Women without a single stretch mark on their body are rumored to exist, but are probably just urban legends. Puberty, pregnancy, sudden weight loss and weight gain all conspire to cover a woman’s body with stretch marks. Stretch marks are completely normal and almost every woman has them. They’re a mark of the journey your body has been through, so there’s no reason to be ashamed of them. If, however, you do wish you could wear a swimsuit without showing them off to the world, coffee might be your best weapon. Caffeine in coffee rejuvenates the skin and increases blood circulation. These eight coffee scrubs use completely natural ingredients to help fade your stretch marks over time.
1. Coffee-Yogurt Scrub
Add 2 tablespoons of coffee powder to a quarter cup of greek yogurt, along with the juice of half a lemon. Apply this paste all over your stretch marks and leave on for 10 minutes. Then massage in circular motions for about 5 minutes and wash off. Yogurt exfoliates the skin and encourages new cells to grow, while lemon fades scars and pigmentation.
2. Coffee-Brown Sugar Scrub
This coffee and brown sugar scrub is as effective as it is delicious. Add 2 tbsps each of coffee powder and brown sugar, along with 1 tbsp of olive oil and juice from half a lemon. Rub this gently over your stretch marks for 5 minutes. Be careful not to rub too vigorously or you might cause tiny tears in your skin. Leave it on for 15 minutes before washing off.
3. Coffee-Cinnamon Scrub
This scrub smells like your favorite cinnamon latte and is a wonderful exfoliant. Mix 2 tbsps of coffee powder with 1 tbsp of cinnamon powder and 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Cinnamon increases blood flow to the skin, which encourages your skin to mend itself. Coconut oil is incredibly moisturizing, making your skin super soft. It also contains healthy fats that are essential for your skin to heal.
4. Coffee-Shea Butter Scrub
This recipe will scrub away all your dry skin woes. Melt 2 tbsps of shea butter and mix with 2 tbsps of coffee powder. Massage this into your skin for 5 minutes and leave it on for 15 minutes so your skin can absorb it. Shea butter is one of the best natural moisturizers out there. It has also long been used to treat old cuts and scars. Using this scrub a couple times a week will make your skin stretch mark-free and baby soft.
5. Coffee-Vitamin E Wrap
This scrub is left on overnight so your skin can make full use of the powerful ingredients in it. Mix 2 tbsps of coffee powder with 1 tbsp of vitamin E oil. You can also squeeze out the gel from vitamin E capsules and use it instead of the oil. Rub this mixture onto your skin for five minutes and then wrap the area with plastic wrap. Make sure it’s tight enough that it stays on, but not so tight that it cuts off your circulation. Leave it on overnight and wash off the next morning. Vitamin E is the most essential ingredient your skin needs to repair itself, so make full use of it.
6. Coffee-Aloe Vera Scrub
Cut open an aloe vera leaf and scoop out the fresh gel from the inside. This gel is the most nourishing part of the aloe vera plant. It’s rich in vitamin E and C which boosts your skin’s collagen production, making it more elastic. To 1 tbsp of aloe vera gel, add 2 tbsps of coffee powder. Rub this mixture over your stretch marks until the gel is fully absorbed. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse off.
7. Coffee-Coconut Oil Scrub
The best part about this scrub is that you can make a big batch of it in advance and then store it until you need to use it. Melt ½ cup virgin coconut oil and add equal parts of coffee powder to it. Pour this into individual ice moulds and let it rest for a couple of hours until it solidifies. Whenever you need to use the scrub, just pop one of the mould and rub it over your stretch marks. Leave it on for ten minutes and then wash off.
8. Plain Coffee Scrub
While you can add other beneficial ingredients to your DIY scrub, the truth is that coffee is powerful enough to work effectively all on its own. Even if you have nothing else on hand, you can fade away stretch marks using just coffee. To make a coffee scrub, mix some coffee powder with just enough warm water to make a paste. Massage this over your stretch marks for 5 minutes and let it rest for 10 more minutes before washing off.
