3 Uses for Coffee Besides Drinking
By Genevieve Smith
Coffee is an amazing little bean first discovered by a goat farmer in Ethiopia in the 11th century. According to legend, his goats became curiously energetic when grazing on the plant. The amazing bean found its way into the Age of Enlightenment, as coffee came to Europe and rapidly gained popularity, replacing the drinking of mead with the sipping of this inspiring stimulant. It is thought that the societal transition of drinking something that made people sluggish to something that perked them up may have been a co-contributor to a period in history in which major changes in predominant thought occurred. If you’re a major coffee fan, or maybe love the smell but don’t do well with the stimulant, check out these alternative uses for those aromatic little beans.
Body Scrub
Many face and body scrubs offer up synthetic materials with which to exfoliate your skin. Do both the environment and your skin a favor and turn to coffee grounds instead. Combine 1 cup ground organic coffee, 1 cup organic sugar or salt, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1/2 cup sweet almond oil, and 1 teaspoon of honey in a bowl and store in an airtight jar. Prepare to smell like a fresh-ground espresso and feel as smooth as a latte all day.
Air Freshener
Ground coffee beans have an absorbing and neutralizing property. Store grounds in a breathable fabric and discover how household odors can dissolve. While the scent of coffee itself will dissolve over time as the oils in the bean dissipate, the ground beans will continue to neutralize the air in your living room as well as those in the depths of your fridge.
Freshen Your Breath
It’s not only your home that can be spruced up by a coffee-based air freshener. Your breath can be clarified by a single bean. Sucking on a whole bean neutralizes your breath thanks to the properties of the coffee bean oils. You won’t have that minty fresh breath associated with gum, but then again you won’t be chewing on something synthetic that can take up to seven years to digest if you accidentally swallow it.
If you love coffee in one way or another, experiment with these fun, all-natural applications of coffee. Feel free to explore more ways to incorporate the plant into your life!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.
