When the holiday is over, and you've already had one too many Thanksgiving sandwiches, don't let all that food go to waste! Give yourself a facial! Fall superfoods like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, pomegranate, and cranberries are great ways to load your skin with beauty fuel, things like vitamin E and antioxidants. Try one of these do-it-yourself recipes and keep this season's spirit flowing right through December.
Cranberries:
You’ve already gotten “saucy” with those cranberries, now how about using them to make a salty scrub? Los Angeles based stylist and skincare expert Josh Rosebrook says not only are cranberries super-nourishing, they’re packed with vitamin C and flavonoids. These anti-oxidants help repair imperfections and ward off free radical damage. (Think wrinkles and age spots.) What’s more, cranberries act as a natural antiseptic and skin soother. Mix up this mask that Rosebrook created to harness their power:
Cranberry Salt Facial Scrub
1/2 cup Crushed Cranberries
3 tbs of sea salt
1 tbs olive oil
Mix the ingredients together. Apply on a dry, clean face. Use gentle circular motions all over the face to get a good scrub from the salt. Scrub for about 2 minutes. Wash off with warm water. The salt will slough off dead skin to reveal fresh, luminous skin.
Related: SELF Magazine's Healthy Beauty Awards
You can also turn cranberries into a “berry” effective toner. SELF Magazine recommends pushing a half cup of cooked cranberries through a strainer over a cup. Dip a cotton ball in the juice, smooth over your face, and enjoy!
Pumpkin:
It tastes delicious. It smells delicious. It does delicious things to your skin. Pumpkin is loaded with vitamins A, C, and Zinc, making it a mega facial moisturizer. SELF Magazine’s Pumpkin Pie Mask is a yummy and calorie-free treat, and the honey in it is a sweet humectant for skin. Bonus!
Pumpkin Pie Mask
2 tsp cooked or canned pumpkin, pureed
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp milk (or soymilk)
Combine the ingredients. Mix gently and apply to your face, avoiding the eye area. Rest and relax for 10-15 minutes while your pumpkin pie face mask gently exfoliates, nourishes and conditions. Rinse with warm water and apply the appropriate moisturizer for your skin type.
Related: Simple Ways to Beat Chapped Lips and Dry Skin
Sweet Potato
You say potato…I say amazing healer! Rosebrook says sweet potato isn’t just for candied yams! This veggie is extremely high in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. It helps protect against aging caused by UV radiation. Sweet potato is also rich in folic acid and copper. Folic acid can help tone discoloration and aid in new tissue growth. Copper helps stimulate collagen production. Try this mask for a sweet pick-me-up before you head out on the town.
Sweet Potato Mask
1/2 of one boiled or baked peeled sweet potato (Rosebrook suggests staying away from using the microwave.)
2 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of raw honey
Combine ingredients and mix in a bowl until blended. A blender may be used on low speed. Spread mask all over face and set for 20 minutes to an hour. Rinse. Olive oil is a super-antioxidant that will fight off free radical damage and help maintain skin’s elasticity. Raw Honey is packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
Related: Cooling Ingredients: The Latest Beauty Trend
Pomegranate
Pomegranates are a plenty in the Fall, and are rich in vitamins in A, C, and E. To calm down dry, irritated skin, whip up this antioxidant packed mask, courtesy of Erika Katz, beauty guru and author of Bonding Over Beauty.
Pomegranate Face Mask
2 tbs pomegranate seeds
1 cup oatmeal, uncooked
2 tbs honey
2 tbs heavy cream
Mix in the blender and apply all over your face. After 10 minutes, wash off.
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Josh Rosebrook has become a sought after premier stylist in the world of hair design. He is currently a senior stylist at The Parlour on 3rd in West Hollywood. After 17 years of testing skin care products and researching the effects of various ingredients, Josh began developing his own line of skincare products. He is committed to providing consumers with product choices that are a helpful part of this planet’s sustainable solutions.
Josh’s product tips and reviews have appeared in Self Magazine, Teen Vogue, LAX Magazine, Modern Luxury Magazine, a slew of popular blogs, and more. Additional credits include Dancing With The Stars, LIFE Magazine, Style Section L.A., Entertainment Tonight, The Los Angeles Times, Betty Confidential, & WhatsWear.com.
Author of the book Bonding over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust (Greenleaf Press, March 2011), Erika Katz uses her beauty expertise to help moms bond with their ‘tween daughters. A former child model and actress, Erika appeared in over 100 commercials, print ads, and films. As the mother of a ‘tween girl, she now writes a popular beauty blog for mothers tackling the drama of the ‘tween years.
