Honey Pumpkin Besan Facial Masque

Honey Pumpkin Besan Facial Masque: a nourishing facial masque for all skin types

Oh pumpkin, Autumn’s most delicious siren, calling hordes of sweet-toothed revelers into the arms of caffeinated beverages and spiced baked goods everywhere. Sometimes I think that pumpkin is downright devilish, but the truth is she’s not all that bad. In fact, pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamin A, a nutrient that helps forms and maintains healthy skin.

To me, all of that Vitamin A has the words “facial masque” written all over it. I decided to use some fresh roasted pumpkin puree to moisten a simple besan facial masque using chickpea flour, plain yogurt, turmeric, and a spoonful of honey. Viola! The Honey Pumpkin Besan Facial Masque was born.

You might notice that I use honey in most of my skin care recipes, and there is a good reason for that! Honey is a humectant – a special kind of moisturizer that works by drawing moisture to the skin. Adding a few drops of honey to fresh recipes like masques, scrubs, and lotions, can help to enhance and extend their moisturizing benefit. Pretty neat, huh?

Besan facials are always a treat but this Honey Pumpkin Besan Facial Masque recipe left my skin feeling extra smooth and soft. There must be some kind of magic going on between the pumpkin, yogurt, and honey. This has me wondering what other kinds of recipes could benefit from a punch of pumpkin. Body scrubs? Hair masques? Milk baths? Yes yes yes.

Now where did I put my latte?

Honey Pumpkin Besan Facial Masque
Makes about four servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chickpea (besan) flour
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Directions

Combine the chickpea flour, honey, pumpkin, yogurt, and turmeric in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

To Use

Moisten your skin with a hot, damp washcloth by draping it over your face for about thirty seconds.

Apply the mask to your skin liberally, avoiding your eyes, lips, and nostrils. Let the mask sit for up to thirty minutes before rinsing it off. If you’d like to give your skin a little scrub, try massaging the mask gently as you rinse.

Follow with a toner and a moisturizer, if needed.

The remaining mask can be kept in the fridge for up to one week. Since this is a fairly gentle recipe you can use it as often as once per day.

Honey is an essential ingredient for my natural beauty stash. Check out my recipes for Honey Chamomile Toner, Honey & Citrus Salt Scrubs, Grapefruit and Honey Besan Facials, and Olive & Honey Lip Scrub. For even more honey beauty goodness, check out the beauty recipe collection on Honey.com!