A month or so ago I started experimenting with kombucha for the first time – a cultured tea drink.
I’d had it before in the store bought form, which was quite yummy, but had never tried brewing my own at home.
It’s crazy stuff.
The SCOBY – symbiotic culture of beneficial yeasts – that I got from my friend, Betty, was HUGE! It looked like an alien life form in a bowl of sweet tea, and I apparently let it go way too long for its size and surface area, because that first batch smelled and tasted like vinegar.
I love ACV (apple cider vinegar), but this? Yuck!
Look at that thing! HUGE, right?!
Since my first attempt was such a miserable failure, I reached out to my crunchy Facebook friends for help and tried again, this time only letting it go for 6-7 days, instead of 2 weeks.
Better, but not by much. Three more jars of fake ACV!
Third time around, I decided to switch to green tea, not let it go so long (maybe 4 or 5 days – can’t recall now), and I decided to use the Baby SCOBY that had formed by now instead of the BIG mama!
This turned out lovely!
My fourth batch is brewing on the counter now in a much more appropriate container, with smaller surface area…
But what to do with these bottles of “ACV” (aka botched kombucha brew) and this giant mother SCOBY?
OK, hold on to your seat. I know my audience. Some of you are “transitionally green,” some of you would consider yourselves “pretty crunchy,” and some of you would say you are “crazy granola.”
I can fall into any one of those three categories myself depending on the topic – and the day.
Just making kombucha at home probably already put me in the crunchy crowd for this scenario.
Using the “fake ACV” as a hair rinse in the shower probably moves me a little farther down the continuum.
And this…
Probably just pushed me off the crunchy chart and grossed half of you out. 😛
Yes, thanks to the tip from a dear friend, Kristin – who is a lovely mix of “crunchy” and “stylish” herself, with a heart of gold – I used the SCOBY as a face mask.
It’s like a “chemical peel” without the toxic synthetic chemicals.
Check it out up close…
I can just hear the responses… Some of you are saying, “OH, GROSS!”
Others of you are saying, “SO COOL!”
You know who you are. 😉
Cutting up and peeling off strips of the big mama SCOBY was probably the worst part. It had the consistency of raw chicken breast – and was so big that it really was about as thick as a thinner chicken breast.
I felt like I was butchering a living creature, and in reality, I suppose I was.
It felt a little “Silence of the Lambs” cutting it up and sticking the pieces all over my face with the juice running down my chin. Ick. Shudder. (Not a movie I ever care to watch again – ever.)
I couldn’t help but wonder if my friend Kristin was going to say, “Dude, I was just kidding about the face mask thing.”
So, while I sat there with this slimy stuff all over my face for 20 minutes, I did a Google search, and sure enough, LOTS of people do this.
OK, well maybe not lots. But enough that I knew it wasn’t Kristin’s idea of an “October Fool’s” joke.
Check out this list of alternative uses for the plethora of SCOBYs you accumulate when brewing your own kombucha.
SO many ideas… So little time. 🙂
But I’m sure the big question some, if not all, of you are asking is… How did it work?
I have to say I was amazed to find how smooth my skin felt afterward. It was very nice – though it did look a little like I’d used a bad sunless tanner on my face at first. Thankfully, that washed off easily with my face cleanser!
The olfactory experience and the end result reminded me of the probiotic skin brightener from Miessence that I use every other day or so.
But of course, the tactile experience was completely different. And kinda fun – in a gross, but cool kinda way.
I think we’ll keep up with the kombucha brewing for a while, so my guess is that I’ll keep doing the SCOBY facials now and again. But, when I’m in a rush, no doubt I’ll use the skin brightener for the beneficial “bugs” (probiotics) without the mess.
If you want the results without the SCOBY slime, I do recommend that brightener. Stinks like vinegar, but works great – and don’t worry, the smell doesn’t linger at all.
So what about you? Have you tried the SCOBY face mask? If you haven’t, would you?
