A Coffee Scrub is the kind of recipe that’s a total gem to have – especially on those days when you need it most! No matter how you feel stepping into the shower, a good coffee scrub sends you out feeling amazing – on the outside your skin feels lovely and soft – and it gives you a jolt of energy, that sometimes we need! ☕️ ☕️
This recipe came to me after a loooong week. I’m standing in my kitchen one morning – feeling like I just want to lie on my couch all day and watch clips of Saturday Night Live… You know when you wake up, and already start the day thinking “Breakfast? Dishes? Work? Maybe not….”
I felt like I needed something that would make me ridiculously happy. And for me, my brain immediately goes straight to food. The thought of coffee makes me happy…. but I’m more of a sit-in-a-cafe person, then a drink-coffee-at-home person. So, I made myself a coffee scrub, and then I brightened it up with oranges, and I squeezed the juice and I zested and I ate the orange and then I got in the shower and decided to have a really good day.
At it totally worked! I won’t make any claims that this scrub is life-changing, but I will make claims that it is day-changing. And since this whole life thing happens day by day…. that’s good enough!
How to Make a Gentle Coffee Scrub
Scrubs are hands-down my favorite recipe to teach – because you get that immediate gratification of softer skin. And it helps to remove build-up so that your lotions and products can penetrate and work better. But more importantly, it’s also really important for your overall wellness. A scrub is active skincare – exfoliating helps to stimulate your body, your lymphatic system and get your circulation flowing. It makes you feel good.
Now, coffee grains make for a really good exfoliant, but – if it’s not prepared properly – it can be too rough for your skin, especially around your face. So, let me show you two tips to make the perfect, face-loving scrub.
Grind it: Something that I’ve learned here in Bali, is to make powdery scrubs – they do the job of exfoliating, but without irritating your skin. So, even if you are using a fine grain coffee, I still suggest that you blitz it in the blender until it’s like powder fine, like a flour
Soak it: After you blitz the coffee grains, soak them in a liquid to soften it even more. It can be water, or it can be something fun and skin-brightening like a squeeze of fresh orange juice! Orange juice is packed with beautifying vitamin C that keeps your skin youthful, it’s amazing for hydrating and it has natural fruit acids that help to clean and clear your skin. But, also, it’s that “happy” scent that I can’t get enough of!
Any time you use citrus, its best to stay out of the sun for a few hours.
Let me leave you with one more quick tip. Normally, a scrub calls for oil – but try adding honey instead. It’s ah-mazing!! The honey will hydrate and soften your skin, without that oil-rich feeling… which isn’t a bad thing!! But options are nice.
And just like that… my exhausted friend – you have an instant remedy for “blah” days.
Gentle Coffee Scrub Recipe
ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fresh ground coffee
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 orange juiced (about 1/8 cup)
- 2 tbs honey
directions:
- blitz the coffee until powder fine
- pour it into a bowl
- zest the orange first
- cut open and squeeze the juice of 1/2 orange into the coffee grains
- let it sit for about five minutes to soak up the liquid
- add honey – which is really nice as a facial scrub
- optional: 1 tsp your favorite oil, if you want extra moisture. Otherwise, moisturise after your scrub
Do you love using essential oils? Add a 5 drops of Sweet Orange to boost the aroma and skincare benefit.
Shelf Life: this is a fresh scrub, and because of the water content from the fruit – we want to use it up within 3 days. Store it in the fridge.
I hope this idea finds you exactly when you need it – to brighten you up :)
If you liked this recipe hit those share buttons below, it’s the single best way for other people to discover our recipes for natural self-care too! Here’s to a really good day ahead
Militza xx
Hi Melitza, I love your recipe and have allready made it a few times. I was wondering if I could also use brewed coffee grinds or do they have to be fresh? Warm greetings from Germany! Franzi
Militza, I read that coffee grounds will clog the drain when used as a scrub. Seeing that this recipe calls for coffee ground, albeit blended into a fine powder, would using the scrub result in clogged drains
Hi Yann Mei! Yeah, I wouldn’t use it regularly… but I’ve never had a problem using it once or twice a month. A scrub is not something that we use everyday, or a lot of – so I think a little coffee scrub is okay.
But that’s me – if you’re concerned about the drains – I would go for recipes that do fully dissolve, like a simple sugar or salt scrub. But on a side note – I do still blend the salt and sugar, even if it is fine – because we want to keep it nice and gentle on our skin!
Hi Millitza,
Love the recipe. I am sure I can find coffee scrub recipe all over the web but being your loyal reader, I find that your recipe has that extra Balinessesque in it. I sure wish I am in Bali enjoying the massage right now. Awaiting more interesting post to come. – Sandi
Hi Sandi! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! Love that you’re feeling the Bali vibes!! I’ll keep sharing lots more :)
If I had an orange I’d try this right now! Could I sub in lemon for the orange?
Hi Wendy! Aw, I hope that you can give the recipe a try soon :) I’ve stayed away from lemon juice on the skin, it’s slightly more acidic – If not, another way to use this scrub is with herbal tea. Use a strong brew of green tea, or chamomile to soak the grains! :)