The Coffee Spa

Coffee is a great ingredient for homemade spa products as its readily available in many households. You can experiment with your own recipes and find ones that work best for you!

Why coffee?

Because it has caffeine.

What does caffeine do?

• Its anti-inflammatory
• It reduces puffiness
• It tightens and tones the skin
• It reduces periorbital dark circles
• It reduces fine lines
• It smoothes UV damage
• It stimulates hair follicles

Are 'used' coffee grounds OK?

Yes, the used coffee grounds still have about a half of the caffeine left in them.

Light roast or dark?

Light roasts have more caffeine, but all roasts are fine.

What else does coffee do?

As a scrub it is a really nice exfoliant and helps remove impurities from your skin.

Here are some recipes for your personal coffee spa. Add essential oils to any of them for some aromatherapy, or alternatively just enjoy the lovely aroma that is coffee.

These recipes use ingredients that are all commonly available and widely used for skin care. I tried to keep things simple, so that you can enjoy your spa experience instead of spending the entire day hunting down a long list of ingredients.

I hope you have a lovely time at your coffee spa!

• ½ cup coffee grounds
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup coarse salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil

This scrub has three exfoliants: sugar, salt and coffee. It's good for dry skin and for winter use, since exfoliating the top layer of skin helps moisturizers penetrate more deeply and hydrate longer. The oil helps to replenish the skin. For oily skin, just leave out the sugar and salt. Use on face and body.

• 1 tbsp coffee grounds
• 1 tsp castor oil
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp yogurt

This stuff is lovely. The coffee stimulates the hair follicle, giving thicker hair. Castor oil gives shine and helps new hair growth. Coconut oil reduces frizz, adds shine, stimulates hair growth and thickens hair. Finally yogurt helps fight dandruff and is good for greasy hair.

Use: Mix the ingredients and apply to scalp and hair. Let sit for a long time (up to two hours!). Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner.

• 1 tsp coffee infused olive oil
• 1 tsp beeswax
• 2 tsp shea butter

Mix olive oil and used coffee grounds together and let sit (the longer, the better). Strain out 1 tsp of olive oil. Melt the ingredients together in a cup and pour into a small tin. Let cool and set.

Shea butter is great for restoring elasticity to skin. It's a sort of all purpose anti-aging ingredient. Beeswax contains natural emulsifiers, which help retain moisture in the skin.

• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda (or less)
• 1 tbsp coffee grounds

Mix to a thick and grainy paste and apply to a clean face for about 4 minutes.

The honey heals the skin and removes blemishes. Baking soda helps balance oily skin and clears up acne. The sugar works as an exfoliant, just like coffee, but also makes your skin appear younger.

• ¼ cup coffee grounds
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ ripe banana
• ½ cup salt (rough, if you want a ‘harder’ scrub)

Mash and mix to a nice paste and scrub onto feet and legs. Leave for 15 minutes and wash away.

The banana makes your feet smooth and the salt gets rid of bacteria. Coffee grounds act as an exfoliant to get rid of dead skin cells.