Rich Mocha Lotion

Do you think coffee is only for the pleasure of your palate ?

The whiff and taste of the bitter sweetness of coffee will uplift your spirit! However your skin can benefit from its application as well.

My love for coffee and cocoa inspired me to make this rich sumptuous lotion. The additional shea butter and rice bran oil makes it extra moisturizing.

Ingredients: Distilled Water, Rice Bran Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerin, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Coffee Oil, Iso Propyl Myristate, Vitamin E, Phenoxyethanol/ Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance.

  

Coffee Oil has the wonderful aroma of roasted coffee. It is easily absorbed by the skin and contains antioxidants, phytosterols and essential fatty acids; a perfect moisturizer. 

Cocoa Butter contains natural antioxidants which helps maintain healthy skin. It has great emollient properties keeping the skin soft and supple. The best of all is its mild chocolate aroma.

Shea butter is made from the nuts of the shea tree which grows on the African savanna. Locally the nut is used in both food preparation and skin care. Shea butter is appreciated for its anti inflammatory and emollient properties.

Rice bran oil is made from the rice husk. It contains vitamin E and B. Unique to rice bran oil is y-orizanol, a phytosterol. It is an anti oxidant which can slow down skin aging and reduce age spots.

Skin Care Recipes from the Pantry

For the scrub and mask, I prefer to use unbrewed coffee grounds. The caffein in the coffe has a  temporary skin tightening effect in addition to  reducing micro edema.

Coffee body scrub
Mix coffee grounds, olive oil (or any oil that you like), and sugar to a thick paste. Scrub your skin from neck to toes, rinse off. You do not need to lotion up after this treatment. But if you want absolutely soft skin apply Acojoba Rich Mocha lotion. Your skin will smell like a fresh cup of mocha.
The scrub will make a mess in your shower, but it is worth it.

Coffee face mask
Mix coffee grounds with egg white to form a thick paste. Apply to face. Rinse off after 20 minutes.

Warn your family before applying this mask. I forgot and my husband almost fainted when he saw my face. However he appreciated the effect of the mask. And so did I. It had a firming and smoothing effect which stayed for hours.

Coffee hair rinse
Brew strong coffee (or use left over). Let it cool , apply to hair for 20 minutes then rinse off.

I really enjoyed the effect of this rinse. It added shine and made the  hair less static.

Biscotti with almonds and cranberries

Have a biscotti with your cup of coffee while you wait for your coffee face mask and hair rinse  to do their wonders.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com As usual I  added and subtracted a few ingredients.

These get the raves from my boys and are gone before I know it, no matter how many I make.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2- 1/3 cup brown or white sugar ( or a combination )

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I substituted 1/2 cup of almond flour for the flour)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 1/2 cup roasted almonds

Preheat oven to 300˙ F (150˙ C)

Combine  the first 6 ingredients

Combine flour, baking soda and salt, add to the egg mixture

Mix in cranberries and almonds

Divide dough in two, form two logs on a cooking sheet covered with parchment paper (use wet hands)

Bake for 35 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 275˙F (135˙C)

Cut logs into 3/4 inch thick sticks. Lay on side and bake approximately  8-10 minutes or until dry.

Enjoy!