Pumpkin for Hair: How to Make a DIY Pumpkin Hair Mask

woman smiling holding a pumpkin outdoor

Fall is in full swing, and so is our love of everything pumpkin! From pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin bread to pumpkin-scented candles, we just can’t get enough! But did you know that you can also use pumpkin for hair? Really! Pumpkin hair products can help to moisturize and protect your hair. Pumpkin may even help with hair loss! So if you want to learn more about the benefits of pumpkin for hair and how to make a homemade pumpkin hair mask, keep reading!

 

The Benefits of Pumpkin for Hair

Pumpkin has two components: the flesh and the seeds. Both parts of the pumpkin have benefits for hair!

Pumpkin flesh is loaded with antioxidants that can help to protect your hair from environmental aggressors, like air pollution and UV rays. Pumpkin flesh is also rich in Vitamin A, which helps your scalp to produce enough sebum. Sebum is a natural oil that keeps your hair moisturized and strong. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of Zinc, a mineral your body needs to grow healthy hair.

How to Make a Pumpkin Hair Mask

Ready to experience some of the benefits of pumpkin for hair? Try this pumpkin hair mask! The pumpkin hair mask benefits include:

  • Fatty acids in coconut oil and pumpkin moisturize and strengthen brittle hair.
  • Honey acts as a humectant, drawing environmental moisture into the hair and locking it in to keep hair hydrated and healthy.
  • Pumpkin’s rich antioxidant content helps to protect the hair.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)

Instructions:

  1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Apply the DIY pumpkin hair mask to clean, damp hair. Comb with a wide-tooth comb to ensure even distribution.
  3. Cover hair with a shower cap, then allow the pumpkin hair mask to sit in your hair for 20 minutes.
  4. Rinse out the pumpkin hair mask with lukewarm water, then wash and condition hair with Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.

How to Use Pumpkin Seed Oil for Hair Loss

As we mentioned before, it’s also possible that pumpkin seed oil can help to treat hair loss. According to a 2014 study1, men who took a pumpkin seed oil supplement for 24 weeks grew 30% more hair than men who took a placebo pill. However, more studies are needed to clarify whether pumpkin seed oil can help women with hair loss.

If you’re looking for a supplement that is clinically proven to help women with thinning hair to achieve thicker, fuller hair, try Viviscal. Viviscal is a hair growth supplement formulated with hair-nourishing vitamins and minerals like Biotin, Zinc, and Vitamin C. In clinical studies, women who took Viviscal saw a 32% increase in the number of terminal hairs and a nearly 40%
decrease in hair shedding in just 3 months+.

There are still some benefits to using a pumpkin seed oil hair mask. Pumpkin seed oil is rich in phytosterols, plant compounds that are thought to block hormones and enzymes in the scalp that cause hair loss. Like we said, none of this has been conclusively proven by science. But at the very least, a pumpkin seed oil hair mask will help to moisturize your hair and scalp, thanks to pumpkin seed oil’s high omega fatty acid content.

Here’s how to make a pumpkin seed oil hair mask:

  1. Start by washing your hair with a lightweight shampoo like ThiThickening Shampoo. After rinsing, do not use conditioner.
  2. Warm pumpkin seed oil in a double boiler. You can also warm the pumpkin seed oil by pouring it into a vacuum-sealed plastic bag, then placing the bag in a bowl of water and microwaving. You want the oil to be pleasantly warm, not scalding. Test a few drops of the oil on the inside of your wrist. Careful! The oil may be very hot.
  3. Do a small patch test first to make sure that you don’t have any allergies or sensitivities to the pumpkin seed oil hair mask. Then massage the warm oil onto your scalp and throughout your damp air.
  4. Once you’ve applied the pumpkin seed oil to your hair, wrap your hair in a hot towel. Keep the oil in your hair for at least 20 minutes to let it work its magic.
  5. Remove the towel, then shampoo with Viviscal Thickening Shampoo. Finish by conditioning with Viviscal Strengthening Conditioner.

Have you ever used pumpkin for hair? Let us know in the comment section below!

1https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/549721/

+Ablon, G.; Dermatol Res Pract., 2015

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