A homemade pumpkin scrub is on trend!

Pumpkin, is appreciated for its beautiful colours in the vegetable garden, in the kitchen as soup, gratin, or sweet pie as is traditional in America at Thanksgiving… But it can also be invited onto the bathroom shelf!
With its orange colour, it’s no surprise that it is beneficial for health, and our skin will appreciate it too. Taking all necessary precautions, as making your own cosmetics is no trivial matter and requires impeccable hygiene, we reveal to you today the recipe for a scrub like no other: pumpkin scrub!

Why choosing pumpkin for your beauty ritual?

While cucumber or avocado are often thought of for homemade masks, a preparation based on squash or pumpkin is interesting for exfoliating the skin. In fact, several cosmetic brands are starting to develop detox scrub ranges featuring pumpkin.
Pumpkin contains a lot of fibre, which acts as a very gentle natural exfoliant, and it is rich in provitamin A and vitamin C. Like all orange vegetables or fruits, it also contains beta-carotenoids (especially the more orange ones like Hokkaido squash), ensuring a healthy glow. The antioxidants it contains also help stimulate cell renewal. It helps eliminate impurities from the face, purifies it, and gives it an instant glow, leaving it wonderfully soft.
Pumpkin can be replaced by squashes such as pumpkin, butternut, or Hokkaido.

pumpkin homemade scrub — Pumpkin: a concentrate of benefits for the skin

For which skin type?

This scrub is particularly suitable for normal to dry skin, as pumpkin has hydrating properties. However, thanks to its natural enzymes, this scrub can also be suitable for combination skin. It helps eliminate dead skin cells, reduce the appearance of pores, and give the skin a natural glow. The pumpkin scrub is not recommended for sensitive and fragile skin.

Ingredients and utensils

To prepare this orange scrub, you will need the following ingredients (the quantities may seem limited, but they are suitable for a single dose).

Organic pumpkin flesh, or better yet from the garden (about 80 g)
Brown sugar or organic blonde sugar (2 teaspoons)
Honey (1 teaspoon)

Utensils

A saucepan
A strainer (or a small blender)
A bowl
A spatula or spoon

The recipe

Cook the piece of pumpkin cut into small pieces by steaming or in a small amount of water.
Puree the flesh using a strainer. The puree should remain coarse; you want to achieve a pumpkin pulp to benefit from its fibrous texture for our scrub. (N.B.: the amount used should be twice as much as the amount of sugar and honey).
Mix in a bowl with a spoon or spatula, the pumpkin puree, honey, and sugar to obtain a homogeneous consistency... It’s ready!

Application and setting time

Cleanse your face to remove any makeup residue.
Immediately apply the scrub obtained on dry skin: take a small amount of scrub in your hand and apply it to the face, avoiding the eye and mouth areas.
Massage gently with your fingertips in small circular motions to exfoliate the skin gently and activate circulation.
Rinse with cool water to tone the skin, then dry your face with a towel.
You can apply a floral water right after.

This homemade mask can be used once a week, from autumn to early spring, as long as you have squashes available! Take the opportunity to do a facial mask right after to benefit from the advantages of the scrub.

Important: hygiene and storage

It is essential to adhere to strict hygiene rules when preparing homemade cosmetics. We often forget this, but our interiors are teeming with bacteria, and for a treatment to be applied to the skin, there is no room for carelessness... Ensure that all your utensils and work surfaces are clean and disinfected (as well as the towel). Wash your hands thoroughly before starting the preparation and application process.

Although this treatment can be stored for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator, we recommend preparing it fresh, with these quantities, since the pumpkin scrub will be used only once a week.

To read before you start: best practices for homemade cosmetics!