Vanilla Latte Coffee Scrub Recipe

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Fit Bottomed Zone » Blog » Beauty » Vanilla Latte Coffee Scrub Recipe

I love the smell of coffee and I love drinking coffee (with butter!). But it turns out that coffee grounds also make a great body scrub. Not only does it remove dead skin cells, but it can help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Coffee Scrub For Healthier Skin

Coffee beans are full of antioxidants and also have benefits when used externally. I’ve even made a coffee infused under eye cream to perk up tired eyes. So, how can a coffee body scrub help with your skincare routine?

Massaging the skin helps stimulate blood and lymphatic flow. This increase in circulation can help reduce cellulite, improve circulation and cellular detox, and make skin feel smoother. Coffee also has antioxidants that help with excess free radicals and has a tigthening effect thanks to it’s astringent properties.

If you have dry skin, you’ll want to be sure to drink hydrating minerals, but scrubs can still be part of your body care. The oils in this coffee scrub are moisturizing and a great way to get more self care in. If you’re dealing with acne, keeping the skin exfoliated and moisturized can help prevent breakouts. However, diet is still the best way to address the root cause of acne!

If you have acne prone skin and want to use this as a face scrub, you can swap out the coconut oil for something less comedegenic, like jojoba or grapeseed oil. The scrub won’t be as solid, but it will still work.

Coffee Scrub Ingredients

This sugar scrub combines some of my favorite natural beauty ingredients. Here’s what they are and how they help your skin

  • Coconut Oil – For naturally nourishing skin. Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it gives the scrub more body. Some people find coconut oil really drying, but you can swap it out for something like olive oil or sweet almond oil for your skin type. Be careful as stronger smelling oils can affect the final scrub scent!
  • Castor Oil – A naturally astringent oil that’s great for skin tone. I also sometimes use it in my facial cleansing regimen… and by regimen, I mean a super-simple one-step process that leaves skin feeling amazing. Castor oil is great for blemishes and detoxing skin.
  • Coffee- The caffeine has a tightening and stimulating effect on skin. You’ll often find it in anti-aging products.
  • Sugar– Bad inside the body, but great on the outside as it naturally exfoliates. Either brown sugar or cane sugar works well and is hydrating. You can swap the sugar out for finely ground sea salt if preferred, but be sure to not use salt on damaged skin (ouch!).
  • Vanilla – Because it smells good and is also a powerhouse for skincare. Naturally antibacterial to help with blemishes and antioxidant to help with aging.

This simple scrub smells like a vanilla latte (thus the name) and leaves skin silky. It smells and looks sophisticated, but is incredibly simple and inexpensive to make.

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DIY Coffee Scrub

A simple coffee scrub that smells like a vanilla latte! Use it on the face or body to gently exfoliate skin.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

Instructions

  • Place the coffee, sugar, and vanilla in a medium-size bowl and mix well.
  • Add the oils and stir with a fork or the back of a spoon until well mixed and moistened.
  • Store in an air-tight container away from moisture and heat. Use as desired for soft skin, especially on the legs to help with cellulite.

Notes

  • Use a clean, dry hand when scooping out the scrub if you plan on storing it or use it all at once.
  • You can add a 1/2 teaspoon of vitamin E oil when mixing to add extra antioxidants. Vitamin E is also great for healthier skin.

How to Use a Coffee Scrub + Precautions

Using a scrub is a simple process, but it can be a little messy! Be careful when using this in the shower as it can make the floor slick. You can also put a drain strainer over the tub drain if you’re worried about the scrub clogging your drains.

Apply a handful of the scrub to wet skin and use circular motions to exfoliate. Rinse off with warm water when done. This works well as a body scrub, but you can also use it as a face scrub to help improve fine lines and prevent blemishes. It even works over the tummy area to help with stretch marks.

I find that the natural ingredients work well for sensitive skin, just don’t scrub super hard. If you have really sensitive skin and notice irritation though, then discontinue use.

Final Thoughts on Coffee Scrubs

I absolutely love how this scrub smells and how it makes my skin feel silky smooth! Using it in the shower is an aromatic experience that helps me feel calmer and more alert at the same time. It’s quick to make and even makes a great gift.

What are your favorite ways to use coffee? Leave a comment and let us know!

This simple sugar scrub recipe uses coconut oil, organic sugar, castor oil, coffee and vanilla for a fragrant sugar scrub that leaves skin soft and silky.

Sources
  1. Shunatona, B. (2024, June 25). The 7 Best Non-Comedogenic Oils for Skin, According to Derms. Byrdie.
  2. Choudhary, T. (2024, December 9). 18 Amazing Benefits Of Vanilla For Skin, Hair, And Health. Stylecraze.
  3. Palmer, A. (2022, November 4). Benefits of Using Coffee Grounds for Your Skin and Face: Is Coffee Good for Acne, Oily Skin, or Anti-Aging?. Very Well Health.

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Fit Bottomed Zone and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. fitbottomedzone.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Fit Bottomed Zone research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Fit Bottomed Zone Cookbook and The Fit Bottomed Zone 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

100 responses to “Vanilla Latte Coffee Scrub Recipe”

  1. Lisa Avatar

    I’m not wanting to use the castor oil in this. Can I replace it with almond or just double the coconut? Or will the texture come out different?

