Coffee Face Scrub or What You Can Do With Your Used K-Cups

I have to admit as much as I have been wanting to try this next pin, I have also been dreading it. The idea is to mix freshly used coffee grounds with lemon juice and honey, scrub it on your face, let it dry for 15 minutes, then wash it away to reveal "amazing, plump & soft" skin. However, the idea of rubbing coffee grounds all over my face grossed me out a little but I figured I couldn't let a little grossing out get in the way of a good pin experiment.

I brewed the K-cup right before I did the pin (like it was still warm when I peeled off the label). You obviously don't have to use a K-cup any freshly used coffee grounds will work. The pin itself had no instructions about amounts and the corresponding blog post had none as well. So I emptied most of the K-cup, the juice from a whole small lemon, and about a tablespoon of honey.

Looks appetizing doesn't it

I thought the coffee smell would be very strong but the lemon scent cut it down quite a bit. The mixture pretty thin (though again the instructions were vague so I may have used too much lemon juice) but I schlepped it on anyway.

The before me (no make-up and bad lighting)

 It was as gritty as I expected it to be and smelled a bit like lemon tea. I spread it around in a circular motion to let the coffee grounds do their exfoliating thing. The hardest part was leaving it on my face for 15 minutes. I decided to re-try my Vinegar and Listerine foot soak while I was waiting (see the pin and update here http://pinterestingsummer2012.blogspot.com/2013/06/vinegar-and-listerine-foot-soak-and-i.html) and read some more of my book (Scarlet by Marissa Meyer in case you were wondering).  After about 5 minutes my face was kind of itchy and I worried that I might be giving myself some kind of coffee induced rash. The itching never got terrible but was annoying, just FYI.

2 pins at one time (such a multi-tasker)

 After 15 minutes I rinsed off my face (with my feet still in the soak since they needed 20 minutes).

This is the aftermath of coffee grounds in my sink

It didn't wash off as easily as the pin had suggested but it wasn't too hard to get everything off (though you can see above it does leave a mess in the sink). I was completely expecting it not to have done anything and calling the pin a fail but I will admit my skin felt a bit tighter and smoother (but I wouldn't say it was amazing or plump but it was softer). You can't tell any difference from the after picture but I will say there was a subtle difference. I'm not sure if this works any better than a store bought exfoliation mask, but it is a heck of a lot cheaper and way more natural than most stuff on the market. It's messy and smells a bit odd (but not bad) and would probably have scared my daughter if she had seen me in it. I will probably do this again because hey its cheap, natural, and works pretty well. If anyone else tries (or has tried) it, please leave a comment. I would love to know what you thought or think about it.

Terrible lighting (like I said you can't see a difference but you can feel one)