We brew a pot of coffee every weekend morning, and I wanted a fun way to use up the grounds.  This quick mocha body scrub recipe has no preservatives, so it’s meant to be stirred up and used immediately (you could keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days, but no longer).  So it’s a great weekend morning project.  Just stir some up with whatever you have on hand, jump in the shower, and scrub away.

The key ingredients are coffee, sugar and oil – everything else can be changed around based on how creative you’re feeling and what you have available.  You’ve probably read differing opinions on whether caffeine can reduce cellulite – and surely this scrub would be a cheap way to give it a try.  I’m a bit skeptical about all that, but it does make your skin really soft and smooth, and smells great!  If you’ve tried this recipe, or something similar, let us know in the comments!

Mocha Body Scrub

Ingredients:

3/4c.  used coffee grounds

1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4c. demerara sugar (or brown sugar)

1 Tb. olive oil

Method:

The quantity here is not important, it’s the ratio of coffee to sugar.  I like a blend of 3 parts coffee to 1 part sugar.  So adjust depending on how much leftover coffee you have (or how much you want to make!)

Mix ingredients together until combined.  Try not to eat it, even though it smells delicious

In the bath or shower, massage into damp skin concentrating on rough areas, then rinse off.   Don’t try this on your face, it’s much too strong.   This recipe does not have a lot of oil in it, but be careful in case the bottom of your shower gets slippery!  You will have to rinse down your shower afterwards if you’re a vigorous scrubber like me!!

** Also, as I’ve learned the hard way, it’s always a good idea to test any homemade product on a small part of your body, like your inner arm (NOT your face!), first before applying all over.  These homemade beauty products are not tested on animals … they’re tested on YOU!  So please try some of the product on a small area, and wait until the next day before proceeding, to make sure you don’t have any reaction to it.  You’re responsible for what you put into and onto your body, so be smart about it… but have fun! **

Looking for other homemade beauty treatments? Have you tried the honey face mask yet?

On my continued quest to learn how to make stuff, I’ve turned my attention to beauty products.  I recently wrote about using honey as a face mask.  Creating homemade beauty products is a lot like cooking – you can start with a recipe to learn the basics, and then embellish as you get more confident.  But most importantly, you can customize the products to your own skin type (and use really high-quality ingredients, without paying retail prices!).

Making creams is a lot like making mayonnaise. It’s a bit of a miracle, getting oil and water to mix together in a beautiful emulsion.  The first time I saw it happen in the herbal medicine class, I was amazed!  (Almost as amazed as when I made yogurt!)

Give this recipe a try.  Remember to find some gorgeous packaging that appeals to you – as all the big beauty brands know, the packaging is half of the fun of using the product.  You can customize this with any type of waters, oils and essential oils that suit your skin type.

Make your own Face & Body Cream – first choose your ingredients

Water: You could use rose water, orange flower water or an herbal infusion.  I like to include about one third aloe vera gel in this amount.

Oil: Almond oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil (although this has a stronger smell).  I used a combination of almond and grapeseed.

How to make Classic Face & Body Cream

Ingredients:

Water – 3/4 c. total (use a combination of your floral waters and aloe vera)

Oil – 3/4 c. total (use a combination of 1/2oz beeswax, 1/4 c. cocoa butter, and oils above.)

Essential Oils – 5 drops your choice

How to:

1. In a double boiler, heat the oils until melted.  The cocoa butter and beeswax will be solid at room temp, so melt them down in the other oils, making sure you have 3/4 c. oil total at the end.
2. Pour the oils into a blender (or, if you use a stick-blender like me, then into another container).  Let the oils cool to room temperature.
3. Add the drops of essential oil to the oils.
4. Start the blender – then slowly pour the water in – at some point the blender noise will change and you’ll notice that you have cream!  Keep blending to incorporate all of the water.  You can do this by hand, but be ready for a workout!
5. Scoop the cream into sterilized jars.  Label the jars (don’t forget to include the date!).

That’s it! Just like cooking – but you end up with a super luxurious, fresh body product.  Have you tried making cream? What are your favorite oil/scent combinations?

I am a beauty product junkie. I admit it.

Recently, I’ve tried to combine my love of cooking and interest in herbal medicine to create my own beauty products.  Sometimes with more success than others.

When I stumbled across this common kitchen ingredient that can improve your skin, I couldn’t believe it.  Then I tried it, and I was hooked.  Smooth, soft, moisturised skin, fewer spots/breakouts, and really inexpensive!  What is this wonder ingredient?

Honey!

Why is honey effective? Honey is traditionally known as a natural antibacterial.  It is used (even in some allopathic medicine) as a skin healer (for example, helping to heal ulcers).   Because of this skin healing action, it may be helpful for people with acne.  It is also softening and moisturizing.  And smells and tastes delicious!

How to use honey for skincare?

You can use honey as a facial cleanser or as a face mask.  I suggest using pure, organic honey.  Also, if you have very sensitive skin, you should try a test first on your inner arm, or a small part of your jawline, before attempting your entire face!

Face Cleanser: To use honey to cleanse your face, first, tie back your hair.  (Getting honey in your hair is sticky and unpleasant!).  I prefer to spread some honey on my dry face, as it spreads easier.  Put a spoonful of honey on your fingers, and spread over your entire face.  I put some on my lips as well, for mild ex foliation and moisturizing.  Let sit for 2 minutes.  Either rinse off with warm water, or use a washcloth in warm water to slightly exfoliate.  If you wear makeup, you may want to remove your makeup first, as the honey doesn’t remove makeup.

Face Mask: Tie back hair.  Apply to dry, cleansed skin.  Apply layer of honey all over face.  Let sit 10 minutes.  Rinse off with warm water or a warm washcloth.  (If you want to make a mini-spa experience out of it, try an herbal face steam first, then a honey mask.)

Have you ever tried using honey as a face mask? How did it work for you?  Give it a try for a few days, and let me know how it works for you!