Beauty benefits of coffee
Happy hair
Expensive bottles of shampoo and conditioner can do wonders for your hair. So can the coffee berry. Aleena Jetha, from a spa in Mumbai, offers hair protein treatments that are laced with coffee. “It has antioxidants and works against the chemicals that cause hair fall,” she says, but warns that coffee shouldn’t be applied to coloured or processed hair.
Astute recessionistas can even try some coffee therapy at home. Some experts suggest using espresso (add ground coffee to hot water and let it brew, apply the warm drink to hair and rinse out after 20 minutes). It leaves the hair looking softer and shinier.
Battle the puff
You’ve had a late night because you were out partying/were buried under a pile of work/were racing to meet a deadline. So the next day, you (naturally) have the biggest dark circles and the baddest case of puffy eyes. Here again, coffee comes to the rescue. “When
combined with Vitamin K, it’s the best cure for puffiness around the eyes,” says Dr Apratim Goel, a dermatologist. “It reduces blood supply to the area by shrinking the vessels and reduces puffiness by removing water content,” she adds.
But don’t rub ground coffee under your eyes, please. Doctor recommends that you use eye creams from reputed companies.
Happy skin
Instead of spending massive amounts of money on fancy exfoliating face or bodywash, use ground coffee.
Dermatologists attest to coffee’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In fact, coffee prevents free radicals from doing the damage they do to the skin cells. “Coffee helps in the lightening and tightening of the skin,” says doctor.
It helps reduce pigmentation and is often used to brighten skin or reduce the tan in facial treatments and as part of beauty treatments.
Also, since ground coffee is coarse, it helps strip away dead cells to reveal the soft skin underneath. In fact, Paltrow says on her website that using coarsely ground coffee with Turbinado sugar and olive oil helps you cleanse your pores.
To make your own coffee-laced exfoliant, first consider your skin type. Girls with oily skin should mix ¼ cup coffee grinds with yogurt (dahi) or besan.
Fights odour
You’ve been cooking up an Italian or even Indian storm using lots of onion and garlic, and know that just soap and water will not get the smell off your fingers. So, rub some coffee – again, preferably ground – onto your hands. It’s rich, dark fragrance is more powerful than the stubborn garlic/onion stink.
Reduction of cellulite on the skin
Coffee is known to help with the issue of cellulite as it can curb their appearance on the skin. The caffeine in coffee can dilate the blood vessels under the skin which improves the general flow of blood under there. This enhances the skin’s regenerative capabilities and curbs the appearance of cellulite on the skin. Using coffee-based scrubs which exfoliate the skin well are great for harnessing this property and reducing the appearance of cellulite on the skin.
Anti-Aging properties
Using coffee as a topical application have been noticed to improve the skin significantly by fighting against various signs of aging like sunspots, redness, and fine lines. Even drinking coffee has been known to provide anti-aging effects onto the skin and slow down the onset of wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of premature aging.
Protection from the harmful rays of the Sun
Coffee is packed with antioxidants like polyphenols. These antioxidants provide their protection to the skin to prevent harmful UV rays from affecting the skin. It has been noticed that people who drink coffee have less risk of sun based issues on the skin like sunspots. These properties can be harnessed in either way; by drinking coffee or using it in face masks, scrubs, etc. This protection from the antioxidants is extended to preventing regular oxidative damage to slow the roll of premature aging.
A word of caution
The doctor says that he wouldn’t discourage patients from using caffeine-laced beauty products, “It’s worth a try. But use such products with caution.” Coffee-based products work, but they aren’t extraordinary. You could get some of the same benefits from other sources such as nuts as well, he says. Coffee is an amazing natural ingredient that can be added in your natural DIY face masks but always conduct a patch test beforehand as some people are allergic to natural ingredients.
Home Remedies using Coffee for Skin
In this section, we are going to look at a few different home remedies which you can easily make by yourself using coffee. These will help improve the health and the looks of your skin improve its overall state. Without further ado, ket us get on with this:
Coffee and Olive oil Anti-cellulite Skin Scrub
Ingredients needed:
- Ground coffee: 1 tbsp
- Olive oil: 1/2 tbsp
- Sugar: 1/2 tbsp
Procedure:
- First of all, take a mixing bowl and combine all the ingredients in it well by stirring them vigorously.
- After that, while showering, use the scrub to massage your skin using circular motions. Place extra attention in scrubbing the areas where the cellulite is most visible and apparent.
- Lastly, rinse it all off and finish with a moisturizer and you are done!
Frequency:
- You can use this scrub every day while showering until you can fade away your cellulite amply.
Coffee and Coconut Anti-aging Face Mask
Ingredients needed:
- Coffee grounds: 1 tbsp
- Raw cacao powder: 1 tbsp
- Coconut milk: 1 tbsp
- Raw honey: 1 tbsp
Procedure:
- First of all, take a mixing bowl and combine all the ingredients in it well by stirring them vigorously. You should obtain a smooth and consistent mixture.
- After that, apply the resultant mixture all over your face using gentle circular massaging motions. Make sure to cover all of your face wholly.
- Lastly, let the mask stay on your skin for about 15-20 minutes before rinsing it off using tepid water and you are done!
Frequency:
- Use this amazing remedy once or twice in a week to improve your skin a lot. This remedy provides a bunch of potent anti-aging properties through multiple nutritious ingredients which help your skin out a lot.