Terri Atwell

Scrub-A-Dub Dub, Coffee In The Tub?



Posted: Saturday, January 15, 2011

by Terri Atwell
Kkat Ventures LLC

No, I don’t mean taking a steaming mug of the black brew with you and sipping on it while you soak in the tub.  What I am referring to is the latest fad in body scrubs and exfoliants-coffee.  Who would have thought that the grounds leftover after brewing a pot would be good for something?

The ancient Egyptians are thought to be the people who began the practice of exfoliation.  Exfoliation consists of removing the oldest dead skin cells from the surface of the body.  This is the process that occurs with dermabrasion, peels and facials.  Mechanical exfoliation is the use of coarse or fine scrubs on the skin.  Some examples of these scrubs are crushed apricot kernel or almond shells, sugar or salt crystals, pumice, and microbead facial scrubs.  The latest to join the list of mechanical scrubs is coffee.  Other ways to remove dead skin cells are the use of chemicals (peels) and laser (microdermabrasion).

Coffee scrubs help you to look younger by toning skin, tightening pores and sloughing off the dead skin cells.  The result is a fresher, revitalizing look-and who doesn’t want that?  It is easy to make your own coffee scrub; just take used coffee grounds (make sure to let them cool first), coat a bar of soap with them and wash your face as you normally would.  Not only will your skin look better when you are finished, but coffee is also considered a good source of antioxidants and helps reduce redness.  The caffeine in the coffee has a constricting effect on the blood vessels and this is what reduces redness.  If you don't drink coffee or have any used grounds, take  1/4 cup of dry grounds and pour some boiling water on them to make a thick paste, let cool for about 15 minutes, then wash as directed above.  You don’t need to buy any expensive gourmet coffee for this; the least costly coffee will do just a good a job as the most expensive brand.

One more benefit of coffee as a scrub is that it is supposed to help reduce cellulite-and this has to be my favorite reason for using it.  Blend some used grounds with lotion or your soap and rub/massage the desired area with this mixture.  Blood flow to the area increases and carries away the fat cells that are broken down by the scrubbing action.

One word of caution-before using any type of scrub all over the body, test the scrub on a small patch of skin first.  People with sensitive skin especially need to do this.  A person with very fair skin might not be able to tolerate the abrasive properties of coffee directly on the skin.  This applies for a lot of the salt scrubs that are available too.  Usually in these cases a sugar scrub is best.

Recycling coffee grounds allows us to do away with those expensive exfoliants.  We feel better about ourselves, too, because we have contributed to a greener environment by using a natural product.  We also will save a lot of money by not buying the costly products, and who doesn’t want to save money?  So it is off to the tub for a relaxing soak with my favorite drink-and the leftovers!
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