With a few simple upcycling projects, you can take those old coffee grounds and expired coffee beans and turn them into some pretty useful DIY products.

Coffee is like the peanut butter to my jelly, the milk to my cookies, the Kim to my Kanye. Coffee is the wind beneath my wings, and I would be completely useless without it. Yet, every day I seem to do away with its waste. Old grounds and beans get treated like second class citizens, and ya know what? That needs to change. My coffee deserves more respect, dammit, which is why I’ve found you these totally cool and useful upcycling projects using your leftover coffee stuff.

1. Under Eye Cream

Coffee-infused under eye cream is said to be life-changing. Apparently, this miracle working concoction will help reduce puffiness, reduce the appearance of dark circles, and help with fine lines.

In addition to the coffee oil, which you extract yourself, it calls for a variety of other skin nourishing carrier oils and butters – almost all of which I have used personally at one time or another and have had nothing but positive results. Soap Deli News shares the tutorial you need to conquer this project.

2. Bar Soap

The next upcycled DIY looks super simple to make and doesn’t require a lot of hard-to-find ingredients, precise measurements, or time. Plus, if you like the idea of French vanilla coffee, then you’ll love the smell of this vanilla extract-infused soap.

With just old coffee grounds, glycerine bar soap, vanilla, and equipment, like a muffin tin, you can create an exfoliating and deodorizing soap to help invigorate you morning, noon, and night. Clearly Natural makes a good bar soap that I’ve used before, and is a glycerine-based product that I think would work well for this project. Check out the full tutorial over at Popsugar.

3. Decorative Balls

Everyone needs a decorative ball or two or ten in their lives, but the storebought types are expensive, and can be kinda wasteful. Instead, I’ve got a hybrid project for you (fully upcycled if you use old tennis balls) that uses styrofoam orbs and old coffee beans.

The blogger actually uses beans for eating, but if you follow her instructions over at Love Sweet Love, then I’m confident you can use the expired coffee assortment you have on hand. It’s basically a layer of coordinating paint (brown in this case), some hot glue, and some patience. Other decorative uses for old beans would be filler for jars, and as a base layer in which to nestle your candles.

4. Scented Candle

Speaking of candles, this DIY project is guaranteed to make your house smell like a vanilla latte all day long. The tutorial from Hello Glow calls for using your own gorgeous glassware, reusing unscented candles (or you can buy wax chips), a wick, whole coffee beans, and chopped vanilla beans. I can’t believe how beautiful these look. They would make awesome gifts and the aesthetic possibilities are endless!

5. Face Mask

Take the benefits of coffee to your face by making and using this simple ground face mask. Yes, it might look a little silly at first, but if it’s true that coffee reduces redness, increases circulation, and exfoliates the skin, then it’s totally worth it.

Beauty Banter uses whole ground coffee beans, but you can simply apply the grounds from this morning’s coffee. Combine these with a few other natural ingredients like honey, lemon juice, cocoa powder, and milk or almond milk, and you’ll be ready for your close-up in no time.

6. Wood Stain

If you’re turned off by the idea of using a stinky, toxic commercial wood stain, then you’ll love this new medium. DIY Vintage Chic has a great tutorial on how to create and use a coffee and vinegar based wood stain. The results are subtle at first, but after allowing it to sit for a week, the finished product is quite impressive. Not only that, but it’s natural, uses your old grounds, and doesn’t emit any noxious chemicals.

I hope you’ve been inspired by these upcycled projects that utilize old coffee beans and grounds. If you go through as much coffee as I do, then you know just how useful these can be. Let us know you thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page!

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Are you still paying for expensive organic exfoliating scrubs? There’s really no need, especially when this body scrub recipe is so easy and affords such great exfoliating and moisturizing benefits for your skin. 

The ingredients in this scrub are easy to find — in fact, we bet you have all three at home. First, you’ll need used coffee grounds. We’ve already been repurposing used coffee grounds for composting, but reserve a bit for this recipe to mix with some pantry staples — coconut oil and honey — and you’ll be ready to make this body scrub recipe in no time.

Coconut oil is an excellent natural moisturizer, as it penetrates better than many other oils. It’s also naturally antibacterial and antifungal, which can help keep acne at bay, and it can speed up healing of wounds and scratches on the skin.

The coffee grounds are not only a great yet gentle exfoliant, they also improve circulation, hiding the appearance of cellulite and making skin appear firmer.

Like coconut oil, raw honey is great for acne treatment and prevention, and honey’s antioxidants also help slow down the aging process. In addition, honey naturally opens up the pores, helping to unclog them, and adds moisture to boot.

The resulting combination smells absolutely delicious — kind of like a Mounds bar — and leaves your skin feeling exfoliated and super smooth. It’s great for those with dry skin, though if you have naturally oily skin or are acne prone, you may want to try it out on a small area first.

All-Natural Coconut and Coffee Body Scrub Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw organic coconut oil
1 tablespoon organic raw honey
1 cup used coffee grounds

Directions

Very gently melt the coconut oil and the honey in a saucepan over low heat. When the coconut oil is almost melted, add the used coffee grounds and mix to combine. When well-mixed, place in a jar with a lid and keep at room temperature.

To use, scrub into dry skin before the shower, working the product in circular motions into your skin. Rinse well. Use once every two or three days for silky smooth skin.

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Coconut oil image via Shutterstock

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