This week, I wanted to share one of my favourite zero waste beauty products that you can make yourself. I’m a coffee drinker, and although I can compost the coffee grounds, it’s nice making them into something to use again. This scrub is great for exfoliating and moisturising the body – it’s not suitable for your face, so please don’t use it there! As with anything that you put on your face or body, you should always do a patch test in a small area to make sure that nothing reacts badly with your skin – even if the ingredients are things that you are not allergic to when you eat. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this simple scrub!
Ingredients:
- Coffee grounds (not instant)
- Coconut oil or olive oil – I’ve used both coconut oil and olive oil, and both work for me. Olive oil makes a looser mixture, whilst coconut oil makes more of a thick paste, so it’s all down to personal preference. If you use coconut oil, make sure to melt it so that it is easier to mix in, and then it will cool down and firm up.
- A container
- Essential oil (optional) – I don’t add any essential oils because I love the smell of coffee, but if you like you can add different smells to the scrub. Just remember to account for it when you add your oil!
Method:
- First, take your coffee grounds. If they are still holding a lot of water, try to squeeze most of this out so that the grounds are relatively dry.
- Then you add your oil (and essential oil, if you’re using it). Start with a tablespoon of either, and just add as much as you want depending on how much coffee you have. Once the mixture is the right consistency, you just put it in your container and that’s it!
- Because this uses fresh coffee, it will go mouldy if you don’t use it relatively quickly. It’s important that the container is airtight, and that you don’t make more than you can use, otherwise it will go off very quickly.
I hope you enjoy! I make this scrub very often and it’s really great, particularly for dry patches on knees and elbows. Thanks for reading, and I hope you give this a try.
Waste Makes Waste 