I haven’t posted much here recently. I have been super busy processing orders (recently I’ve been crafting a lot of new batches of products for orders, which has slowed things down a bit, but I have been working to get all caught up). I have also been getting a couple new products ready for launch (I am so excited about my new masks/scrubs, which will be released soon!), and have been crafting and testing some new formulations too!
But I will start posting more again this month. 🙂 I hope that everyone had a wonderful halloween!
Pumpkins have been on my mind for the past several weeks (and not just because it was halloween a couple days ago! 🙂 ). Some of my most favorite ingredients to use during the fall and winter months are pumpkin ingredients. I use a couple different kinds of pumpkin in crafting (pumpkin oil and pumpkin pulp), and they are ingredients in some of my best selling products (Swan Elixir and also Cinderella Mask). It is also in Midnight Elixir (one of my personal favorite elixirs). Another pumpkin product will soon join the line ;P (a mask/scrub) but first I am going to review the properties of pumpkin oil.
A few weeks ago I added pumpkin oil to the D.I.Y./raw ingredient section of the website. I love pumpkin oil: it is an underrated ingredient, but it is probably one of the best ingredients you can use on your skin, if your skin is dehydrated, dry, or both! That is one of the reasons I love using it in Earth Alkemie products. Pumpkin oil is one of my must have ingredients to use during the fall and winter months (though I like using it year round!).
I use a cold pressed, unrefined, virgin pumpkin oil; so it is super rich in antioxidants, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals, including vitamins E, C, A, K, beta carotenoids etc. It is an extremely rich source of natural plant vitamins. The one I use is super dark and rich, much richer and darker than some other pumpkin oils I have tried in the past.
Pumpkin oil is a medium weight to heavier oil but it absorbs well into the skin. Personally I like blending it with other oils for the face (just like I did in Swan and Midnight elixirs!), but I love using it straight on my body too. (Be sure to apply 1 to 5 drops on the facial skin to damp skin, OR apply liberally to damp skin on the body). Basically it banishes dry and dehydrated skin! It is very emollient and helps soften the appearance of fine lines. I also highly recommend it for all types of blemished skin (including scars).
It’s one of my favorites since it makes my skin look vibrant, helps hold in hydration, and (when applied to damp skin) it is an amazing moisturizer. It is a rich oil so if your skin is on the oily side, I recommend mixing it with a lighter oil (such as blueberry oil, which is also available on the the D.I.Y./raw ingredient section of the website. Many other light oils will also be added to the site in the future).
Pumpkin oil’s shelf life is 6 months to 1 year (depending on storage and usage). For best results, refrigeration is recommended.
Note: This post was edited on Feb 21, 2014 to fix some of the links and some minor edits (all of the content is pretty much the same).
