Body, natural beauty

Homemade Coffee Body Scrub

If you enjoy a nice cup of coffee once a day, like I do, you already have 1 out of 3 ingredients for this homemade coffee body scrub.

Even though I limit myself to 1 cup of coffee per day, I still end up with a lot of coffee grounds going to waste! So I started collecting them to see how they could be put to use. This recipe was born as a means to reduce waste. Incorporating this recycled ingredient into a nurturing homemade beauty product, turned out to offer even more benefits than I imagined. 

Going to cut right to the chase and give you the recipe. This one is as easy as it gets — you’re guaranteed to have all the ingredients in your kitchen in this moment. 

What you’ll need: 

1 cup organic ground coffee (completely dehydrated*)

1 cup organic brown sugar

1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil (melted + cooled)

1-2 jars

Directions: 

  1. Mix all three ingredients well.
  2. Use as per description below. 
  3. Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Notes:

*When collecting your used coffee grounds, make sure you completely dry them. I do this by spreading them out onto a baking tray and baking them in the oven between 50-80°C (making sure they don’t burn) for about 1 hour. Allow to cool and store in a container until you’ve collected enough. 

Brown sugar creates a sticky and soft texture that easily adheres to the coffee grounds. While sugar may have a more rough texture than the coffee grounds, you’ll find that it melts as you’re massaging it on your warm skin. Brown sugar works perfectly with coffee for an invigorating yet gentle scrub. 

Sugar can also be replaced with salt – creating an even more abrasive scrub. It will have a more dry, less sticky texture, and provide a more stimulating exfoliation. 

How to use this body scrub: 

Taking about one tablespoon at a time between your hands, start massaging and scrubbing your entire body. Scrub the body in circular motions, giving extra love to dry areas. Rinse with warm water (not hot) then pat dry with a towel after use. 

I can not recommend using this as a facial scrub. Coconut oil is a comedogenic oil, meaning that if your skin is prone to it, it can clog your pores. If planning to use this coffee scrub as a facial exfoliant, I recommend replacing coconut oil with a different oil such as jojoba or argan oil. 

Be cautious, after rinsing off this scrub in your shower, the floor might be a little bit slippery from the oils.

For convenience and best use, I recommend taking a smaller jar or container and filling it with several scoops of your body scrub. Keep this one in the shower or bathroom for up to 3-4 weeks. When it runs out, refill it. This allows you to store a larger quantity of coffee scrub in the fridge, avoiding the whole batch from spoiling or moulding outside the fridge.

How often to use the scrub: 

For best effects use the scrub 1-2 times a week. 

What you’ll notice after using this scrub:

  • Instantly moisturises the skin. Coconut oil is an emollient, meaning it traps moisture in the skin, resulting in significant skin hydration and increased surface lipid levels. For this reason this scrub is best used in or directly after a shower, while the skin is still wet. 
  • Gently exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells. Coffee body scrub is a is great for exfoliating dead skin cells. It will also aid in increasing blood flow to the outer layers of your skin. This exfoliation process will have your skin glowing and appearing elastic and youthful. 
  • Brightens and tightens the skin, elasticity increases. – The caffeine in coffee is an antioxidant which also aids in tightening and hydrating the skin. Exfoliating your skin regularly is a great way to improve overall circulation. 

Coffee can take on many roles and offer many benefits, inside and out. Creating this homemade coffee body scrub is an easy way to reduce your daily waste and boost your skin’s vitality. After drinking your coffee today, save those grounds and give this scrub a try.