Pumpkin is not only a delicious autumn fruit and a symbol of Halloween, but also an excellent raw material for facial skin care products. The orange vegetable contains a lot of useful substances that stimulate the regeneration of skin cells and moisturize it, maintaining optimal water balance.
Many girls especially love pumpkin masks for their rejuvenating effect: after use, the skin becomes tightened and fresh. For maximum benefit, it is important to choose the right, high-quality fruit with bright orange pulp.
The article presents the most effective recipes for pumpkin face masks, and also recommends a ready-made product from Korean cosmetics.
Recipe No. 1 – Rejuvenating pumpkin face mask
Regular use of this product improves the condition of facial skin, smoothes out small expression wrinkles and prevents the appearance of large age-related wrinkles.
Ingredients
- Steamed pumpkin pulp: 50 g;
- Vitamin A: 2 drops;
- Heavy cream: 1 tbsp;
- Vitamin E: 3 drops.
Features of preparing and using the mask
- Steam a piece of pumpkin of the desired size. To do this, you need to put it in a saucepan and add a few tablespoons of water. First, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce it to low and simmer the pumpkin until soft. It is easy to scoop out the pulp from the finished piece with a spoon and then mash it to a paste.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the resulting pumpkin mixture. If the cream was in the refrigerator before use, it must be heated in a water bath until a comfortable temperature is reached.
- Mix thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency is obtained.
- Apply a thin and even layer to previously cleansed and steamed facial skin.
- Keep the mask on the skin for 15 minutes.
- Rinse off with warm water.
The mask is suitable for regular use: 1-2 times a week.
Heavy cream is an important component of the mask. They enhance its rejuvenating effect, helping aging and dry skin, and help get rid of wrinkles. Vitamin A relieves inflammation and moisturizes the skin. Vitamin E stimulates natural metabolic processes in tissues.
Useful properties of pumpkin
Pumpkin is especially useful for:
- for liver problems,
- for kidney diseases,
- for gallbladder diseases
- for gout
- for gastritis and colitis
- for diseases accompanied by edema,
- for gastrointestinal diseases,
- with metabolic disorders and obese patients,
- for toxicosis in pregnant women,
- for insomnia,
- for the prevention of prostatitis
The orange color of ripe pumpkin is due to the higher amount of beta-carotene it contains. When ingested, it turns into vitamin A. Pumpkin contains more beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A (40 mg of beta-carotene per 100 g of product) than sea buckthorn (10 mg per 100 g) and carrots (20 mg per 100 g .).
Pumpkin is one of the foods rich in vitamins, amino acids, enzymes such as potassium, vitamin C and B vitamins.
Pumpkin is considered one of the best foods for the gastrointestinal tract. It is also useful for people who have problems with the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, gastritis and colitis. And the pumpkin pulp itself works well in healing duodenal ulcers and stomach ulcers.
If we talk about the nervous and cardiovascular system, then pumpkin juice is very good at calming the nerves. For cardiac edema and various kidney diseases, pumpkin juice is used as a diuretic. Also, if you suffer from insomnia, you can drink one third of a glass of pumpkin decoction with honey at night.
Recipe No. 2 – Mask for oily skin
The product has a cleansing and drying effect, and also provides the necessary hydration for the skin. Regular use of this pumpkin face mask tightens pores and eliminates unwanted oily shine.
Ingredients
- raw pumpkin pulp: 50 g;
- 1 egg white.
Features of preparing and using the mask
To prepare this product, you do not need to heat the pumpkin; just grate the raw pulp on a fine grater. Egg white is added to the resulting slurry, which must be shaken beforehand. After thoroughly mixing the two components, the mask is ready.
Apply it to cleansed facial skin and distribute evenly in a thin layer. You need to hold the mask for 15-20 minutes, during which it is better to lie down and enjoy your rest. After this period, the product is washed off with warm water.
Egg white is a real treasure trove of nutrients, including vitamins, calcium, potassium, and the natural antibiotic conalbumin. It relieves inflammatory processes on the skin and eliminates oily sheen.
Rules for using pumpkin masks
As we have already found out, pumpkin-based masks are used for all skin types. But in order for the effect to be maximum, it is enough to add a couple of required components to it, then it will be suitable exclusively for one type.
There are two types of pumpkin uses for facial skin:
- In raw form. The purified pulp is pureed and applied directly to the skin, after cleansing it first.
