Coffee and Brown Sugar Pre-Shave scrub

Exfoliation before shaving is very crucial. When you clean an exfoliate your skin before shaving, you remove the dead skin cells and oils that are covering your hairs. This dead skin and oil keeps you from getting as close of a shave, which means more shaving per week.

That being said, here is my recipe for a pre-shave exfoliating scrub. It's specifically a pre-shave scrub because there are NO oils and there is a small amount of soap to help with stripping the oils from your skin.

What you need:
- Instant coffee crystals (you can also use coffee grounds for a rougher exfoliation but they are messier in the shower so I just use the instant coffee.)*
- Baby shampoo (or another shampoo if you'd like)
- Brown sugar
- Honey (honey helps mosturize, heal scars, and it's naturally lightly antibacterial)
- A small amount of water

* So why have coffee at all if I'm not using one that exfoliates? -- The caffeine in coffee can help your skin cells dramatically! It has been shown to help prevent skin cancer, remove cellulite, and make skin firmer and healthier looking.

Step 1 - Add your honey to the coffee. Mix it well.

Step 2 - Dissolve your coffee crystals and honey in some water. If you are using fresh ground coffee then heat this water so that it can help the caffeine release more effectively.

Step 3 - Add the baby shampoo and stir. Be sure to stir gently so you don't cause foam.

Step 4 - Lastly add your brown sugar RIGHT before you use it. If you want a good exfoliation then add it as late as possible so that it doesn't start to break down in the coffee-water. Mine was a little juicy but you can add as much sugar as you want. Mine works fine but if you want extra exfoliation then add more sugar.

Step 5 - Apply and then rinse or wash off. I always use this in conjunction with my DIY shaving lather!

Enjoy! :-)

Olive Oil and Coffee Body Scrub

I love all natural things, especially ones that you can make with the random things you (might) have around your house. This olive oil and coffee body scrub is one of those wonderful things! Here's why:

Olive oil is a natural moisturizer and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

The coffee helps exfoliate your skin and the caffeine helps to rejuvenate it. Exfoliation removes the thin layer of dead skin cells that are clinging to your skin and gives the fresh and new skin underneath better exposure to oxygen, which helps skin health.

Essential oils (if you choose to use them) also have a wide array of health benefits for our skin.

Honey helps moisturize and heal the skin.

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TOOLS + THE MIX

- Mesh strainer or coffee maker (French press grounds could work but they would be very rough)

- Ground coffee

- Olive oil (if you want to use coconut oil or some other natural oil then that would work too! I use olive because I like it and it's usually stocked up in my pantry)

- (OPTIONAL) Essential oil: I would recommend tea tree, lemon, peppermint, or rosemary because of their benefits for the skin. More details about essential oils here: http://www.crunchybetty.com/21-things-you-should-know-about-essential-oils

- (OPTIONAL) A small amount of honey

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STEP 1 - Prepare the coffee
In order for the coffee to work properly you need to get the caffeine to release. If you add fresh, dry coffee grounds to the oils then you will get the exfoliation aspect but not the benefits of the caffeine  Therefore, you should either use old grounds from the morning's coffee or steep the coffee in boiling water for about 2 mins. This allows the caffeine to release but it isn't so long that the caffeine is lost.

STEP 2 - Mixing it up
Put your strained and slightly wet coffee grounds into a container and add you honey. After these two ingredients are blended well, gradually add the olive oil. You don't want it to be too oily because then you will only be rubbing coffee infused oil on yourself. Try and find the right balance between coffee and oil. Then add your essential oils. Be sure to use these sparingly because adding too much can cause skin irritation. Also be sure to mix them in very thoroughly to ensure even distribution.

STEP 3 - Apply it!
Rub it all over, let it sit for about 5 mins, and then rinse off! Enjoy!! :-)