Home-made Pumpkin Body Scrub

This home-made pumpkin body scrub is fun to make beginning in October, all the way through the holidays and the winter season. It exfoliates your skin and nourishes it in several ways. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, which is soothing, honey is hydrating, and olive oil has vitamin E and antioxidants.

I recommend you use organic pumpkin for this body scrub. Look at the ingredients to make sure it's 100% pureed pumpkin with no preservatives. I also recommend you use organic brown sugar and olive oil. Read more on how to green your beauty routine.The recipe is from Erika Katz, author of "Bonding Over Beauty".

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup organic pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• You can also add a small amount of powdered cinnamon or clove, or a drop of vanilla, to make it more uplifting. All three can scents can also be added as essential oils, but just use a drop or two. Clove, which is said to be an aphrodisiac, and cinnamon can be irritating if applied directly to the skin.

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a clean, unbreakable bowl and mix with a clean spoon. Take to the bathroom and add a few extras like candles to turn it into a spa experience.

Draw a warm bath, and soak in it for ten or 15 minutes to soften up your skin. Another nice touch is to add a few drops of an essential oil like clove or cinnamon, uplifting scents that go with the pumpkin, when you're finished drawing the water.

When you're done soaking, drain the bath and dry your skin. Don't apply the scrub to wet skin or it will simply melt away instead of exfoliating the skin.

Now comes the actual body scrub! Put the towel in your empty tub and sit on it. Put a small amount on the pumpkin scrub on one part of your dry body --your lower leg, for instance -- and rub it up and down. The abrasiveness of the sugar will start to remove the dead skin cells.

Try to spend a few minutes on each part. If you do it too quickly, you won't get the results. But don't rub yourself raw. Some people have more sensitive skin, so use the amount of pressure that is comfortable for you.

You can do the body scrub in any order that makes sense to you. I usually work on my legs and feet first, then my arms, shoulders, and the back of my neck. Then I work on the front of my torso, avoiding the delicate skin, like my breasts.

After working on my sides and whatever else I can reach sitting down, I wipe the scrub off my feet and stand up. Lots of sugar crystals will fall into the tub. Finally, I work on my behind and as much of my back as I can reach. A long-handled skin brush can help you with that hard-to-reach spot in the middle of your back.

When you're done, shake the sugar crystals out of the towel and set it aside. If your tub and shower are combined, just shower off the rest of the pumpkin scrub and feel how silky soft it is.

If your shower is separate, use a warm, wet washcloth to remove the scrub, running some water to help you get it off and wash away the residue.

It's a good idea to then go shower separately, making sure that you get the sugar out of every little nook and cranny. Check under your arms, your breasts, your neckline and around your behind. You definitely want every little bit of sugar off before you step out of the shower.

Even in the shower you'll be able to tell that your skin is softer and smoother. If it's not, you didn't spend enough time. It is hard to replicate a professional body scrub at home because they usually take 25 minutes on the whole body. Most of us don't have that much patience.

After drying off, put on your favorite body cream or oil. You can even make your own natural body oil with holiday scents like cinammon, clove and vanilla.

One last thought. If you have a big tub that accommodates two, double the recipe and scrub each other's backs!