Twelve months ago you may have thought someone crazy for covering their body in ground coffee and instagramming the whole process, but right now that seems to be the norm for a high proportion of my feed. Coffee scrubs have taken the world by storm, proving that when you're on to a good thing you can never have enough. But why are these ground bags of coffee proving to be so popular and what's the reason behind this current scrub craze? Although we're programmed to naturally shed away old skin, sometimes we need a little helping hand in the form of manual exfoliation. As we get older the 'cement' holding our cells together becomes thicker, resulting in a build-up of skin cells that makes the sloughing process more difficult to accomplish; this results in a dry, uneven, dull and less-toned appearance. By eliminating the build up of dead skin cells on the surface, the regeneration of new skin cells is stimulated which results in an improved appearance, tone, and feel of the skin. Consistent exfoliation can not only ensure our skin is healthy looking and refreshed, but it also helps to prevent clogged pores, acne, ingrown hairs, scarring, blemishes and all kinds of infections.
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If you suffer from breakouts or those annoying bumpy bits on your arms or legs, then exfoliation can really help the skin to regenerate and look like new. If you're struggling with acne, it may just be that your pores are becoming blocked with dead skin cells that are causing irritation and infection. If you want to rid yourself of annoying burn mark or scar, then buffing the skin lightly could help reduce it significantly over time. Exfoliation can also increase the effectiveness of the other steps in your skincare routine, unblocking pores and ensuring moisturisers can penetrate and get to work. This simple process makes such a difference to so many areas of your beauty routine that it really should be a no-brainer and a regular part of your regime. Although there are a huge portfolio of exfoliants available on the market, coffee scrubs have successfully made the process lighthearted and fun; rather than a scary bottle of science, these often simple and natural concoctions take things back to basics.
We're programmed to think simple, natural, organic, vegan, ethical or locally sourced means better, so it's no surprise we're turning to these home-grown brands as an alternative to the ever complicated nature of the beauty industry. With often no more than a handful of ingredients, it's a refreshing approach and one even the most uninterested of beauty consumers can get to grips with. These little bags of coffee goodness are like homemade but better - as they don't require effort or ingredients to put together. (We all like the idea of an avocado face mask, but that doesn't mean we want to spend our Tuesday nights grinding one up to plop on our face.) Refreshingly easy to understand, these coffee scrubs can be used all over the body and face to help remove the build up of skin and stimulate blood flow for a healthy and glowing complexion. There's something to be said for a little bit of manual labour too, as the effort required to apply and buff into the skin makes it feel like a real body workout; it's an experience we can enjoy and one that we're increasingly choosing to document.
The original brand to inject a touch of fun back into the exfoliation process was Frank Body (£11.95 for 200g), encouraging their customers to 'get dirty' and embrace the mess their finely ground scrub created. Containing sea salt, Vitamin E and sweet almond oil to help nourish and hydrate skin while it's buffed, this formula smells like your morning coffee but offers so much more of a long term benefit. Bean Body Coffee Bean Scrub (£14.95 for 220g) takes this one step further by offering Coco Berry, Mandarin, Peppermint and Manuka Honey versions, adding in additional skincare benefits and a delicious scent to help awaken the senses. Grounded Coffee Scrub (£15.00 for 200g) includes brown sugar and himilayan rock salt for a super effective buffing experience, even appearing on Dragon's Den to allow them to receive the funding required to take their brand to the next level; now available nationwide via Boots stores, this is definitely a brand to watch. If you're after something a little more girlie, then Scrub Love (£11.95 for 200g) is packed in polka dots to make the experience a touch more pampering too. Fundementally all of these products contain the same ingredients (ground Robusta coffee beans, coconut oil, almond oil, sea salt and Vitamin E with a sprinkling of fragrance,) so there's no real point of difference from which to choose, but all of them offer a simple approach to looking after your skin... Even if it does mean you have to clean the bath out afterwards.
My Top Tips For Using A Coffee Scrub
1. Make sure you're standing in the bathtub before you apply. There's no way you want to be faced with a clean up job that was last seen on the set of Luther.
2. Take a small handful from the pouch and use it to buff in circular motions across each limb in turn; when it's all been used, go over the surface again and gently massage in.
