If you like the strong smell of coffee in the morning and are a total coffee lover, you’re bound to fall in love with this pungent coffee sugar scrub recipe.
It has accents of cinnamon and honey (instead of coconut oil) can leave your skin feeling silky smooth. Out of ALL the sugar scrubs I’ve made, I’d say this is one of the most aromatic ones.
If you’re a veteran sugar scrub maker, you’ll know how easy these are to make. And honestly, any natural products you can make at home for a LOT less and that are healthier for you are always worth making in my book. No need to jump on Amazon for your skincare needs.
Sugar scrub without coconut oil vs. honey
Which one’s better?
Usually, when I create my sugar scrubs, I like to create them with honey as a base instead of melted coconut oil. That’s because I like the smell better when your sugar scrubs are created with honey.
Both honey and coconut oil are good for you, so I’d say you aren’t missing out if you’re using one over the other.
Related: DIY Witch Hazel Toner With Essential Oils
The problem with coconut oil is that it tends to take over the smell of any of the other ingredients included in a sugar scrub. This isn’t really ideal when you’re trying to create sugar scrubs that smell like something other than a cup coconut oil. I think this also goes for olive oil. Though it can help with dry skin, it has a pungent smell that overtakes any other aromatics you try to include in your scrub.
Almond oil is yet another sugar scrub alternative, though I’ve yet to try it as a base for any scrub yet.
Now, I’d like to address something. There’s a widespread belief that cellulite is “curable” or at least the appearance of cellulite is supposed to improve with an exfoliating coffee scrub. I’m not sure how true that claim is. Though coffee scrub makes a great whole body exfoliant because it gets rid of dead skin cell, contains antioxidants, and taking care of your skin can have some anti-inflammatory and nourishing effects. In short, it makes your skin feel significantly soft even after the first use.
When you use coffee, make sure to use fine coffee grinds. That’ll either come from coffee beans you grind yourself or get at a store. Used coffee grounds can work too. Any instant coffee you try to do this with will melt.
Using your sugar scrub
A sugar scrub can make a great all around body scrub, or a lip scrub. It’s natural, and they tend to smell absolutely amazing.
One of the reasons I love making them, besides all their natural benefits, is because you can style your sugar scrub all kinds of ways. You can design your own labels for them, you can make them colorful, or you can mix and match natural ingredients. And you don’t need fancy tutorials to learn to make yummy homemade sugar scrubs, just a few pointers.
Related: How To Make Easy Bath Bombs That Fizz
That’s probably why I went on a type of sugar scrub binge and created a TON!
Should you use your coffee scrub as a face scrub?
I generally don’t recommend you use a coffee scrub as a face scrub because it can be pretty abrasive and it’s definitely not meant for sensitive skin. This is especially true if your skin is naturally sensitive or are dealing with acne or rosacea. However, I find a coffee scrub makes a great homemade body scrub because your body’s skin is a bit less sensitive to exfoliate.
Like I mentioned previously, a coffee scrub can also make a great quick lip scrub. It’ll help smooth them out, especially if you’re planning on wearing lipstick for the day. If you’re ever taken the time to exfoliate your lips before applying lipstick and compared it to a time when you didn’t exfoliate pre-lipstick you’ll see a big difference!
Now, your coffee scrub can last in the fridge for a couple of weeks. I’d say anything around two or three weeks before you should probably think about replacing it. Though, if you’re making it with melted coconut oil you might be able to get away with keeping it a bit longer, since coconut oil is said to have antimicrobial properties.
A great way to ensure your coffee scrub lasts longer is to make sure you use a clean utensil when you scoop out the amount you’ll use in the shower. This way you’re minimizing how much bacteria multiplies in your coffee scrub. It’s also a good idea to keep your coffee scrub in the fridge instead of in the shower.
Free printable coffee scrub labels
To use your sugar scrub labels all you have to do is print them out on letter sized paper (they’re approximately 2 in. X 2 in. in size), cut them out, hole punch them, and tie them onto your sugar scrub.
You can also print them on sticker paper to create sugar scrub stickers and use them that way.
Please note that these sugar scrub labels are for personal use only.
DIY Coffee Sugar Scrub With Cinnamon And Honey
An aromatic sugar body scrub perfect for silky soft skin.
Prep time: 8 minutes
Total time: 8 minutes
Print
Ingredients
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup ground coffee
3 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tsp. Ground cinnamon (optional)
8-10 Drops of Vitamin E oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
- In a bowl, mix your cane sugar (regular sugar will work too), coffee, honey, cinnamon and Vitamin E oil if you use it.
- Mix well and spoon into clean mason jar
- To get the lighter sugar scrub effect shown in the image take 1/4 cup of white sugar and mix it with 1 teaspoon of coffee grounds and 1-2 teaspoons of honey.
- Mix well and spoon on top of coffee sugar scrub.
- And you’re all done. Enjoy your coffee body scrub!
- seal in an air tight container and keep in fridge for up to a month.
- When you’re ready to use it as a body exfoliant, make sure to start off with wet skin first, and exfoliate in a circular motion. Then rinse off with hot water and don’t forget to use a moisturizing body lotion afterwards.
Want more sugar scrub recipes?
I’ve got a WHOLE list of scrubs I’ve created below, whether you’re a first time maker or simply want some inspiration. Pick your favorite one and make some homemade sugar scrubs this weekend.