Benefits of coffee scrubs…

I could either bore you or get your attention by talking about the love of and use of scrubs during ancient times by the Egyptians, Chinese, Africans, Romans, etc…However, I want to keep the conversation relevant to you and the now.

Exfoliating, slouching, scrubbing, buffing or whatever word you use, is great for our skin.

It helps remove the top layer of dead skin cells, and scrubbing movements bring blood flow closer to the surface, which helps the skin look, and feel more vibrant, and alive, and encourages new cell generation.

This in turn makes the skin feel softer and smoother. This then allows oils to be massaged in afterwards more effectively and reduces the visible sign of ageing, and cellulite. It also grooms the skin to be better prepared when exposed to the sun and can prevent future after-sun exposure peeling.

Like so many of you, I love the smell of coffee, some days I swear off drinking it, and other days I'm nose-diving deep in sipping my latte. With this in mind, it got me thinking ...coffee has so many benefits. Utilizing those grinds after each cup is way more purposeful than discarding it as waste.

Already on the go making skincare products using oils, I played around with various coffee grinds to see what I could create to build on achieving glowing skin.

So, from there the process began, breaking up the grinds, heating and air/ oven drying, and then sieving out any impurities. In the end, being left with a soft powdery beautiful substance to work with.

Using coffee as a base for a body scrub adds a little grit, it invigorates through smell and touch, and the antioxidants are beneficial for the skin, working on the upper layers of the epidermis.

Adding some bi-carb soda, one of my all-time favourite natural household items, helps to balance the PH, it staves off the growth of mould in the mix and is anti-bacterial.

The two work beautifully hand in hand together, making the skin feel soft, clean, refreshed and glowingly alive.

So why add essential oils to the mix, you ask? Essential oils not only work to benefit the skin, but they also work with our smell and emotional senses, as they enter our limbic system. This can release and relieve memories, create feel-good moments, and create a sense of joy and happiness. Now, who does not want that in their life?

My two go-to favourites are lavender and peppermint. Both have anti-fungal and antibacterial properties and potential healing properties. Both can reduce headaches and are great to use with various skin conditions, even the most sensitive of skin types. To not alienate expecting mums, I created lavender & geranium options, which have a light floral scent and can support the balancing of hormones. For the more masculine out there, the lavender & vetiver options are great to wind down to, helping you to get more grounded after a big day.

With so much going on all over the world, the challenge to escape the rhetoric, and self-care is more important than ever. Taking the time to do a just-for-me, (even only for 5-10 minutes a couple of times a week) ritual can be so beneficial both on the physical and mental plane.