Your Skin Needs Pumpkin Seed Oil. Here’s Why

Pumpkin Seed Oil is a great addition to your Skincare Routine. Its many benefits make this moisturizing oil an excellent choice for oily skin types, acne sufferers and mature skin.

Most fruits and vegetables can only dream of the attention pumpkins get during Fall season.

Come October 1st and everything, from your Insta-feed to your wardrobe, colors all possible shades of orange.

But there’s another use for pumpkins that’s often overlooked. And that’s … Skincare!

You might get images of yourself slathering pumpkin puree all over your face, and you should totally do that too!

In this case, however, we’re taking a closer look at a less ‘crunchy’ ingredient: pumpkin seed oil.

Benefits of Pumpkin Seed Oil for Skin

Pumpkin seed oil is made from, you guessed it, extracting pumpkin seeds. It’s already a common kitchen ingredient (for the real foodies anyways), as the oil has many nutritional benefits.

Now, cooking with pumpkin seed oil is one thing. But this article answers a different question.

Is Pumpkin Seed Oil Good for your Skin?

Good quality, organic pumpkin seed oil is rich in vitamins A and C, zinc, antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids. These benefits make pumpkin seed oil a great moisturizer for oily skin types, especially when you struggle with acne. The oil also firms the skin and has anti-aging properties.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that pumpkin seed oil makes a great addition to your skincare routine.

Pumpkin Seed Oil fights Acne

As it turns out, pumpkin seed oil might just be your best secret weapon to fight acne breakouts.

You could even say that pumpkin seed oil is one of the best choices for acne prone skin types, as research seems to confirm.

There’s a whole number of reasons why pumpkin seed oil is good for oily and acne-prone skin types:

• The lightweight oil absorbs quickly into your skin
• Rich in unsaturated fatty acids, its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce the appearance of acne on your face
• Pumpkin seeds are high in vitamin E, this gives the oil anti-bacterial powers

Is Pumpkin Seed Oil Comedogenic?

Pumpkin Seed Oil scores a 2 on the comedogenic scale. This means that there’s a slight chance the oil will clog your pores. Depending on your skin type the oil might cause some breakouts. However, pumpkin seed oil is still considered a low comedogenic oil.

If you remember, we talked about the comedogenic scale in my guide to face oils.

The comedogenic scale rates oils for cosmetic use on a scale of 0 to 5 of how likely the oil is to clog your pores. When an oil scores somewhere from 0 to 2, chances are the oil won’t break you out.

If an oil has a comedogenic score of 3 or higher, there’s a good chance that this oil will clog your pores and cause breakouts.

However, finding the right face oil is a very personal affair for everyone and depends greatly on your skin type. It can also depend on how the rest of your skincare routine looks like, what other products you use etc.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Battles Aging

Are pimples and breakouts no longer a concern for you? Maybe you’re starting to see the first signs of that other skin care problem, aging skin.

If it’s wrinkles and saggy skin you’re fighting, this oil also has benefits for you. Pumpkin Seed Oil has lots of anti-aging properties described to it.

Why Pumpkin Seed Oil is a good choice for anti-aging

• Vitamin C boosts the production of collagen in your skin
• Antioxidants like vitamin E helps fight damaging free radicals

How To Add Pumpkin Seed Oil to Your Skincare Routine

So far I’ve made my case to convince you of all the wonderful benefits of pumpkin seed oil. You might think by now that this oil only has advantages for your skin.

Believe it or not, this oil has one flaw. And that’s its consistency.

If you’ve ever poured pumpkin seed oil over a salad you know it comes out like a thick, dark liquid. This oil has a dark green, almost black color.

And yes, this can leave a green residue on your skin.

That’s why incorporating pumpkin seed oil into your skincare routine takes a little more preparation.

Uses for Pumpkin Seed Oil in Skincare

• In a Face Cleansing Oil to remove (waterproof) makeup or as a first cleanse
• Combined with another carrier oil in a Face Oil Serum

Pumpkin Seed Oil works at it best in combination with another carrier oil, or in a rinse off product like a face cleansing oil.

To help you on your way I’m sharing a Face Serum Recipe that’s the perfect addition to your fall skincare routine.

This is an oil-based serum, so use it on its own or AFTER your regular moisturizer to seal it and protect your skin all day long.

Continue to Content

Yield: 1 oz face oil

Pumpkin Seed Oil Face Serum Recipe

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy like Sunday morning

This face serum is perfect for those colder fall and winter months. This non greasy oil-based blend won't feel greasy or tacky on your skin. It's absorbed quickly, leaving a protective layer behind. Jojoba oil is the perfect base carrier oil that works for almost every skin type. To give this base oil a boost, we're adding pumpkin seed oil for its wonderful benefits for your skin.

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Materials

• 0.8 oz (22 ml) jojoba oil
• 0.2 oz (6 ml) pumpkin seed oil
• 6 drops vitamin E oil (optional - see notes)
• 1/8 teaspoon cosmetic mica (optional)

Tools

• 1 oz dark dropper bottle

Instructions

1. Use a digital scale or measuring pipet to measure the correct amounts of carrier oils. In this case you can also fill the bottle almost all the way up with jojoba oil. Leave about an inch at the top.
2. Fill the rest of the bottle with pumpkin seed oil. Leave about half an inch for the dropper cap. A small funnel helps avoid spills.
3. At this point you can also add a few drops of vitamin E oil (see notes) and a pinch (1/8 teaspoon) of cosmetic mica in a color of your choice. The mica will add a subtle shimmer to your skin.

Notes

Adding a small percentage of vitamin E helps slow down the oxidization of carrier oils. Pumkin Seed Oil has a fairly good shelf life of 6 to 12 months. Always keep your homemade beauty products in a dry, dark and cool place out of direct sunlight. If you do this and are planning to use your face serum within 6 months, you don't have to add vitamin E oil.

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