Farmers Market Facials – Cantaloupe

Don’t forget to add your farmers market recipe links at the bottom of the post! It doesn’t have to be cantaloupe – any fresh fruit and veggie recipes will do!

Look at this fruit to the left. Just look at it.

It’s juicy, beautiful, tangy and sweet. But it’s not a cantaloupe.

That’s right, boys and girls. That is not a cantaloupe. Technically.

I just learned this afternoon that the fruit we’ve been calling a cantaloupe all our lives is actually a muskmelon. Cantaloupes only grow in Italy and Mediterranean countries. See the webbed surface over there? True cantaloupes do not have that.

But for the sake of familiarity, we’re just going to keep on calling this fantastic fruit a cantaloupe. I’m all for being wrong when it makes things easier.

So cantaloupe on the face. That’s what we’re doing here today. I’ve been dying to do this all summer, because cantaloupes are everywhere here in Colorado Springs. Seriously. If you walk down the street without stepping on a cantaloupe, you’re doing it wrong.

Finally, I buckled down today and sliced open one of these amazing melons (that I picked up at the farmers market), and promptly ate half of it.

Good for me, too. Why? Let’s look at what makes cantaloupe so good for you (and your skin).

Exciting Cantaloupe Health Facts

Now, I have to be honest. This isn’t terribly exciting. But if I’d have said “Cantaloupe Health Facts” would you have wanted to keep reading? No. But when they’re exciting … even if that’s an overstatement … you want know. Don’t you? Yes. You do.

• Cantaloupes are CRAZY high in beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A. Vitamin A – on the face and in the mouth – is magic for healthy skin. When you get your vitamin A, your skin glows, your acne starts to clear, and bunches of free radicals are whisked away into nothingness. One serving of cantaloupe (about 1 cup of melon cubes) contains over 100% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A. Sheesh.
• Vitamin C – over 100% daily recommended value of that, too. Yep. Cantaloupes are ridiculously high in vitamin C, as well. We know vitamin C helps protect against illness – on so many levels – and it’s also a hard worker (on the skin) at reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
• B-complex vitamins AND fiber. Jeez. Is there anything a cantaloupe doesn’t have? In addition to being high in B-complex vitamins (which are great, by the way, for a hangover) and fiber, cantaloupes also contain a good bit of potassium.

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Did you know? Cantaloupes have been used for hundreds of years as a remedy for dehydration? Their potassium, magnesium, and vitamin content, along with all that water they contain, make them an excellent food choice when you’re just getting over the flu (and ready to eat again). Next time you’ve got the icks and you feel a bit dehydrated, try it out.

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Cantaloupe Facial Recipes

Surprisingly, when I did my due diligence and poked around for facial recipes that contain cantaloupe, the results were meager at best. Why on earth wouldn’t everyone in the world want to put this moisturizing, nourishing, vitamin-packed fruit on their face – every day?

So, I came up with a couple of my own.

For a fruit that’s so nourishing, moisturizing, and perfect for more mature skin, I wanted to make a scrub and a mask that was going to help diminish wrinkles and cater to drier skin. That doesn’t mean you have to be old, saggy and papery to use this – it’ll work for nearly everyone.

And, as you can see, I have included lavender – again. I can’t get away from the stuff. When I thought of what might enhance the scent of cantaloupe, I couldn’t get lavender out of my head. AND I WAS SO RIGHT.

Good gravy, if we could infuse the universe with the smell of lavender and cantaloupe, there is no doubt in my mind that world peace would be immediate and kittens and balloons would be our world leaders.

Moisturizing Cantaloupe-Lavender Facial Scrub and Mask

• 1/8 of a cantaloupe, peeled and seeded
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp dried lavender buds, ground into a fine powder
• 1/8 c. cornmeal

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Lightly scrub all over face and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water, scrubbing lightly as you wash the mask off.

Softening Creamy Cantaloupe Facial Mask

• 1/4 c. peeled, seeded cantaloupe, cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp. heavy cream

Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Spread the mush over a piece of muslin or cheesecloth and apply the cloth to the face. (You might want to cut out a place for your nostrils beforehand.) Leave on 20 minutes.

This mask is best for dry skin.

(From NatureRecipe.com)

Soothing Cantaloupe-Cucumber Toner-Mask

Run 1/4 of a cucumber (seeded, but leave the skin on) and 1/8 of a cantaloupe (peeled and seeded) through a food processor or blender. Strain out the juice. With a cotton ball, apply the juice to your face. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, and rinse well.

This is good for any skin type – and will be especially helpful if your face is red, puffy, or irritated.

Add Your Farmers Market Recipe Links

Post your recipes to it all week long – we’ll just keep adding on every post as each day comes up.

You can post as many recipes as you want.

They should be recipes with a “farmers market” theme – or, at the very least, they should contain lotsa fresh fruits and veggies.

Fresh. Healthy. Yummy. That’s what we want here.

Nowwwww, go!