew of powerful beta-carotene-rich antioxidants that can brighten and exfoliate just as well as the leading over-the-counter alpha-hydroxy lotions and serums.

As we head into the holiday season, you’re sure to give thanks for these easy at-home pumpkin-packed beauty treatments.

Pumpkin Face Mask
Ingredients

2 teaspoons cooked or canned pumpkin, pureed
1/2 teaspoon honey (humectant, regenerative)
1/4 teaspoon milk, or soy milk (alpha hydroxyl acid, enzymes digest skin cells)

Optional Ingredients
For Dry Skin: 1/4 teaspoon heavy whipping cream (moisturizing; alpha hydroxy acid) For Oily Skin:
1/4 teaspoon cranberry juice (high in antioxidants and critically important to the utilization of essential fatty acids to maintain balanced, nourished skin)

Directions

• Allow ingredients to reach room temperature and mix together in a bowl.
• Apply to your face, avoiding the eye area.
• Relax for 10-15 minutes while your mask gently exfoliates, nourishes, and conditions
• Rinse with warm water and finish with your favorite moisturizer.

Pumpkin Body Mask
Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked or canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup solids from a can of coconut milk (a natural moisturizer)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (ground cinnamon is warming, stimulating, and antibacterial)

Directions

• Allow ingredients to reach room temperature and mix together in a bowl.
• Apply generously to clean skin, massaging gently.
• Leave on for about 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Bonus Recipe: Calming Cranberry and Orange Herbal Bath
Relax and unwind with this scent-ual. seasonal bath treat: Tie half a bag of fresh cranberries in a muslin bag, crush them slightly, then add them to warm bath water. Add 8-10 drops of essential orange oil. Enjoy.