If you know me at all, you know I’m a major coffee addict. And if you don’t know me, I am. My current apartment complex has a recycling bin (okay, Jac, where you going with this?), and because of that I’ve been paying a lot of attention to how much I throw away that can be reused. Every morning, I wake up a brew a pot of fuel, then I dump out the excess and toss the grounds in the trash. And then I got thinking: “Hey, how can I reuse this?” And naturally, I thought in my beauty routine.
Coffee is great for a lot of things. It wakes me up in the morning, yeah, but it’s full of free-radical fighting, youth-boosting, and skin-protecting antioxidants. The caffeine will boost blood flow, stimulate circulation, and wake up tired, dull skin. And the grounds work as an exfoliate to slough away dead skin cells, especially handy in the drier winter months.
When I make these recipes, I use the grounds from my coffee pot and left over coffee from the pot, but you can, of course, make fresh coffee or use un-brewed grounds. If you want to know how I incorporate my favorite beverage into my beauty routine, keep scrolling.
Caffeinated Eye Serum
This is going to perfect for puffy eyes and people like me who don’t get quite as much sleep as you should–so perfect for you moms, college students, and generally sleepy people. This should be refrigerated after making and will keep for about a week. It’s going to be really rejuvenating and hydrating thanks to that avocado and sweet almond oil.
Here’s what you need:
- 1/2 c. ground coffee
- Sweet almond oil
- 1/2 tsp. avocado oil
- Cheese cloth
- Serum bottle (I like these from Amazon)
Here’s what you do:
- Pour enough sweet almond oil to cover and saturate the coffee grounds.
- Let sit for hours or overnight.
- Pour over cheese cloth to separate solid grounds from liquid.
- Add avocado oil.
- Pour into serum bottle.
Caffeinated Eye Mask
This is going to be another treatment for puffy, tired eyes. The caffeine from the coffee will help combat tiredness, and the honey will moisturize under your eyes. I’d recommend leaving this in the fridge, and the cooling effect will also help with puffy eyes.
Here’s what you need:
- Honey (raw is preferred)
- Coffee grounds
Here’s what you do:
- Mix equal parts honey and coffee.
- Apply beneath your eyes and leave on for about 15-20 minutes.
- Rinse will damp cloth.
Energizing Body Scrub
I like to use this scrub in the mornings for a jolt of energy since it combines the caffeine from the coffee and the citrus oil will add an energizing feel as well. This is really easy to make and will hold covered in the fridge for a few days.
Here’s what you need:
- 1/2 c. ground coffee
- 1 tbsp. vitamin E or olive oil
- 1 tbsp. honey (raw is preferred)
- Wild orange essential oil
Here’s what you do:
- Mix ingredients together.
- Apply to skin in circular motions.
Coffee Hair Rinse
This is something new I’ve been doing. I will wash and condition my hair as normal, but then I will pour cooled coffee over it, catching it with a container. Then I’ll repeat once or twice more. You’re literally rinsing your hair off with coffee. Then I generally clip my hair up while I finish my shower and rinse the coffee from my hair when I’m done.
Supposedly this will keep your hair from shedding, which I’m having a little issue with right now (TMI). I don’t know about that, but it makes your hair shiny and smelling good.
Here’s what you need:
- 2-4 c. strong, black coffee (room temp.)
Here’s what you do:
- Pour over clean hair.
- Leave on for 15-20 minutes.
- Rinse.
These are the ways I’ve been reusing my coffee and incorporating it into my beauty routine. Side note: I also like pouring the grounds down the garbage disposal to combat any odor.
If you try any of these recipes out, let us know in the comments if you loved them as much as I do!
PS: You may like these posts:
Let's Chat!