I love the smell of coffee and I love drinking coffee (but only this way!) Turns out, coffee can have benefits when used externally! I talked about this in my cellulite post:
“Coffee scrubs can be beneficial in reducing cellulite as well. The massage and exfoliation benefits skin by stimulating blood/lymph flow and the caffeine in the coffee has a tightening effect. Pinterest is speckled with accounts of coffee scrubs and wraps working for reducing cellulite and loose skin”
This sugar scrub combines some of my favorite natural beauty ingredients:
- Coconut Oil – For naturally nourishing skin (I used this one)
- Castor Oil – A naturally astringent oil that is great for skin tone (I also use it in my facial cleansing regimen… and by regimen, I mean super-simple one-step process that leaves skin feeling amazing)
- Coffee- The caffeine has a tightening and stimulating affect on skin and it is often used in anti-aging products
- Sugar- Bad inside the body but great on the outside as it naturally exfoliates
- Vanilla – Because it smells good
This simple scrub smells like a vanilla latte (thus the name) and leaves skin silky. It smells and looks sophisticated, but is incredibly simple and inexpensive to make. Since someone already asked, I bought the jar at Hobby Lobby, but it is very similar to this one.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup finely ground dry coffee
- 1/2 cup organic sugar
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons castor oil
- 1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Place the coffee and sugar in a medium size bowl.
- Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Add the oils and stir with a fork or the back of a spoon until well mixed and moistened.
- Store in an air-tight container and use as desired for soft skin. Especially good on legs for helping with cellulite.
- Enjoy!
What is your favorite natural beauty product? Do you make it yourself? Share below!
Oh, this looks amazing! Vanilla is one of my favorite scents. Do you think the coffee and oils will stain my bath? Is it safe for the drains in an old house? I can’t wait to try this!
Jennifer, coffee grounds would be safe for your house. We live in an over 100 year old house and an old-fashioned remedy for cleaning sinks and pipes is to pour down your old coffee grains right into the sink/drains! We do that every once in a while. 🙂
It wont stain your bath, but be careful of your clothes!
This sounds awesome! I’m sure it smells heavenly, and I have some white sugar I need to use up (without ingesting it!) Could you use grounds that have already been brewed once they cool? I don’t drink coffee anymore but my husband still does, just thought it would be a nice way to reuse.
I don’t drink coffee but I do use leftovers from cooked coffee and I find it’s better than fresh ground coffee. It’s easier to clean in a shower from skin and the texture is soft too 😉 dry coffee leftovers are great solution in household too as cleaning and darkening the woods or leather. I use it to clean my stove burners)))
Where do you get used coffee grounds from if you don’t drink it? I’m not a coffee drinker myself so was wondering if I need to buy regular ground coffee at the grocery store and use the fresh (un”cooked”) grounds or…?
Starbucks (and most local coffee shops) will give you their used grounds for free.
I feel like I can smell the coffee through the screen. This is a must try!
Great! I missed this post during the week but i’ll do it asap!! Thanks
I’m going to visit an Army wife friend this coming weekend, and I wanted to give her a couple homemade gifts as a thank-you….I think I might try this! 🙂
One of my favorite homemade body products is a body spray, instead of synthetic perfume. I used water, vodka, and Peppermint and Citrus Bliss essential oils. So lovely and delicious-smelling! 🙂
What proportions do you use for this?
i use straight jasmine essential oil in an atomizer for perfume. Always get comments on how good I smell.
It would probably be 50% water/alcohol then however many drops to scent. Try it out! I’ve made homemade sprays before, its pretty easy and inexpensive if you already have the ingredients. I would make sure to use distilled water as the chemicals in tap water can alter the fragrance once synergized.
I can’t wait to make this tomorrow night! I haven’t bought Castor Oil before so I’m not sure where to get it in Australia – supermarket or pharmacy? Anyway, this will come in handy for my beach holiday this week 🙂 Thanks so much for the recipe!
hi,
How long does Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub last if i want to make more?
Can it last 3 months or the sugar will desolve asap?
DEFINITELY trying this! Question… would this work for bags under eyes? I have naturally had them since birth, and since becoming a mother, I get dark bags so dark on top of my natural bags just makes me look like a raging hot mess. I want to find something that can reduce them or take them away completely but I want to make sure it’s all natural. Any suggestions or posts to refer me to?
Can you use used coffee grounds?
Does the coconut oil need to be in liquid state?
I just made this and it is so yummy 🙂 one of the best body scrubs I’ve used out of home made recipes and store bought!
