DIY Coffee Scrub Mask from Used Coffee Grounds. Is Being This Sustainable Really Worth It?
I'm all for reusing things and considering how much coffee my family drinks in a week, I began to wonder if there was anything I could do with all those spent coffee grounds. I tried to use them in my garden, but that was an epic fail. Then I began to wonder if I could incorporate them in my beauty routine. After all, coffee grounds are known to have some benefits to the skin, including:
...being an excellent exfoliator,
...being a great antioxidant, slowing down things that cause aging,
...increasing blow flow to the surface of the skin, which brings oxygen and nutrients to the surface, resulting in a healthier, more youthful appearance,
...and improving overall skin health.
I found a recipe for a DIY Coffee Ground Face Mask while browsing the internet so I decided to try it out on my face. I figured I wouldn't use my son as a guinea pig this time, even though the recipe seemed fairly simple and completely harmless. Since my aging and recently diagnosed health issues have manifested into a few new skin conditions, I wanted to know if the coffee grounds did all that the internet touted, and I didn't want my son to think his mom had completely went crazy for taking the morning grounds to his face.
The recipe included 3 simple ingredients (coffee grounds, coconut oil and Manuka honey) and although it called for me to use fresh coffee grounds, I thought it wouldn't hurt to use the used ones. After all, they do still have some potency, even after brewing in my coffee pot. So here are my takeaways:
Fresh grounds are better for this recipe. Used coffee grounds smell after a while, and even though funky grounds aren't bad for your skin, I smelled sour all day and my house smelled like it, too.
Make sure that you use find coffee grounds or the abrasiveness might kill a layer of your skin, which defeats all the benefits you might get.
Even though I had a few hiccups in the beginning, my skin felt smooth and soft after only 5 minutes.
I also used local honey instead of Manuka. I know, Manuka honey is supposed to be like gold to the skin. But I wanted to not only support local, but to get the benefits that local honey provide. I've always been told that local honey has a bit of the local environment and allergens in it, which is supposed to help to strengthen your immune system.
If I were to change anything about what I did, it would definitely be to use fresh grounds. I also added a small amount of turmeric (for collagen reproduction) and vitamin E (for skin protection) to my mixture and I would like to think I benefited from it, but I know the long term effects will come as I use this longer. My skin definitely feels smooth and soft, and like it has less product sitting on it. I also noticed after the second use that I don't have as many dry patches as I used to, and that the one spot on my nose that had blackheads is free and clear of them. All in all, I will continue to use this. I'll just have to find something else to do with my used coffee grounds.
If you decide to try this DIY, let us know. We would love to know your thoughts and experiences. If you have something you're doing with your used grounds that's working, let us know. We're all for wasting less. And if you're still trying to figure out how you can incorporate sustainability in your lifestyle, read one of our older blog posts, THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING. It gives our 'mantra' on the things you can do to affect your environment.
Here's to sustainable living!