What you’ll need:
4 oz. Fresh Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 ounce Tamanu Oil
1/2 ounce Jojoba Oil
.25 ounce Vitamin E
.2 ounces Rhassoul Clay
.1 ounce Carrot Seed Essential Oil
.1 ounce Lavender Essential Oil
Food Processor
Jar(s)
I hate to waste anything. I loathe throwing out anything that might have a dual purpose. And, while I know you can toast the Pumpkin Seeds, it seems criminal to eat something that is so good for your skin. Pumpkin Seed Oil is made from pressing pumpkin seeds. It is rumored to help with fine lines and help keep skin supple and moist.
So, I designed the most luxurious exfoliating facial mask I could think of with my leftover pumpkin seeds.
First, I used an ice cream scoop to pull out the seeds in my soon-to-be jack-o-lantern. I pulled out some of the pulp too. The natural occurrence of Vitamins A and C and zinc in the pumpkin pulp are nourishing for skin.
Next, I added the creme de la creme of ingredients: Rhassoul Clay, Tamanu Oil, Carrot Seed Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Vitamin E and Jojoba Oil.
Then, I blended everything together in a food processor. It smelled quite earthy because of the Carrot Seed Oil but the smell didn’t bother me because I knew how good the concoction was for my dry skin.
On the face, it feels gritty. I used it as an exfoliating mask, rubbing it on my face in a circular motion for 1 minute and then leaving it on my skin for a full 10 minutes before rinsing off. My face felt smooth and moist and there was a lot of scrub to share. Since this fresh food scrub is not preserved, it needs to be used within 7 days and kept in the refrigerator between uses.
This is the pumpkin that I carved after making the luxurious exfoliating mask. I think I had more success with the mask than the pumpkin carving.
Is there a preservative that you could put in it? Or would you not recommend that?
Hi MK!
Because there was no water, we didn’t use a preservative. But, if you want to use one it would be totally fine too. If you were to use one, I would suggest using Optiphen as a preservative in this recipe! I hope this helps. π
https://www.brambleberry.com/Optiphen-P3682.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Do you think this could be split into small baggies and frozen? I’m just thinking of making one batch for all 12 months… π
Yes! I do think it could be made ahead of time and frozen and then thawed before use. Great way to preserve the freshness.
Anne-Marie,
Thanks for the additional information. Sounds like a wonderful oi.
Wow, what a wonderful mask!! I love pumpkin masks, but I’ve never tried to make my own. Now I wish I hadn’t toasted those pumpkin seeds. π
Tamanu Oil comes from the South Pacific. It was used by Pacific island folk as a medicine for basically everything (insect bites, sores, deodorant, sunburn) and so has acquired quite a bit of romantic legend about it. I like it because I find it to be very useful on my dry skin.
It’s pricey so I use it sparingly and primarily for my face or eyes.
=)
Can you tell me about the Tamanu Oil? I have never used it before. Thanks.
Yes, it was a small pumpkin.
I think that the Apricot Meal would over-scrub it – it’s a pretty good consistency and doesn’t hurt on the skin – but I suspect Apricot Meal might make it hurt.
But, if you try it, let me know how it goes =)))
That was the tiniest pumpkin, Anne-Marie, you barely had room to move your wrist around π
Nice pumpkin scrub. Do you think adding apricot meal or some other meal wold tighten up the scrub or over “crunch” it?