DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub Recipe

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Nothing says Happy Holidays like this delicious smelling DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub.

This all natural scrub is a yummy treat for skin damaged by winter weather. Almond oil is moisturizing. Sugar and ground coffee exfoliate dry skin. Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent and repair damaged skin cells. Honey is a humectant, so it actually draws moisture to your skin and keeps it there. Peppermint oil perks up your mood, chasing away the winter blues.

This bath and shower-friendly scrub is also great for use after washing your hands.

DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub Recipe

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup fair trade ground coffee beans 
• 3 oz fair trade brown sugar (substitute: white sugar with 1 tsp molasses blended in)
• 1 heaping tablespoon fair trade cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon fair trade raw honey (vegan substitute: vegetable glycerine)
• 1/2 cup organic almond oil, more or less
• 10 drops French vanilla liquid stevia (substitute: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder)
• 6 drops peppermint essential oil

Do this:

1. Using a fork, combine the coffee, brown sugar, cocoa, and honey in a bowl. 
2. Add almond oil until you reach desired consistency. (I prefer my scrub to be like oily mud.)
3. Blend in vanilla and peppermint.
4. Divide between two small jars. Decorate with a cute label, if you wish. (I like to make little collages from recycled catalog pages.) Don't forget to write what it is and the "made on" date.
5. Keep one jar and gift the other to a friend. :-)

This recipe makes enough to fill two 4 oz jars. Not bad, but you can easily whip up a big batch and make quick gifts for the holiday cookie exchange party hostess, office Secret Santa, your kids' teachers, and any neighbors who love coffee, chocolate, or cookies—which pretty much covers everyone, right? Grab some cute little mason jars and get mixin'!

To use:

1. Wash body or hands with soap as usual. 
2. Scoop out some scrub and rub into skin. Pay extra attention to dry, chapped spots like hands, elbows, knees, feet, and even lips. (Try not to get water in the jar so the scrub will keep for longer. Avoid getting on fabric, as it will stain.)
3. Rinse.
4. This scrub may make your tub floor slippery so be careful. Clean it up for the safety of your housemates too. (I love cleaning my tub with Bon Ami. Baking soda works well too.)

Olivia Lane Lovejoy is a Green Living Educator trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. 

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