How Can Pumpkin Benefit Your Skin?

It’s pumpkin season everyone! For those who love this bright orange gourd, and really who doesn’t, now is the time to bask in the glory of everything this winter squash has to offer. That means drinking a few pumpkin lattes, eating pumpkin spice-flavored cookies and cakes, having pumpkin pie of course on Thanksgiving, and using pumpkin in your skincare. That’s right, not only can you eat pumpkin, but you can use it on your skin and hair too. 

Beauty treatments that are loaded with pumpkins are great for you in so many ways. You may be used to using some fruits and vegetables in your skincare, like grapeseed oil, avocado, and citrus, but pumpkin should be high on your list of beauty care items featuring this fine food. We offer a very specific product at Cosmedica Skincare featuring pumpkin that will tell you about it in a minute, but first, let’s explore exactly how pumpkin can benefit your beauty regimen from head to toe. 

Is Pumpkin a Fruit or Vegetable?

You may see some misinformation about the classification of the beautiful pumpkin. So, it is a fruit or a vegetable? For the answer to that, it’s helpful to ask a botanist or someone who specializes in plants. Some people think of pumpkin as a vegetable because it is considered a part of the squash family. According to the experts in agriculture at Texas A&M, a pumpkin should be classified as a fruit, since it starts from a flower and anything that comes from a flower is actually a fruit. 

The origin of the pumpkin comes from North America, specifically Mexico and the southern parts of the United States. It's now grown all over the world, with the United States alone growing 900,000 tons of pumpkin per year.

Pumpkin Nutrients

Pumpkins are very nutritious to eat since they contain many vitamins and minerals. Mainly, it’s a combination of vitamins A, B1, B6, and C, along with some fiber, folate, calcium, carotene, and magnesium.

It’s great for all parts of your body, including your heart, circulatory system, and digestion. For those with high blood pressure, consuming pumpkins regularly can help to lower this important health marker. Vitamin A with its antioxidant properties is going to be great for eyesight. So internally speaking, pumpkin is a very nutritious fruit to consume for the health benefits. The next time you’re making a smoothie consider using some unsweetened pumpkin puree to aim up the nutritional factor mixed with some berries and vanilla almond milk for a little sweetness and delicious taste.

Pumpkin Benefits for Skin

Now that we know a little more about the history and nutrition pumpkins hold, let's explore the benefits pumpkins can bring to skin and how you can incorporate pumpkin products into your skincare routine.

Anti-Aging 

Since pumpkin contains so much vitamin C, as a powerful antioxidant, it’s perfect in the anti-aging category of skincare. The beta-carotene also helps to even out the skin’s tone and texture. You’ll notice fewer age spots, dark spots, or what’s commonly called sun damage. It can also prevent further damage from occurring because it’s considered a free radical fighter. 

Pumpkin can promote the healthy production of collagen, so you’ll find that skin is more plumped up with improved elasticity and nourished from the inside out. When collagen is revitalized, there are fewer fine lines and wrinkles to worry about. As an anti-aging powerhouse, pumpkin with all its vitamins and minerals truly deserves a place in your skincare regimen for those benefits alone. But wait! There’s so much more…

Skin Irritation

When you have skin irritation in the form of redness and inflammation, pumpkin can come to the rescue here. That is due to its considerable anti-inflammatory properties, which will alleviate swelling and redness. So those people who have rosacea or sensitive skin may benefit from using pumpkin in their skincare. 

Hydration for Dry Skin

Soothe dry skin by using pumpkin. Its nourishing qualities will renew a dull complexion, penetrating deep down into the layers of dry skin, helping to exfoliate dead skin cells, and moisturize the newer skin underneath. Vitamin A will help to soften the skin, along with the natural enzymes that can help with skin turnover. Rough patches are eliminated when using pumpkin for softer and smoother skin. 

For Oily and Acne Prone Skin

On the other end of the skin type spectrum, there is oily and acne-prone skin. Pumpkin can fix some of these issues as well since it has vitamin E and other nutrients, like niacin and folate, that target circulation, and can help treat acne problems by turning skin over faster. That means fewer clogged pores which contribute to acne issues.  

Pumpkin Benefits for Hair

Pumpkin isn’t just amazing for your skin, but it can also benefit your hair in so many ways. Think of all the nourishing it does for skin, well it’s pretty much the same for your hair. The rich nutrient profile is optimal for healthy hair growth and invigorated hair follicles on the scalp. The circulation benefits are awesome for your scalp to promote a healthy base for your hair. The potassium and zinc specifically help to grow hair faster and stronger. It contains biotin (B7) which you may have heard is great for hair growth. It’s the main vitamin that you’ll find in beauty supplements to promote healthy skin, hair, and nails. 

Pumpkin is commonly used in homemade hair treatments. All you have to do is mix up either freshly pureed pumpkin or pumpkin seed oil with a tablespoon of coconut oil which has essential fatty acids. Warm them up gently in the microwave and apply from root to tip. Your hair will be soft, shiny, and fortified with a pumpkin deep conditioning treatment. 

Incorporating Pumpkin into Your Routine With Cosmedica Skincare

After hearing all the wonderful benefits that pumpkins can provide from head to toe, it’s time to get to the best part. It’s our Cosmedica Skincare Brightening Pumpkin Mask. This is a treatment mask that is loaded with pumpkin goodness, including alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or pumpkin enzymes that can help gently resurface the skin, revealing a brighter complexion. That’s just the start of what this pumpkin mask can do for your skin.

With an invigorating and dewy feel, this luxurious mask is going to increase cell turnover revealing more even and perfect-looking skin with each use. You can truly enjoy pumpkin all year long with this incredible mask. It’s not just for the fall season anymore!

The way that you want to use it is on clean and dry skin. So after cleansing with our Vitamin C Facial Cleanser, which is also loaded with antioxidant beneficial vitamin C for brightening the skin, you’ll pat your face dry and apply a thin layer of the Brightening Pumpkin Mask. Let it sit on the skin for five minutes and rinse. 

Next, you’ll apply your serums and moisturizer for your daily skincare regimen. That may include serums, like our Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum which is going to bind moisture and plump up the skin, or the 2.5 % Retinol Facial Serum. That particular serum is going to help resurface the skin, allowing a boost in collagen production for diminished lines and wrinkles, and a more even skin tone is the result. You can even use the Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum with the 2.5 % Retinol Facial Serum for the complementary benefits it will provide to your skin. 

Follow up with a daily moisturizer, both during the day and at night. Two great ones to try are the Vitamin C Facial Day Cream and the Multi-Active Hydrating Night Cream. Each is going to hydrate the skin, making it feel flush with beneficial moisture for an improved surface texture.

Are You Ready for This Pumpkin Treatment Mask?  

The Brightening Pumpkin Mask is going to be a part of your routine two to three times per week for the best results. You’ll notice right away immediately how much brighter and more even your skin tone will be after using the mask. When you keep up with the routine, the AHAs over time are going to help resurface the skin for fewer dark marks, improved tone and texture, and a brighter overall complexion. It’s truly amazing all the benefits that pumpkin will bring to your skin. 

You should not only make it a part of your fall season routine but use the Cosmedica Skincare Brightening Pumpkin Mask all year long. As always, if you have any questions about how to work any of Cosmedica Skincare products into your routine, check out our Skincare Hotline. Our team of experts is more than happy to make sure that you are getting all the benefits out of your Cosmedica Skincare regimen for more perfect-looking skin.