I have been using coffee for a long time. I drink a whole bunch of it also. My husband even got me a single cup machine and the special baskets to put your own coffee in. He gets mad because I empty the grounds into and old butter tub, labled “not butter” and he still pulls it out. I make a homemade Kona coffee peppermint all over soap bar, for my brother-in-law. It works well because it has the coffee that wakes him up in the shower every morning and since he shaves his head he doesn’t have to worry about having several types of soaps in the shower. My sister and niece have enough “fu-fu” stuff in there already.
can i replace the CASTOR OIL with something else? thanks in advance! 🙂
Yes, any liquid oil will work.
Is vitamin e oil ok? :/ or magnesium oil?
I would stay away from magnesium oil for this one, but E oil could totally work.
Why stay away from mg oil?
Because since it is technically a saline solution and not an oil, it would introduce liquid into the mix and shorten the shelf life…
Great recipe, thanks for sharing! Do you think I can replace sugar with sea salt, to improve circulation even more? Thanks 🙂
Yep
Hi there! For any of your DIY skin care recipes that include a carrier oil … would it be possible and/or advisable to infuse the oil with Vitamin C crystals first? I keep hearing that it’s supposed to be a great topical ingredient in skin care (in addition to internal supplements).
This recipe is already therapeutic for me just imagining how it will smell and feel in my next bath! I don’t have castor oil coming in until next week so I am going to try a batch substituting a different oil because I simply refuse to wait to try this! I might try a drop or two of peppermint oil in it as well since I mainly love sugar scrubs for my feet! Thank you, as always I LOVE your DIY ideas and recipes!!
Made it. Loved it. Pinning it.
Hi love your site!!!!!this sounds awesome….can I use vanilla essential oil, and if so, how many drops?i
Thanks! Use as much as you’d like to get the scent you want
Thanks so much for this recipe wellness mama 🙂 been using your website as a reference guide for many new homemade things! Thank you for all your knowledge and research you put into your recipes! So appreciate that. I did have one question about the vanilla extract. I wanted to find out which one you buy and would recommend? Do you get the one from mountainroseherbs.com?
I’ve used theirs and the organic one from Tropical Traditions
Do you use soap before or after the scrub? Or only the scrub?
Hi Katie, your sight is probably my most favorite sight on the web 🙂 Do you have an all over body wash that you use? Looked around on the sight, can’t see where there’s one posted. Thanks.
Yes, will post soon 🙂
Katie, I love this recipe (as well as everything else!) I do have a question about this though. Being a coffee snob I know that oils from coffee do go rancid quite quickly. Have you noticed any issues with this or do the other oils help preserve? I cannot wait to try this out. Your DIYs are saving my life! <3
As long as the coffee grounds don’t come in contact with water before being mixed with the oils, the oils will preserve them until used in the shower
Would is be okay to mix honey into this recipe or will that make it expire quicker? How long would you say that this scrub is good for?
I’m in love with all your DIY beauty products! I was just wondering if i using instant coffee if it would “stain” my skin.
It shouldn’t 🙂
Hello! I’m wanting to make this for a friend of mine, I was just wondering how long this scrub will last before it expires/goes off? Thanks! 🙂
Without any liquid, it should last a few months at least
I wanted to know if you could just use regular white sugar. Also the coffee is it okay to use Maxwell House?
Try organic coffee,reg coffee is one of the most sprayed crops
Just made some……smells yummy and can’t wait to try in the shower. Thanks!!!
Thank you for this. I used Italian ground coffee…used the scrub in the shower in the gym this morning and people In the next cubicles commented on smelling a fabulous smell of coffee and couldn’t wait to get to Costa’s to buy a coffee… They were so impressed when I gave them the recipe for the scrub. It works and it has given me an even all over tan which will no doubt wash off tomorrow ?
Great info! Another method against cellulite is 1/2 c coffee grounds with 1 tsp cayenne in 1/4 c olive oil.
I made this and it was amazing and smelled heavenly! I’m wondering if I can add coffee grounds to the whipped body butter recipe? I love the smell of coffee so much that I want it in lotion form as well!
Made this tonight, wow, it’s really lovely, the smell is great, and it really does work wonders on your skin, thoroghly recommend it. Thanks for all your help and recipes Katie.
I’m glad you like it! Thanks for reading!