3. Don't forget your upper thighs, bum and boobs to help encourage bloodflow and shift that stubborn cellulite. Although it's not medically proven, these scrubs contain caffeine which does help to reduce fat deposits.
4. If you want to use the scrub on your face, use only a small amount and gently massage into the t-zone and chin in particular. Avoid the eye area completely and don't over buff the cheeks.
5. Breathe in the aroma. The great thing about a coffee scrub is the fact it'll wake you up like no skinny latte can.
Have you tried coffee scrubs? Are you embracing the trend or totally over it?
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If you suffer from breakouts or those annoying bumpy bits on your arms or legs, then exfoliation can really help the skin to regenerate and look like new. If you're struggling with acne, it may just be that your pores are becoming blocked with dead skin cells that are causing irritation and infection. If you want to rid yourself of annoying burn mark or scar, then buffing the skin lightly could help reduce it significantly over time. Exfoliation can also increase the effectiveness of the other steps in your skincare routine, unblocking pores and ensuring moisturisers can penetrate and get to work. This simple process makes such a difference to so many areas of your beauty routine that it really should be a no-brainer and a regular part of your regime. Although there are a huge portfolio of exfoliants available on the market, coffee scrubs have successfully made the process lighthearted and fun; rather than a scary bottle of science, these often simple and natural concoctions take things back to basics.
We're programmed to think simple, natural, organic, vegan, ethical or locally sourced means better, so it's no surprise we're turning to these home-grown brands as an alternative to the ever complicated nature of the beauty industry. With often no more than a handful of ingredients, it's a refreshing approach and one even the most uninterested of beauty consumers can get to grips with. These little bags of coffee goodness are like homemade but better - as they don't require effort or ingredients to put together. (We all like the idea of an avocado face mask, but that doesn't mean we want to spend our Tuesday nights grinding one up to plop on our face.) Refreshingly easy to understand, these coffee scrubs can be used all over the body and face to help remove the build up of skin and stimulate blood flow for a healthy and glowing complexion. There's something to be said for a little bit of manual labour too, as the effort required to apply and buff into the skin makes it feel like a real body workout; it's an experience we can enjoy and one that we're increasingly choosing to document.
The original brand to inject a touch of fun back into the exfoliation process was Frank Body (£11.95 for 200g), encouraging their customers to 'get dirty' and embrace the mess their finely ground scrub created. Containing sea salt, Vitamin E and sweet almond oil to help nourish and hydrate skin while it's buffed, this formula smells like your morning coffee but offers so much more of a long term benefit. Bean Body Coffee Bean Scrub (£14.95 for 220g) takes this one step further by offering Coco Berry, Mandarin, Peppermint and Manuka Honey versions, adding in additional skincare benefits and a delicious scent to help awaken the senses. Grounded Coffee Scrub (£15.00 for 200g) includes brown sugar and himilayan rock salt for a super effective buffing experience, even appearing on Dragon's Den to allow them to receive the funding required to take their brand to the next level; now available nationwide via Boots stores, this is definitely a brand to watch. If you're after something a little more girlie, then Scrub Love (£11.95 for 200g) is packed in polka dots to make the experience a touch more pampering too. Fundementally all of these products contain the same ingredients (ground Robusta coffee beans, coconut oil, almond oil, sea salt and Vitamin E with a sprinkling of fragrance,) so there's no real point of difference from which to choose, but all of them offer a simple approach to looking after your skin... Even if it does mean you have to clean the bath out afterwards.
My Top Tips For Using A Coffee Scrub
1. Make sure you're standing in the bathtub before you apply. There's no way you want to be faced with a clean up job that was last seen on the set of Luther.
2. Take a small handful from the pouch and use it to buff in circular motions across each limb in turn; when it's all been used, go over the surface again and gently massage in.
3. Don't forget your upper thighs, bum and boobs to help encourage bloodflow and shift that stubborn cellulite. Although it's not medically proven, these scrubs contain caffeine which does help to reduce fat deposits.
4. If you want to use the scrub on your face, use only a small amount and gently massage into the t-zone and chin in particular. Avoid the eye area completely and don't over buff the cheeks.
5. Breathe in the aroma. The great thing about a coffee scrub is the fact it'll wake you up like no skinny latte can.
Have you tried coffee scrubs? Are you embracing the trend or totally over it?
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