DIY Coffee Scrub for Stretch Marks

Scrub your way to beautiful, vibrant skin.

DIY coffee scrub for fading stretch marks

As you make healthy, positive changes to the way your body looks and feels, it only makes sense that you might want to improve the appearance of your body’s largest organ: your skin. Stretch marks are a common concern caused by rapid changes in skin growth. They can appear after pregnancy or excessive weight gain or weight loss. Although they seem to be on the top layer of our skin, stretch marks are actually in the middle layer. That makes them difficult to remove with topical treatment alone. Luckily, we learned about a DIY coffee scrub for stretch marks that may affect tissues beneath the surface.

Coffee has been gaining ground for its beneficial skin care properties. This DIY scrub has two simple, everyday ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen. Like any treatment, it takes time to see results, so be patient! As an added bonus, if you use this coffee scrub for stretch marks early in the morning, the aroma of the coffee will wake you up and start your day off strong. So what are you waiting for; let’s get to scrubbin’!

The Ingredients & Why They Work

DIY coffee scrub for fading stretch marks

Ground Coffee – You have two choices when it comes to using ground coffee. You can take it directly from the package, or you can repurpose the used coffee grounds from your coffee machine. Your choice! Either way, the caffeine in coffee stimulates blood flow and circulation when directly applied to the skin, improving cell regeneration. The ground coffee’s texture is also an exfoliant, removing dead cells and loose skin. This process gives new skin cells the opportunity to receive proper moisture from the next ingredient.

Olive Oil – Olive oil moisturizes, cleanses, and protects your skin. Most importantly, it’s capable of penetrating the skin to work on different layers. Since stretch marks are located beneath the surface of our skin’s outer layers, olive oil works wonders to get to the location of the actual skin damage.

How to Use This DIY Coffee Scrub for Stretch Marks

DIY coffee scrub

For best results, start with clean skin. If you’re using spent coffee grounds from the machine, you’re ready to go and you can skip the first step. Otherwise, start with step one and move on from there.

Step 1: Prepare the Coffee

If you’re using coffee straight from the package, you’ll want to moisten the coffee first. Pour about 1/2 cup of coffee grounds into a large bowl and moisten them with warm water. You don’t want to drown the grounds, but you do want them to be wet.

Step 2: Create a Paste

Add olive oil to the bowl with coffee and stir the mixture until it has a paste-like consistency. This should take anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil, depending on how moist the grounds are. Ideally, the ending mixture should produce a paste that can stay on your skin for an extended period of time.

If you prefer, you can use coconut oil instead of olive oil. The coconut oil will be easier to work with if you melt it first.

Step 3: Rub it Into Your Skin

Once the paste is ready, gently rub it into the area where the stretch marks are present. Apply it on the skin around the area, too, as stretch marks extend past the area we can see. If the stretch mark is the size of a golf ball, apply it to the area as if it were a tennis ball. Continue to rub it in light, gentle strokes for 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 4: Let it Sit

Once the paste is applied, leave it on for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use a damp, non-abrasive cloth to gently remove the mixture from your skin.

Step 5: Moisturize

After removing the paste, apply a natural moisturizer to the affected area two or three times throughout the day. We love using 100% African Shea butter because it’s a multi-purpose moisturizer that treats stretch marks, stimulates cellular growth, and repairs damaged skin.

Step 6: Repeat

Repeat the process once a day until you see a noticeable difference in the area. Everyone’s skin is different, and some stretch marks are more severe than others. Fading can take longer than you anticipate, but be patient! It will work over time.

Don’t feel like you have to make this coffee scrub for stretch marks daily, either. You can place the paste in an air-tight container and store it at room temperature. It will be ready to use whenever you are ready!

Sources: Mayo Clinic, Global Healing Center, Livestrong, Frank Body

More DIY Body Care from SkinnyMs.

DIY vanilla lip scrub

Want more recipes like our coffee scrub for stretch marks and tips for radiant skin? Read some of our other beauty tips:

Be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Pinterest for recipes, workouts, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.

This post may include affiliate links.

Trainer Clifford

Clifford is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a lover of all things health, fitness, personal development, and community. When he's not cycling, hiking, or exploring new food recipes, he works to help others achieve personal growth.

