Instant Coffee Body Scrub

 Let me start by saying that I am, admittedly, a coffee snob.  I have never purchased instant coffee, and I certainly do not keep it on hand in my kitchen.  (Working for Starbucks for 4 years will have that affect.)  However, I was helping my major professor clean out what was left at a house where a visiting scholar had lived last semester a few weeks before Christmas.  Among the treasures that made their way home with me from that trip was a jar of instant coffee granules.  I wasn't too keen on using the coffee, but I thought the jar would be useful for putting some protein poppers in as a Christmas present.  Although I didn't want to drink the coffee, I hated just throwing it out, so I did a little research and found that it has some health benefit as an ingredient in skin-care products! Who would have thought?!

I ran across a nifty recipe, which I used to make a body scrub for a friend who used to work with me at Starbucks years ago and then worked with me a biology grad student.  (I hope she liked it!) I made this scrub for her primarily because of the fact that it contained coffee, but there are some neat health benefits that came along with it!

First of all, if you haven't read at least part of my post on basic body scrubs, you should! Here's a link if you feel like making your way over there!  Building Basic Body Scrubs

Okay, so now that you know why we use sugar and EVOO in the recipe that follows, let's just hit on some of the other benefits.  We will start with the coffee since I've already talked so much about it! Like sugar and salt, instant coffee granules are good exfoliates. (Keep in mind that because they are coarse, they are not really good for sensitive areas such as the face, neck, or decollete.) Coffee applied to the skin can stimulate circulation, which can reduce the appearance of varicose veins.  It is also said to help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Another good ingredient in this recipe is cinnamon.  Not only does this make the scrub smell delicious, it also has antibacterial properties.  Ground cinnamon is another good exfoliate. 

This recipe doesn't call for it, but you could also add some ground nutmeg if you wanted to add something with anti-inflammatory properties and...you guessed it...a good exfoliate.  Another good-smelling ingredient to play around with adding to this recipe would be vanilla extract.  This ingredient is full of antioxidants that promote collagen development, giving it anti-aging properties.  It is also another good anti-inflammatory and it has cleansing properties that help in the fight against acne.  So, if you are making this scrub and you have problems with back acne, maybe add a little vanilla to help out with that issue! (I wish I had known that when I worked at Starbucks...the oils from all the coffee would soak into your shirt and could sometimes cause your back to break out.  Especially if you had worked hard all day and produced sweat that mixed with those oils!)

Final point in case, this is a relatively cheap body scrub to make.  Not as cheap as one of the more basic scrubs of course, but certainly cheaper than a commercial coffee body scrub.  Just by doing a quick Google search of 'coffee body scrub' you come up with little tubs of scrubs that cost between $24.00 and $32.00! If you are anything like me, the only thing you would have to buy for this is the instant coffee granules. (And maybe you even keep that on hand, so you wouldn't have to buy anything at all!)  Even if you DID have to buy everything on the ingredient list below, I don't think you'd spend that much for so little product.  Plus, there's lots you can do with left over EVOO, sugar, and cinnamon...not so much you can do with store-bought coffee scrub except...well, use it as a coffee scrub!

Here is the recipe you've been waiting for:

Coffee Body Scrub

2 cups Instant Coffee Granules

2 cups Sugar

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

1) Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and then store in an airtight container.

To Use: Apply to skin using a circular motion while in the shower.  (The circular motion is important when using coffee granules!) Let the scrub sit on the skin for 5 minutes before rinsing off.