- From boiled or steamed pumpkin, to which you can add other components suitable for your skin type: • for those deprived of moisture - sour cream, various oils of vegetable origin; • for very fatty skin – lemon juice, protein or aloe extract; • to nourish the skin with useful substances, it is recommended to take natural milk as an additive.
- The mask cannot be stored, as it contains natural ingredients, therefore, it can quickly deteriorate. Prepare the mixture immediately before application.
- It is recommended to remove the composition with warm boiled water or freshly prepared warm decoction of chamomile or calendula flower.
- Even though pumpkin is considered a non-allergenic food, it is recommended to check and perform an allergy test.
It is important to remember that pumpkin is healthy in any form. Having chosen the second cooking option, cooking should not be carried out for long so that the vegetable does not lose vitamins and nutrients.
Recipe No. 3 – Moisturizing pumpkin face mask
Skin of any type needs adequate hydration. Optimal water balance slows down the aging process, ensures healthy elasticity and a shiny appearance. To maintain this balance, it is not enough to drink water internally. External and local hydration through a face mask is necessary for the skin on a regular basis.
A mixture of pumpkin pulp, yogurt and honey moisturizes the skin and relieves the unpleasant tightness.
Ingredients
- Raw pumpkin pulp: 200 g;
- Low-fat yogurt: 4 tbsp;
- Honey: 4 tbsp.
Features of preparing and using the mask
It is optimal to prepare yogurt for the mask yourself: this is the only way to be sure that it contains no unwanted additives. It is better to add yogurt and honey to pre-ground pumpkin pulp, and to obtain a homogeneous mass, all components must be passed through a blender.
Keep the mask on your face for 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water.
Yogurt contains vitamins and lactic acid, which nourishes and moisturizes the skin. This ingredient is a real salvation for dry and sensitive skin. Masks with yogurt are especially useful in winter, when the face is exposed to strong winds and biting snow.
Recipe No. 4 – Mask for dry skin
Dry skin causes a lot of trouble, especially in winter. A constant feeling of discomfort and tightness, flaking and premature signs of aging. Such skin requires special, careful care and sufficient hydration.
Pumpkin pulp is known for its moisturizing properties, and in this mask they are enhanced with vegetable oil.
Ingredients
- Boiled pumpkin: 2 tbsp;
- Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp.
Features of preparing and using the mask
The pumpkin must be boiled first. Masks are often made from the leftovers of a cooked dish, so in a house that loves boiled pumpkin, there will always be a couple of pieces to please your face.
A piece of boiled pumpkin should be thoroughly chopped, and vegetable oil should be added to the resulting pulp. Usually they take olive or sunflower. To ensure perfect mixing, use a blender.
The mask should be kept on the skin for 20 minutes, after which it is washed off with cool water.
To create a mask, preference should be given to unrefined sunflower oil, since it has not been subjected to heat treatment and has retained all the nutrients. This component improves the condition of dry skin, relieves dryness and flaking.
Helps patients with hypertension
One cup of cooked pumpkin (250 g) contains 3 g of fiber (11% of your daily fiber requirement) and only 49 calories. Eating a vegetable will make you feel full. Pumpkin soup or pumpkin risotto for dinner will make you forget about snacking until the evening!
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Pumpkin is rich in potassium, which regulates normal blood pressure. The fruit is completely devoid of sodium, which negatively affects the treatment of hypertension. Thanks to pectins, that is, fiber, the vegetable reduces cholesterol levels.
Pumpkin seed oil is rich in natural phytoestrogens, and research shows that it can lead to a significant increase in good HDL cholesterol, along with a reduction in blood pressure, hot flashes, headaches, joint pain and other menopausal symptoms in women.
During cooking, the pumpkin pulp does not lose its properties (many vegetables and fruits lose most of their benefits during heat treatment). So you can fry, stew, boil and bake it.
It is important to store the vegetable in a cool and dry place after purchase. The more intense the color of the vegetable pulp, the more carotenoids it contains.
Recipe No. 5 – Mask for aging skin
There begins a period in every lady’s life when skin care needs to be doubled. If at 25 you could limit yourself to moisturizing cream, then after 45 years this is not enough for the skin. Heavy artillery is being used.
A mask based on pumpkin, milk and egg yolk is an effective product that provides nourishment and hydration to the skin.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin pulp: 200 gr.;
- Milk: 2 tbsp;
- Egg yolk;
- Honey: 1 tsp.