If anyone wants a SCOBY baby, I have plenty to share! I wonder how I’d describe it to the post office guy when mailing it to some of you who are far away…
That might be funny…
Cheers all! 🙂
I think you know which camp I’m in 🙂
Really can you mail a scoby? and directions on how to use??
I don’t see why not, as long as I tighten the top enough and pad the jar really well. Want me to put the mother in the mail to you? xo
sure, thanks! do you have my new address?
Yup, think so! Will let you know if not. Will try to get to the PO by end of the week. As for directions, basically you brew up a gallon of tea, add a cup of organic sugar, put the SCOBY in and let it sit, covered with a cloth, anywhere between a few days to a couple weeks – tasting as you go and experimenting till you find what works for you. 🙂
super…thanks!
are you familiar with this blog? seems like some good info….
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-thursday-how-to-make-kombucha/
Hey Jenny – yes, thanks. Not one I follow much but know she has some great resources. Let me know when your package arrives. 🙂
OH wow! I would love to have a SCOBY and try that face mask!!
Have you been successful in mailing any???
Tami
Hi Tami – yes, I’ve mailed them to people before. Email me your address and I’ll put one in the mail to you next time we have a SCOBY baby that needs a good home. Might just ask you to paypal me $5 to cover the postage. 🙂
So, how do you mail them (in a Baggie, a jar, etc.)?
Also, are you still using SCOBYs as a mask?
And lastly, I’m looking to use kimbucha as a hard water build-up remover. Have you has success with this?
Thank you!
Hi Deanna, sorry for my late reply! Been traveling a lot since last month.
I’ve used a jar to mail them.
Haven’t done a mask in a while, but only for lack of time.
Don’t know anything about it as a hard water build-up remover, no, but sounds interesting. Let me know how it works for you?
Cheers,
Lacey 🙂
I will totally try the mask when my SCOBY gets big enough. It’s just a wee baby right now though.
Nice! Sorry I’m just seeing this a month later, Lisa. How’s that baby doing now?
I have recently gotten VERY excited about probiotics. I’ve been using them for several years in pill form (small dosage), but didn’t realize how COMPLETELY awesome they are until this past summer when I had time to do some research. I’ve brewed water kefir, dairy kefir, kombucha, and even fermented some vegetables. So, yes, decided to get creative about putting my scoby buddies to good use. I thought, hmmm, bet this would be good for my skin….Then, I looked it up and found this site. Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try it. Also, I’m thinking that I will use my Nutribullet to pulverize the scoby, Then, I can put it in a jar in the fridge and use it like the “skin brightener” mentioned earlier… Visit my site if you want. I will post my results there.
Thanks, Cinnamin. Yeah, probiotics are crucial – and there are so many ineffective supplement products out there on the market. Things cultured on fecal matter, or genetically modified. Not cool. In my opinion, any “supplement” needs to be real food only. … Pulverized scoby sounds messy and fun – keep me posted! 🙂
AWESOME! I love this! There are living cultures on our skin, we need them, and pick them up at birth, if born via birth canal. When we use soap, it kills the protective bacteria on our skin, so replacing them this way is perfect, and natural! Bravo to you for posting this beautiful occasion! 🙂
Thanks, Lirpa. 🙂
I actually just did one!! my “mother” was kinda thin and fell aprt in pieces so I blended in in my mini food processor without trying to think about the living thing aspect…anyway i added a bit of KT and a bit of honey and let the ookey mixture sit on my face for 1/2 hour. My skin feels really very smooth and energized.I think i will do this again!!
Nice, Toni. I bet the honey mixed in added some great benefits. 🙂
I am so happy to find uses for my SCOBY – I feel guilty throwing him away! I love at home face masks- thank you!
– Just the right amount of crunchy 😉
If you think about it, you’re not really destroying a living creature. A scoby is a collection of bacteria and yeast, which are all too small individually to be seen by the naked eye. So if you cut it up, of blend it, you may be separating family units (lol), but you’re not actually destroying a living organism.