Like coffee? Me too. So does your skin.

I got this bag from a spa pantry... but you can use plain old Joe from the
grocery store... same thing!

Fresh coffee grounds in your body wash. It’s simple as that. Take your favorite body wash, open up the lid, and add a few teaspoons of fresh coffee grounds (I never have been good at moderation, so for me it ends up being about ½ cup). Shake it up and smooth it on during your next shower for an inexpensive treatment with lots of benefits. You can also add them to a body scrub or just have them in a small jar in the shower.

Here’s what you’ll get by bringing the café to the bath:

• It just smells great, especially first thing in the morning.
• A great mechanical exfoliation to the skin (just rub the grounds on your skin the same way you would use a body scrub).
• The topical benefits of caffeine on the skin. Here’s a little “good news/bad news” for this one. I’m sure you’ve seen those cellulite reducing lotions and creams at the drug store. Tempting, I know… especially with a coupon. Here’s the bad news - you’ll only see success with these creams if you use them daily, and even then, the “reduction in the appearance of cellulite” is temporary. That is, when you stop using the creams, the wobble will reconvene on your thighs. Sigh…. BUT…  here’s the good news - you can get your daily cellulite reducing caffeine fix from your coffee infused body wash, and not a pricey lotion (and it’s not an extra step in your bathing rituals to remember).

Adding a "little" coffee to my sugar scrub. 

• Coffee doesn't "melt away" while you're exfoliating with it like salts and sugar scrubs. (The down side, you’ll probably see some of it on your shower floor when you’re done, and it will turn your body wash a bit of a brown color).
• Antioxidants - I've talked about those enough... you know what they are!

FYI – Before writing this blog I decided to see if I could re-purpose the coffee grounds left over from my morning coffee. You can try it - - but honestly, it’s just not the same as fresh coffee grounds on the skin. It’s a little mushier and just not as good an exfoliation. Remember that the goal with exfoliation is to stimulate the skin and increase cellular turnover, so a little “abrasion” is a good thing!

**EXFOLIATING TIP**

Here’s a hint I’ve learned in school. When you’re using a scrub, try using it in the shower BEFORE you turn on the water. This is how professional  exfoliations are done by estheticians at the spa. Applying the product before you’re wet allows you to truly get a chance to “scrub” before the water washes your product away. Once you’ve scrubbed yourself down, turn on the water and wash away the product.

Gettin’ Beauty Schooled,

Rita