Natural Beauty: DIY Coffee Body Scrub

Skin-Smoothing DIY Coffee Body Scrub!

The hot weather is here, leading many of us to toss off our spring cardigans and bare a little more skin. The best look for summer is, obviously, healthy, glowing skin. (Dull, rough skin is never on trend for some reason!) Proper hydration and nutritious eating habits are a must for enviable skin, but it never hurts to give yourself a boost with an all-natural body scrub. Really, nothing makes my skin look so touchable like some serious exfoliation!

Enter this easy yet effective DIY Coffee Body Scrub. While there may always be debate about the extent to which coffee is healthy for our insides, I think most will agree it’s a pretty awesome ingredient in skincare.

Benefits of coffee for your bod (externally, at least):

Coffee is rich in antioxidants, meaning that it’s packed with anti-inflammatory properties to help nourish skin and fend off premature aging.

The caffeine in coffee helps draw excess moisture from the skin, making the surface of skin feel smooth and firm. This may be the reason why coffee (and caffeine) is a popular ingredient in anti-cellulite lotions and de-puffing under-eye creams. Indeed, caffeine in your skincare can temporarily minimize the appearance of cellulite because it has a tightening effect on skin.

Ground coffee is an effective exfoliant. Gently massaging your skin with a coffee body scrub will help slough off dead skin cells, revealing soft, glowing skin.

Coffee Body Scrub

You will need:

½ cup (dry) organic ground coffee (full caffeine, folks!)

½ cup raw sugar or sea salt* (The level of coarseness of the salt or sugar determines the abrasiveness (roughness) of the scrub—the coarser the exfoliants, the more abrasive the scrub.

¼ cup organic carrier oil of choice (Sweet almond, coconut oil, and olive oil are good choices. Each contain essential fatty acids that help moisturize skin).

½ tsp. vanilla extra (optional—you know, if you’d like your bathroom to smell like a vanilla latte!)

*What’s the difference between using sugar and sea salt in a scrub? Sugar particles tend to be smaller, making them less abrasive on skin, so a fine-grain sugar may be best for those with sensitive skin. Coarse salt is more abrasive and therefore more effective for rougher areas of the body—like calluses and elbows. Salt can also be anti-inflammatory and antiseptic (i.e. it can kill bacteria).

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients at room temperature. You don’t want the sugar or salt dissolving into warm oil. Pack the scrub into a glass jar with an airtight seal. A mason jar is perfect for this. Store the jar in your bathroom.

How to Use Your Coffee Body Scrub:

While standing in the shower (this is the least messy way to use a body scrub!), gently massage a small scoop of coffee body scrub on every area of your body (except your face—see below). Vary your massage techniques—you can massage in small circles then in upward strokes to further stimulate circulation.

Spend a little extra time on the rougher areas of your body—like knees, elbows, and feet. When you’re finished, close the lid tightly and rinse off the scrub in the shower. Post shower, moisturize skin to further enhance softness and suppleness.

This coffee body scrub is designed to be used on your body, excluding your face. Rough particles (like ground coffee) may cause micro tears on delicate, sensitive facial skin.

If you have sensitive or reactive skin, try a small test patch and wait 24 hours before diving in with a full coffee body scrub treatment.