I’m so glad I found this site. This scrub works great. I have keratosis pilaris which mostly affects my upper arms, parts of my legs and the skin under and around my eyebrows. I went to see a dermatologist a while ago as the redness started getting annoying and some people started asking what was going on with my skin. He basically said that it is difficult to treat. Laser treatments would be an option but out of the question for me due to the high cost. He prescribed an ointment for the eyebrow area but it has cortisone so I don’t want to use it much and of course he tried to sell me a $40 face exfoliator. For the rest he suggested a lotion that has some fruit acids but among other things I noticed it has ammonia and smells absolutely nasty. I have used this scrub twice on my body so far and see a big improvement already especially on my legs. I wish this had ocurred to me earlier as it seems so simple and consists of things we have in the household already. I will be looking at more scrub recipes here for sure. I have also tried the hair detox with clay and noticed a difference immediately. The cortisone ointment is going in the trash now. 🙂
Hi Katie, I was wondering if this could be used in place or a face wash or exfoliator? I’m searching for a new alternative, my skin is very finicky and sensitive/acne prone. Tired of the store brands and oil cleansing didn’t work well for me. Thanks!
You could try it, but you may find it too abrasive. I don’t think it would be harmful.
Is there anything you would recommend for abface wash?
I use oil: https://wellnessmama.com/7569/oil-cleansing-for-naturally-perfect-skin/
This looks great! I’m a big fan of diy coconut oil based scrubs. I make one that I use all over, especially on my face:
1/2 C coconut oil
1 C epsom salt or sugar
lavender essential oil – enough for desired fragrance
Super easy and smells wonderful! The coconut oil leaves your skin super soft and absorbs quickly into the skin. I prefer to use salt as I feel it is a better exfoliater than sugar.
Hi,
I tried the scrub with 1/2 cup of coffee, 1/2 cup of sugar, vanilla essence and 4 tbsp of olive oil. But the scrub is too hard and sticky and it gets very difficult. Any suggestions where it could have gone wrong?
Thanks!
From one of the other comments, I used grounds that had been run through with water (used coffee grounds). My final product was pretty liquidy…that might help yours.
Thanks. What i had thought was that it was because of sugar. It is too hard for my nails.
I had used regular white sugar. I’ll try using castor or brown sugar from next time.
P.S. It works great on my skin…makes it really smooth. 🙂
My thoughts while in the shower, “What a mess!” My thoughts after the shower, “My skin feels awesome!”
Despite the mess (big white bathtubs with textured floors and tiled walls are apparently coffee-ground magnets), I’ll at least use the jar I made, b/c my skin does feel super smooth without being greasy or slimy.
Love your site!!!! Amazing recipes.
I’m not a big coffee fan, I have a tub of folgers in my pantry, would that work?
Sure!
Would grated vanilla work instead of extract, or does it need the liquid?
I would love to eliminate my cellulite just like every other woman. I do not drink coffee, but have heard it is good for the skin, but I also don’t like the smell of it either. Is there a substitute for coffee? Thanks
I don’t have any pure vanilla, castor oil or organic sugar at the moment. I just skipped the sugar, substituted grapeseed and vitamin e oil (1 T each) and then added just a few drops of orange essential oil for scent. It smells lovely and I was surprised how much skin just a tiny bit of coffee grounds could scrub. we drink coffee daily so I was able to use used grounds for this.
I’m going to use it twice a week and see if I notice any benefits.
I’m not wanting to use the castor oil in this. Can I replace it with almond or just double the coconut? Or will the texture come out different?
Can you infuse the oil with coffee, strain it, then add sugar? This way you don’t have to worry about your drain.
The clogging concern comes specifically from the coconut oil, not the coffee.
Could I use olive oil instead of castor oil?
Yes
How long can this scrub last? Also after a few days my coconut oil settled and hardened a little but like candle wax on the top? I want to give this as a gift but I’m afraid people won’t use it when it looks like that. Do I tell them they just need to stir it first or did I do something wrong?
Yeah, they will just want to stir it before use, or occasionally.
I really want to try this, but I don’t currently have any castor oil. Do you think it will still work if I replace the castor oil with more coconut oil? (I have quite a bit of that and would like to use it up.)
Yep 🙂
So I made a jar of this for a christmas present and it smelled like soy sauce. I had to add cinnamon oil, more coffee, and olive oil to change the scent. could it be from the vanilla extract?
I have read through the comments, but am still wondering how I dry used coffee grounds. Just lay them out on paper towels? Will they then be ok to use? Thanks.
You can put them on some parchment paper and set your oven on its lowest setting (This is also how you dehydrate things if you don’t have a dehydrator. Also how you can roast your own coffee beans), and let bake for 15-20 min or until dry. Then you get dried and sterilized coffee grounds.
I love this recipe. Been using it for a while. I actually substitute the sugar with Epsom salt after a run and it helps with muscle cramps as well. Thank you for posting this for us, Katie
How do you prevent the cocoint oil from clogging your drain.
How long before it expires in my shower