Coffee & Brown Sugar Scrub….Or Create Your Own Combination…Green, Cheap & Works!

My lovely (and thrifty) daughter-in-law, Sarah, made this coffee and brown sugar scrub for me at Christmas and I love it! Sarah likes to use natural ingredients, researches health benefits, and is very thrifty…(which has allowed her to stay home after having her second child).

This scrub exfoliates and moisturizes, is super easy to make and can be changed up to fit your own personal needs/wants….and it’s a lot cheaper than buying over the counter scrubs.

Coffee Brown Sugar Scrub –

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coffee grounds (dried out)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg
• approximately 1/3 cup coconut or olive oil

Directions:

Mix the coffee grounds, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon or nutmeg together. Add oil by the tablespoon until you get the desired texture you want.

How to customize the scrub to fit your skin…..

First, determine how exfoliating you want the scrub to be. You can substitute sugar or salt for the coffee grounds if you want.

• Coffee is more exfoliating and has the added benefits of caffeine for your skin.
• White and brown sugar tend to melt faster and is less abrasive.
• Salt is more resistant and melts a little less quickly.

*I have used all three and like the results I get from all of them.

Then choose your oil like olive or coconut.

Choose any add-ins you want….like essential oils that have antibacterial / antimicrobial properties, which kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoans.

Some essential oils with antimicrobial properties are cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, peppermint and tea tree oils.

Sarah’s additional tips on custom designing a scrub for yourself…..

You can keep it as simple as dried coffee grounds with olive oil. Or add white or brown sugar to the mix. Add essential oils like orange or cinnamon which are more economical or add pricier oils like sweet almond or jojoba.

Or leave out the coffee grounds and just add white sugar, olive oil and lavender.

Or skip the sugar and use salt with citrus oils or zest.

You can add dried flowers, crushed cloves, citrus zest, etc., as long as the texture isnt’ too coarse, which can irritate your skin.

To use:

Moisten your face, elbows, hands, feet…whichever part of your body you want to exfoliate and moisturize. Gently massage scrub on area, rinse and dry. You will notice results immediately. You don’t need a lot and as always, when trying something new, use on a small section first.

Here’s a few ways to dry used coffee grounds.

Have fun with this scrub and experiment with items you already have in your kitchen. *After you’ve found a combination you like, you could easily mix this up, package it in a glass container with a lid, tie a ribbon around it and gift any woman or man with a fabulous homemade scrub.