012. DIY Coco-Mint Scrub

My Coco-Mint Scrub

First of all, I love coffee. I love the smell of coffee and I love drinking coffee. For awhile now, whenever I dump out the old coffee grounds into the trash, I feel a little bad. There are numerous uses for coffee grounds and I have heard them all. It wasn't until last week that I felt inspired to actually do something with them.

One of my friends and coworkers makes coffee scrubs and brought me some in a cute little jar. My first thought was, "Yes! Now I know what to do with all of my coffee grounds!" My second thought was, "I should probably try this stuff before I make some." So, the next time I took a shower, I used it all over my body, except for my face, and it was amazing. My skin instantly felt smoother. I have been using it every morning in the shower on my feet and elbows, and every other day on the rest of my body. Scrubs are a great way of removing dead skin and coffee is full of antioxidants.

Since I drink coffee every morning, I decided to try and make my own today. My friend uses olive oil as a base in her scrub and it works wonderfully. I happen to be infatuated with coconut oil, so I scoured the internet for a recipe that incorporates coconut oil and found this one.

Before we move forward with the scrub, I would like to give coconut oil some love for a minute. I have been using coconut oil on my face in place of moisturizer for the past few months and it's fabulous.  I was scared to put coconut oil on my face, because it is greasy and I thought it was going to make me break out. Well, I am happy to report that I have not had any breakouts. The main reason it hasn't clogged my pours is because coconut oil is a natural anti fungal and antibacterial substance. I will continue to use coconut oil on my skin because I save money on face moisturizer. Plus, moisturizers typically are full of chemicals and random crap that most of us can't even pronounce. A lot of times, those creams are doing more harm than good. I encourage everyone to give it a try! But first, a couple of tips when using coconut oil on your face.

• Use a high-quality coconut oil. I use the organic, virgin, cold-pressed, and unrefined coconut oil. Using refined coconut oil will more than likely lead to breakouts because the coconut oil is not in its rawest state. 
• A little goes a long way with coconut oil. Start with a small amount and apply more as needed.
• Let the coconut oil absorb into your skin before applying any powdery make-up. Otherwise, it will go on a little streaky. 

Okay, that's enough about my love affair with coconut oil. Back to my Coco-Mint Scrub. Yeah, I just came up with the name. The beauty of making your own scrub, you can name it whatever you want! 

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup of coarse sea salt
• 1 cup of dried coffee grounds
• 1 cup of melted coconut oil                                        
• 5-15 drops of peppermint essential oil

Directions:

The first step is to dry your coffee grounds. I scooped the grounds from this morning's pot of coffee and placed them on a foil lined cookie sheet. I used foil because it creates less of a mess. Place the cookie sheet in the oven at 150 degrees for 1 hour. Next mix the sea salt and coffee grounds together in a bowl. Next add the coconut oil. I recommend melting the solid oil in the microwave or on the stove top first, because it is easier to stir in its liquid form. Then, add peppermint essential oil drops. Finally, put your scrub into an airtight jar or container and use whenever you want. Feel free to play around with different types of oils and essential oils.

Coffee grounds fresh out of the oven!

I love adding these stickers to things I make.