Here comes my another favorite scrub. I do this almost every other day or 1-3 times a week for my body. Because I am a coffee drinker, making this is a no brainer. I make a quick espresso in the morning (see what my favorite espresso makers are below). Empty the used coffee ground into a Ikea tea candle holders (These candle holders are super cheap but useful in every possible ways). Add coconut oil, sugar and mix. It's done. Ready to use for a single shower. So easy!
COFFEE SCRUB INGREDIENTS:
Scaled up or down as you need
- Coffee Grounds - 1 cup
- Coconut Oil - 1-2 tablespoon
- Sugar - 1/3 to 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon (optional)
COFFEE
Caffeine in coffee fights cellulite, dark circle, eye bags and generally anti-aging by tightening and firming skins by promoting blood circulation and stimulating. You drink a cup of java to wake up so why not apply to skin to wake them, too?
You can definitely use used coffee grounds and this is an excellent way to recycle used coffee. There are many great ways to recycle used coffee grounds. Read Here to find out! However in case of recycling used coffee, be mindful that when the sugar mixes with the moisture from the wet grounds, the mix goes bad rather quickly than with fresh coffee. You will smell funky moldy like odor so use it rather quickly within a day or two. This is especially true if you are using grounds from drip or french press methods. Espresso grounds are fairly dried compared to that since the majority of water is already extracted out by compression.
*If you are making this for gifts or in a big batch for long term use, use fresh coffee powder instead of used.
COCONUT OIL
You can add any oil of your choice - olive oil, avocado oil or other essential oils but my choice is coconut oil. It smells really yummy and evens out the lingering coffee ground smell. Coconut oil is anti-aging and an acne fighter with its anti-inflammatory properties by regulating skin's oil production, great for normal and dry skins. However, it is highly comedogenic which clogs pores therefore, not great for oily or acne prone skins. Also well known for removing scars and stretch marks.
SUGAR
Sugar itself acts as a natural exfoliant due to its texture and chemical composition. When combined with oils or other ingredients in scrubs, sugar provides both mechanical and chemical exfoliation, making it a popular choice for DIY and commercial skincare products.
As for the sugar, rather than fine grade, go with medium coarse, cane sugar or granulated ones so that you get maximum scrubbing effect or as per your need. Use brown sugar, preferably organic ones but, if you don't have one, white sugars are totally ok.
Too much sugars are bad to consume internally but externally? They are great for the skin. The key components that contribute to exfoliation are:
Granular Texture: The small, coarse granules of sugar physically remove dead skin cells when massaged onto the skin, promoting smoother and softer skin.
Natural Glycolic Acid: Sugar contains glycolic acid, a type of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). This acid helps to break down the bonds between dead skin cells, making them easier to slough off and encouraging cell turnover.
Moisture-Retaining Properties: Sugar is a natural humectant, meaning it helps to retain moisture in the skin. This can make the exfoliation process gentler and leave the skin hydrated rather than overly stripped.
CINNAMON
(Optional)
Cinnamon is not only for drink or food flavoring. It is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It reduces muscle soreness after workout. Therefore, adding cinnamon powder to your daily coffee or tea would be beneficial to your health. But adding this to the scrub to get the same effect, you might need to add a lot, so it is up to you. If you add a small quantity, it will be more like flavoring effect than actual skin benefit. So adding this is an optional.
RECIPE & USE
You don't need to be so precise with the ingredient ratio. You can try and adjust the ratio to paste of your likings. Sometimes, depending on the coffee grind level or coarseness, the mix is either drier or wetter than you expected. This is also a DIY recipe so be creative and make your own! FYI, I like espressos so my grounds are fine.
Melt the coconut oil. It is usually in solid form at room temperature unless hot summer, so melt this before use. Microwave at 10-15 seconds intervals so that it won't splash all over microwave and until it becomes clear liquid. Add to ground coffee. Add sugar and mix them well into an oily paste. If feels dry, add more oil.
I use this in the shower while my hair is washed and being conditioned. Make sure your hair is tied up so the powders don't get on your hair because it is messy to clean up. Then scrub body with the paste in circular motion, especially the area concerned with cellulites - buttocks, thighs and could be belly. The texture is quite rough on the skin at first but you will get used to it. I also use this on my face but gently.
Rinse off with water. Because of the oil, you will still have some powder left on the skin. So I use body wash (soap) to lather them all off. Now the skin is really glowing and soft at touch, well nourished with the coconut oil and you wouldn't need body lotion after. I love that!!
One drawback with this scrub is that coffee grounds coat the drain pipes and you might get a clogged drain if you use this too much. So use soap and hot water after to rinse out the drain as well.
SHOP THE IDEA:
*We are not affiliated with any product/company/brand/website featured in this blog post other than our own and amazon (as we refer so many products). However,
Espresso Coffee Makers
I love these fairly manual and even portable to travel with espresso makers. These are inexpensive and quite a space & time saver and deliver consistently good tasting coffee. And all of them leave you with un-messy version of pressed disks of used coffee. I especially love the AeroPress since it clicks out the compressed coffee disk to dispose or use it. But the Minipresso with clickable pump is the one people love to travel with. Italian MOKA espresso is another a neat one as it boils over the coffee for distilling extraction.
All three of them have different merits in tasting and practicality.
AeroPress espresso maker $29.95 amazon.com
WACACO Minipress GR Espresso Maker $55. amazon.com WACACO amazon store front for ground or capsule coffee models.
Bialetti MOKA espresso coffee Maker 3 Cups $43 amazon.com
See Bialetti Amazon Store for more collections
COFFEE
This coffee is affordable and still has that coffee house quality in taste. This has been my morning coffee as far as I can remember. Same brand Crema E gusto is also a great alternative if you like more creamier taste.
Lavazza Espresso Coffee $23.45/4pks amazon.com
COCONUT OIL
This USDA organic grade coconut oil is great. You can eat, use for cooking or this scrub. Use on your hairs and face. Do whatever you want to do with it. Make sure to buy cold pressed and unrefined organic coconut oil for the natural coconut scent for the scrub. Refined ones are for cooking and have pale coconut scent which is not suitable for body scrub making. You can also use coconut oil alone over your body and hair after shower as body/hair oil.
Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil $6.57 (15oz) $35.50 (54 oz) amazon.com,
or any grocery store near you.
Cellulite Massager
If you are really combatting against cellulites and belly fat, this cellulite massager mitt is a good one to try. These rubber nubs are hard enough to give a stimulating massage then soft enough for body curves with some flexibility.
I use this in the shower with my body wash and it has been working great. Of course at first it hurts a bit, but you will get used to it. Use this wherever you feel needed. Use with oil or lotion formulated for cellulites, or while soaped in the shower or bath. A really affordable product that also works. I recommended to several friends and the feedbacks have been great.
I've tried this massager with my coffee scrub but together it was too harsh for the skin. Use coffee scrub first and wash off then, use this mitt with body wash.
Cellulite Massager & Remover Mitt $8.99 amazon.com