Features of preparing and using the mask
Before mixing the ingredients, boil the pumpkin in milk until soft. It needs to turn into a thick paste. When it cools to a comfortable temperature, add yolk, honey and a little milk to achieve the optimal consistency.
The mixture is applied to the face for 15 minutes, and then it should be washed off with warm boiled water. Such special conditions lead to the desired effect: the skin of the face receives nutrition and hydration.
Milk is an important component of this mask. Even at the boiling stage, it saturates the pumpkin with its beneficial substances. Honey enhances this effect, and many girls who make masks at home highly value the duo of honey and milk.
Home workshop
You can make an absolutely incredible amount of pumpkin masks at home. Raw, boiled, and baked fruits are suitable for this. The main thing is to apply them correctly.
Is it possible to make a mistake here? Yes, easily! If you have dry skin, and you made a drying mask from Cinderella’s favorite vegetable with lemon and tomato juice, it won’t do much good.
The same vitamin mask from boiled pumpkin, depending on your needs, is made differently:
- for normal skin - with yogurt,
- for fatty foods - with sour cream,
- for dry - with cream.
And, as always, you should definitely cleanse your skin before applying the mask. And ideally, also steam it. Then our pumpkin will have the best effect on the skin - regardless of its type.
We can talk about pumpkin endlessly, but I want to give only those recipes that have already been tested and are in my notebook. So, anti-aging masks from the “queen of vegetable gardens”.
From raw
Rapid rejuvenation
Grind the raw pumpkin pulp in a blender and mix in equal proportions with cottage cheese. Keep it on your face for 20 minutes.
Rejuvenate, cleanse, nourish
Raw crushed pulp (2 tablespoons) is mixed with a spoonful of olive or flaxseed oil, add a spoonful of rye or oatmeal, and keep for 20-30 minutes.
Quick mask
You can do it without interrupting other things. Rub your face with a piece of raw frozen pumpkin and wash after 20 minutes.
From boiled, steamed, stewed
With vitamin A
For two tablespoons of boiled pulp, take a spoonful of yogurt (or cream, or sour cream - this, as you already understood, will depend on your skin type), grind it, add a couple of drops of vitamin A. The carotene contained in the pulp will promote its maximum absorption. Apply the mask to slightly damp skin and leave on for 20 minutes.
Natural tightening, lifting effect
Simmer the pumpkin for 15 minutes, mix 2 tbsp. l. puree with milk and honey (1 tsp each), add 1 yolk. 20-30 minutes - and Cinderella is ready for the ball.
For swelling, wrinkles
Suitable for sensitive skin. Make puree from the steamed red beauty, 2 tbsp. l. of which we take 1 tbsp. l. freshly prepared aloe juice, and add a teaspoon of honey. Apply for 10 minutes, rinse, be sure to use cream. The mask is powerful, be careful!
Video recipe
I also froze this composition. The cubes turn out truly magical. Try it!
Tonic, lotion, scrub
Pumpkin juice perfectly tones the skin. It is full of benefits: it nourishes, refreshes the skin, saturates it with antioxidants, fights freckles and age spots. It can be used either freshly squeezed or frozen (cryotherapy effect).
For the body, you can make it from boiled pumpkin pulp and brown sugar, taking half a glass each and adding olive oil and honey (a tablespoon each). If desired, you can add a spoonful of coffee grounds.
Facial scrub - half a cup of pumpkin puree with three tablespoons of brown sugar and a spoonful of pumpkin seed oil (you can buy it at the pharmacy).
Ready analogue
If you are not ready to spend time creating a pumpkin mask yourself, but you have heard about its beneficial properties and want to experience them for yourself, you should be interested in the Too Cool for School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack night face mask. This is a Korean product that has received many rave reviews.
The mask spreads easily over the face and is quickly absorbed, leaving neither stickiness nor film. A product with pumpkin oil improves skin condition, eliminates the feeling of tightness, perfectly moisturizes and improves complexion.
Pumpkin seeds for men
Pumpkin seeds are an indispensable preventive product for prostatitis. You need to eat 50-60 raw seeds daily.
pumpkin seeds
Biologically active substances contained in pumpkin oil improve potency, slow down the increase in the number of cells in the tissues of the prostate gland, eliminate urinary disorders, relieve pain in prostatitis and prostate adenoma.
For children, pumpkin seeds are used to combat worms without exposing the children's body to toxic substances. And for this reason they are indicated for both pregnant women and children. Pumpkin consists of 90% water, so it quenches thirst very well.
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