Zero-Waste Kitchen Coffee Scrub

I am always looking for ways to reduce and reuse. I literally save every glass jar. In fact, when picking a product I will make sure it is a jar I can reuse. So only glass and a functional shape.

Like many so-called adults I drink coffee every morning. I kept thinking, what can I do with these grounds instead of putting them in the compost?  There may be some gardening use I am unaware of, but my mind always goes to skin care.

At first, I saved my used grounds in a jar. Pretty soon mold grew. Pretty dumb of me really. Moisture equals, um, mold, so yeah. Sadly I put those ones in the compost and learned – you must completely dry the grounds out before making your scrub to avoid mold.

So put out reusable parchment paper in a safe place (away from cats and kids) and every morning laid out my coffee grounds to dry. Before I knew it, I had enough to make a full jar of body scrub. I even had a jar I was saving that was previously a coffee scrub, so it was labeled and everything.

Once my grounds were complete dried out, I took a double boiler and melted coconut butter. How much coconut butter depends on the size of jar you have — you’ll have to play it by ear. It also depends on what type of scrub you like.  I like a really abrasive scrub so my coffee-to-coconut oil ratio is pretty high.

Once my oil was in a liquid phase I added my essential oils. I used a citrus blend from doterra essential oils.  Coffee and citrus are the best. The two scents are invigorating. I added the essential oil and mixed it in until I was happy with the scent. Don’t make it too strong. Don’t forget — the smell will come out when you work with it.

Lastly, I added my coffee grounds and mixed well.  I poured the warm mixture into the (sterilized) jar and put it in the fridge to cool.

Once it is out of the fridge you can keep it on the countertop.

Originally, I thought this would make a good body scrub but I have two complaints — for some reason the finer coffee powder stays on my skin and is a bit harder to rinse off. I use an espresso machine and grind my coffee beans very fine. You may not have this problem if you’re using regular coffee for a standard coffee maker. Also, the smell wasn’t as fresh as when using unused fresh coffee grounds. I mean, I was expecting that as it has already had water running through it. Perhaps I should have added more essential oil.

Either way, I need a scrub by my kitchen sink to use when my hands get really dirty or feel  super dry. The coconut oil hydrates the skin, and it feels super silky afterwards. Plus, I am making a truly zero-waste product here.

To purchase my coffee beans I take a reusable glass jar to the bulk barn and fill it up.

I feel good when I sip my coffee in the morning. And now I will feel even better knowing I found another use for the beans.

I’m sorry to say to those of you who use those little plastic pods — it is such a waste. It doesn’t matter that they are recyclable, since only 25% of your recycling is actually recycled. Please consider switching to zero-waste options. I wonder, at what point did human convenience trump the health of our planet and the innocent animals that live on it? Weird.

Making this scrub was fun.  I love to do this kind of thing with my kids too!

Enjoy!

P.S.: To purchase do terra essential oils go HERE