“You're fun to look at," decided Galinda...
"I'd give a lot to achieve fun," Elphaba said. "The best I usually hope for is stirring, and when people say that they're usually referring to digestion” Gregory Maguire, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The recipes below will definitely make you fun to look at, and will help with digestion. We're calling this the Galinda Soup + Spa Day! A multi-tasking ritual for glowing skin and a nourished body inside and out.
Pumpkins, Watermelons and Cucumbers (several skincare favorites), are from the Cucurbitaceae family. Each of these comes into season right as their nutrients are most needed! Cucumbers and Watermelons at the height of summer. Pumpkins brighten as our skin is distraught by recirculated air, end-of-summer dullness and effects of over-exposure. Nature is pretty marvelous. Every esthetician I know loves a great pumpkin skin treatment. Want to create your own? You'll need a few ingredients, a dash of Magic, a sprinkle of Science, an hour or so and a few extra dishes to clean. But you'll be rewarded with a magical potion, a gorgeous healthy meal and a renewed glow. Multi-Tasking while still chilling out! Win-Win.
4 PUMPKIN BENEFITS FOR THE SKIN
High in Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Vitamin A which increase skin smoothness and cell turnover
Zinc which strengthens healing, hormone and oil functions
Vitamins E+C for barrier support
Enzymes and Bioactives we've barely begun to understand
Most grocery stores will put pumpkins on sale starting today, October 31st. If you have the time and inclination to go fresh as possible, this is your ticket. Pumpkins aren't easy to deal with, but if you are carving one up anyways... Otherwise, frozen pumpkin is my go-to. Canned is dead. Don't use canned.
For best results, make just enough of the skincare recipes below for a treatment and use up quickly. The Soup portion can be kept refrigerated for a few days, or frozen.
GALINDA WORTHY PUMPKIN SOUP + SPA DAY
Please read through the recipes below, make yourself a grocery list and schedule a couple of hours. Some people like exact measurements. I'm Italian-Brazilian. We throw quality, whole ingredients into a pot and it ends up delicious. I have no clue how to precisely follow or create a recipe which is why SSB works with fancy labs to make our products after we develop them. Research blended with nature and intuition is how the best pots of soup are made and how most skincare products begin.
PRE-SHOWER: Boil a large pot of water. Add 8 cups frozen or equivalent fresh Pumpkin, enough to use for your skin and turn the rest into a soup! Simmer until soft enough to mash up with a fork. While this is boiling, set aside 3 bowls for skin treatments, do some quick prep for a pot o' delicious, do a few stretches then a good dry-brush, start at feet and work your way up. Get your circulation moving.
PUMPKIN COCONUT ELIXIR SOUP: Chop 1 stalk leeks, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 sweet potato and whatever other veggies you have that need to be used. Once pumpkin is soft, separate 2 cups/each into 2 separate bowls and put aside 1 bowl of the simmer broth. Leave the rest in the pot. Add the chopped veggies minus any greens, 3/4 can coconut milk, a heaping tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon paste or Vital Living Solutions Bone Broth, a few dashes turmeric and cumin, some sea salt + black pepper. Set on low, cover and let simmer while you spa. The rest of the recipe is below.
Prep each of these and have within reach of your shower/bathtub:
Part 1-Exfoliate: 2 cups Cooked/Mashed Pumpkin + 1 cup Pre-Brewed Coffee Grounds (use what was brewed for morning coffee, or substitute Rice Flour) + 1/2 cup Organic Plain Kefir or Yogurt + dash of Apple Cider Vinegar. Mix/Mash well. You're looking for a good scrub consistency. If you need more grit, add more coffee/flour. More creaminess, play with yogurt/pumpkin. More liquid, add some simmer broth.
Part 2 - Mask: 2 cups cooked pumpkin + 2 heaping tablespoons Raw Honey + 1/4 can Coconut Milk (use the thick/creamy part, use the rest for the soup) + 3 Egg Whites (add the yolks to the soup pot). Mix very well until you have a souffle-like consistency.
Part 3 - Tone: 2 cups of the Simmer Broth, cooled + 1 cup Unfiltered Sake + 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Oil (optional. be careful because it will stain fabrics).
Ideally after dry-brushing to slough away surface layer dead-skin jump get yourself in the shower or bath, and be prepared for a mess. It can all be rinsed down the drain. Start with Part 1, start at feet and scrub your way up. The pumpkin nutrients will enhance the Lactic Acid of the yogurt, and the coffee is a serious circulation booster. Scrub-a-dub-dub, including scalp, being gentle around eyes and face. Take your time. Use on your face/chest gently. Rinse.
Now, stand away from shower (I actually sit in my shower for this) and apply Part-2 Mask head to toe (even on your scalp), massaging in and being careful around eyes. Let sit (and drip/run) while you tweeze your eyebrows, remove nail polish, scroll Instagram, sip sake, detangle hair, or be really cool and meditate. Let this penetrate as long as 20 minutes, but at least 8. A truly spa way would be to wrap yourself in a towel moistened with the simmer broth while the mask penetrates but that would entail a serious mess and sitting still. I can't sit still. I multi-task. Re-apply as needed, do a little circulation massage, a couple lunges or a deep condition, then rinse well, use one of the bowls to clean up shower and towel-dry. Next, dip a washcloth into the bowl of Part 3-Tone, and smooth over your entire body, being careful of mucous membranes (as in, your vajay-jay and eyeballs). Finish with Part 4.
Part 4 - Nourish: We very much hope you have Skin and Sky's age-defying body care at arm's reach! Mix a pump of the Vitamin C, Tea and Strawberry Oil rich Antiox Daily Body Serum with 2 pumps of the deeply regenerative Stem Cell, Peptide and Rosehip Seed filled Cellular Luminosity Body Creme. Massage thoroughly, throw on your favorite rocker t-shirt and leg-warmers, delight in your glow then go finish up your delicious soup.
Please don't follow a treatment which includes acids and enzymes, such as this pumpkin treatment, with drugstore-quality body care. Your skin will absorb every bit of what you put on right now, and intelligent quality matters. If you don't have SSB, consider ending with a simple application of olive or rosehip seed oil then claim one of the last remaining Freebird Discovery Kits and try our Intelligent Beauty Formulas to see and feel the difference!
SOUP FINALE: At this point, your soup should be just about perfect. Add greens, break in a few eggs, add a dash of apple cider vinegar, and adjust seasonings. Let eggs cook thoroughly, then scoop yourself and anyone else lucky enough to be with you a big bowlful! Cuddle up for a chill session or enjoy some time alone. It may be a perfect night to re-watch Maleficent, Practical Magic or reruns of The Good Witch...
“Remember this: Nothing is written in the stars. Not these stars, nor any others. No one controls your destiny.” -Galinda, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
ps, if you haven't yet, click on the crystal ball above...
pps, if you're near us, we're having a "FALL INTO MAGIC" dance party Saturday night. Nothing fancy, just a caldron, a few mythical musicians and a night for soul-movement. You can find more information on our Facebook page.
We hope you enjoy the delights of the season, the whispers of magic generations old, and preparing for the inward soul-time of the months to come. Happy Halloween.