More by Clifford

54 Comments

  1. IM going to give this a try, 2 kids and about a 100 stretch marks to get rid off 😛 I started the ethosien diet and lost 18 lbs pretty quickly but now i feel like my stretch marks are more visible. I know that they are battle scare but still, would be nice to lighten them some

    1. Melissa, All of us moms can relate to that, I'm sure. Good for you on losing 18 pounds:) and I hope you like the scrub.

  2. this is great cant wait to try this out i had 6 kids and weigh 135lbs my youngest is a year and 7 months i work out am in good shape eat healthy but the stretch marks are small and flat color of my skin but a little darker and would love to lighten them more and flatten them out more

  3. i need to try this
    but may i ask, i red and heard that if they reached the alba stage there isn't much to do , is that correct ?
    i hope it isn't

  4. I usually add a bit of vitamin E to my stretch marks, that alone works, but I might add some vitamin E cream with this mixture.

    1. Renee, Just make sure that all of the coffee grounds are saturated with the oil, so about 1/2 cup coffee grounds and 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil.

  5. Your picture is aesthetically appealing with it not being so dark and brown. I have tried to achieve this but no luck so far. Please help?

    1. Elizabeth, you can try adjusting the ratio of coffee to olive oil. Remember, though, this particular recipe is more about the results than the appearance of the scrub. 🙂

  6. if you could guess. How long would you think it will take for stretch marks to clear using the coffee scrub? I know you said it may take long for others but yea.

    1. It's really difficult to say because results depend on so many different factors. Some people may notice changes in a few weeks, some may not notice for much longer. Even before results are noticeable, however, the scrub will help to exfoliate, moisturize, and protect skin.

  7. Would this be safe to use while still pregnant I know your body can absorb toxins through the skin and I haven’t had any caffeine my whole pregnancy.

    1. Cheyanne, I would either ask your doctor or postpone using the scrub until after your pregnancy. Always air on the side of caution when in doubt. 🙂

    1. I would recommend using over a period of a few weeks. You can refrigerate but will need to set out before using, since the oil thickens up.

  8. I used Coffee grounds, Extra virgin Olive oil, and white sugar, I am in Desperate need to fade these marks! Are those 3 ingredients Good enough to remove stretch marks??

    1. Bria, They should help fade the stretch marks but total removal not likely. I would recommend seeing a dermatologist for complete removal. Hope this helps. 🙂

    1. Individual results may vary some, but you should begin to see results in as little as a few weeks.

  9. Thank you so much!! I’m adding a little coco butter too. I’ve spent too much time looking up remedies, yours is so simple and easy so thank you.

    1. Lily, Initially, try daily for one week then reduce to a few times per week, then re-evaluate. 🙂

  10. I have a question. I’m breastfeeding, but I don’t do much caffeine (only chocolate…couldn’t give that up!) Would the caffeine soak into my skin and enter my breast milk?

    1. Caffeine can be absorbed through the skin, so it would be a good idea to check with your doctor before trying the scrub.

  11. Used Dermalmd Stretch Mark Cream many times, works great on new and old stretch marks, fades them within a week and makes them nearly invisible if you continue use.

  12. Can you just use coffee beans as a scrub or do you have to mix it with other ingredients? Does just using coffee beans damage the skin?

  13. after applying the scrub and leaving it for like 20 minutes, I do take my bath then I wash everything off. pls do you think it will work?

  14. My scrub turned into more of a paste than a scrub. The coffee kinda melted into a thick paste after i added warm water. Is it ok if i dont add water and just go straight to adding olive oil?

  15. I will also try to apply the products because it’s been long time i have stretch marks it started 2009 because 2008 i gave birth so after my pregnancy i start to have the stretch marks and Cellulite but the Cellulite is not that much big is small so i hope it will work.

    Thank you about the ingredients that i need to need to apply for my body much appreciated

  16. I have been looking for a receipe on scrubs and for a while. I love coffee and it never crossed my mind to repurpose the grounds. My question is can caffeine be systemically absorbed? Would it cause caffeine overload?

    1. No, you would not absorb the caffeine in the grounds like you would if you drank the coffee. No overload.

  17. If leaving on for 20 minutes….what does everyone do during that time? I’d be afraid moving around, it would start to fall off. 🙂

    1. This is a great time to relax! Read a book or take a moment to close your eyes. This is a great time to meditate (if that’s something you do) as well!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *