We're all about living a low waste lifestyle, and that includes a low waste, or zero waste kitchen. It may sound daunting, but it's not as hard as you might think. Plus, we think finding ways to reuse food waste is actually pretty fun (and we'll take progress over perfection, all day every day).

Here's a super simple recipe for a homemade facial scrub using coffee grounds and a few other already-in-your-pantry ingredients. It comes from our Sustainability Queen herself, Natalie, (aka our Sustainable Materials Manager and low-waste living expert), so you know it's good.

Homemade Coffee Face Scrub

Ingredients:

• 1 part coconut oil
• 2 parts used coffee grounds
• As much cinnamon and lavender as you want, depending on how fragrant you like it (can sub lavender essential oil in place of fresh lavender)

How-To:

Here's the easy, peasy part: Mix all ingredients together. That's it! You can mix in any order you like, but my one recommendation is to make sure you mix it realllyyy well. Then, apply to a freshly cleaned and dried face and let the benefits sink in. Bonus tip: Put extra scrub into small jars and you have an instant, thoughtful, DIY gift!

Coffee Scrub Benefits

• We love coffee because it contains antioxidants, exfoliates, calms redness, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and fights acne and aging. Way more than just your morning energy kick.
• Coconut oil is another super ingredient because it's mega-moisturizing, heals wounds, reduces inflammation, and is antimicrobial (meaning slows the spread of harmful bacteria). 
• Cinnamon has a naturally warming effect on the skin (yes, please). It also contains antioxidants, is anti-fungal and antibacterial, and it improves blood flow and adds moisture to the skin.
• Lavender's scent alone is enough to make it a favorite, but it has a ton of other benefits too. It calms and detoxes the skin, reducing redness, inflammation, and acne scars. It's also naturally detoxifying and antibacterial, helps fight aging, and eases general stress. 

So light a candle, get your scrub ready, and sink in to some serious low-waste self care. Ommmm.