  2. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I don’t have any pure vanilla, castor oil or organic sugar at the moment. I just skipped the sugar, substituted grapeseed and vitamin e oil (1 T each) and then added just a few drops of orange essential oil for scent. It smells lovely and I was surprised how much skin just a tiny bit of coffee grounds could scrub. we drink coffee daily so I was able to use used grounds for this.

    I’m going to use it twice a week and see if I notice any benefits.

  3. Wendy Avatar

    I would love to eliminate my cellulite just like every other woman. I do not drink coffee, but have heard it is good for the skin, but I also don’t like the smell of it either. Is there a substitute for coffee? Thanks

  4. jenna Avatar

    I’m not a big coffee fan, I have a tub of folgers in my pantry, would that work?

  5. Allison Avatar

    My thoughts while in the shower, “What a mess!” My thoughts after the shower, “My skin feels awesome!”
    Despite the mess (big white bathtubs with textured floors and tiled walls are apparently coffee-ground magnets), I’ll at least use the jar I made, b/c my skin does feel super smooth without being greasy or slimy.

  6. Bhawana Avatar
    Bhawana

    Hi,

    I tried the scrub with 1/2 cup of coffee, 1/2 cup of sugar, vanilla essence and 4 tbsp of olive oil. But the scrub is too hard and sticky and it gets very difficult. Any suggestions where it could have gone wrong?

    Thanks!

    1. Allison Avatar

      From one of the other comments, I used grounds that had been run through with water (used coffee grounds). My final product was pretty liquidy…that might help yours.

      1. bhawana Avatar

        Thanks. What i had thought was that it was because of sugar. It is too hard for my nails.
        I had used regular white sugar. I’ll try using castor or brown sugar from next time.

        P.S. It works great on my skin…makes it really smooth. 🙂

  7. Mandy Avatar

    This looks great! I’m a big fan of diy coconut oil based scrubs. I make one that I use all over, especially on my face:

    1/2 C coconut oil
    1 C epsom salt or sugar
    lavender essential oil – enough for desired fragrance

    Super easy and smells wonderful! The coconut oil leaves your skin super soft and absorbs quickly into the skin. I prefer to use salt as I feel it is a better exfoliater than sugar.

  8. tammy Avatar

    Hi Katie, I was wondering if this could be used in place or a face wash or exfoliator? I’m searching for a new alternative, my skin is very finicky and sensitive/acne prone. Tired of the store brands and oil cleansing didn’t work well for me. Thanks!

  9. Dani Avatar

    I’m so glad I found this site. This scrub works great. I have keratosis pilaris which mostly affects my upper arms, parts of my legs and the skin under and around my eyebrows. I went to see a dermatologist a while ago as the redness started getting annoying and some people started asking what was going on with my skin. He basically said that it is difficult to treat. Laser treatments would be an option but out of the question for me due to the high cost. He prescribed an ointment for the eyebrow area but it has cortisone so I don’t want to use it much and of course he tried to sell me a $40 face exfoliator. For the rest he suggested a lotion that has some fruit acids but among other things I noticed it has ammonia and smells absolutely nasty. I have used this scrub twice on my body so far and see a big improvement already especially on my legs. I wish this had ocurred to me earlier as it seems so simple and consists of things we have in the household already. I will be looking at more scrub recipes here for sure. I have also tried the hair detox with clay and noticed a difference immediately. The cortisone ointment is going in the trash now. 🙂

  10. Jill Avatar

    Made this tonight, wow, it’s really lovely, the smell is great, and it really does work wonders on your skin, thoroghly recommend it. Thanks for all your help and recipes Katie.

  11. Farrah Avatar
    Farrah

    I made this and it was amazing and smelled heavenly! I’m wondering if I can add coffee grounds to the whipped body butter recipe? I love the smell of coffee so much that I want it in lotion form as well!

  12. Mariapia Avatar
    Mariapia

    Great info! Another method against cellulite is 1/2 c coffee grounds with 1 tsp cayenne in 1/4 c olive oil.

  13. Janet Jones Avatar
    Janet Jones

    Thank you for this. I used Italian ground coffee…used the scrub in the shower in the gym this morning and people In the next cubicles commented on smelling a fabulous smell of coffee and couldn’t wait to get to Costa’s to buy a coffee… They were so impressed when I gave them the recipe for the scrub. It works and it has given me an even all over tan which will no doubt wash off tomorrow ?

  14. Connie Avatar

    Just made some……smells yummy and can’t wait to try in the shower. Thanks!!!

  15. Kellie Avatar

    I wanted to know if you could just use regular white sugar. Also the coffee is it okay to use Maxwell House?

  16. KAREE Avatar

    Hello! I’m wanting to make this for a friend of mine, I was just wondering how long this scrub will last before it expires/goes off? Thanks! 🙂

  17. Chantal Avatar

    I’m in love with all your DIY beauty products! I was just wondering if i using instant coffee if it would “stain” my skin.

  18. Ciara Avatar

    Would is be okay to mix honey into this recipe or will that make it expire quicker? How long would you say that this scrub is good for?

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