TL;DR Coffee has several benefits, including making your skin healthy and supple! In fact, you can use coffee grounds as your homemade coffee scrub. Talk about zero-waste at home!

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Did you know that coffee can do way more than help you get a second wind during that afternoon slump? It actually helps you get smooth, glowing skin!

Sounds like your typical skin care ad right? But hear me out.

Coffee's properties give natural benefits for the skin. And no, not by drinking more cups of joe. It's when you actually apply it on your skin.

Say what?

Those innocuous-looking coffee grounds can actually become a coffee scrub for your face and body! 

This isn't the fad of the year - it's actually been done for years because of the things it can do for your skin.

 

 

Why apply coffee scrub? Here are the benefits

A sluggish trip to the coffee-maker is part of people's morning routine. It's no wonder that many use coffee as an alternative body scrub. As long as there's a coffee-drinker at home, there's a DIY coffee body scrub waiting to happen.

When applied topically, coffee stimulates blood flow to the area, leading to a radiant and bright skin. Mixed with other ingredients like cinnamon, it exfoliates the skin, makes it more supple, gets rid of germs, and heals wounds.

Here are some of the reasons why you should get hydrated and caffeinated at the same time: [1]

 

1. Reduces Inflammation

Can't get rid of those annoying breakouts? Coffee scrub could finally put an end to it. Because of caffeine's antioxidant properties and coffee's anti-inflammatory substances [2], it could minimize inflammation and soothe acne redness.

 

2. Packed with Antioxidants

Polyphenols, a group of antioxidants, are found in coffee. As they fight free radicals, caffeine slows down the aging process and protects us from UV rays (listen up sun-lovers!) [3, 4]

The best way to get all these antioxidants? Apply a generous amount of coffee scrub on your skin!

In fact, various studies from all over the world (read: US, Poland, Spain, France and Japan) all say that coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in their diets. [5, 6, 7]

 

3. Gently Exfoliates

Just the sheer texture of coffee grounds will already tell you it's an amazing exfoliator. Not only does it gets rid of dead skin cells, it also removes toxins and helps you achieve that natural misty look.

 

4. Reduces Cellulite

Here's an ever ubiquitious question among women - how can we get rid of cellulite?

The quick answer: coffee!

When applied topically, coffee can improve blood circulation and break down fat. In fact, studies report that topical ingestion of coffee can decrease the size of fat cells by 17%. [8] This means that less *excess* fat will show up in odd places in your body, resulting in less cellulite! [9]

Sounds way easier than going to the gym!

  

5. Brightens Skin

Can't say this enough but antioxidants in coffee can do wonders for your skin. One of the biggest benefits is it can turn dull, tired skin into a radiant, supple, centerfold-worthy face! The brightening effects of coffee are instant when applied on your skin. [10]

 

6. Reduces Puffiness

Puffy face in the morning? Nothing a coffee mask can't fix!

Caffeine and other coffee compunds like methylxanthine have a diuretic effect, which helps tame down swollen tissues as a result of excess fluid retention. [11]

 

7. Minimizes Dark Circles

Another thing you can do with your coffee in the morning is to apply it around your eyes (the scrub, not your actual coffee!) If you want to avoid getting panda eyes, then put some around your eyes and on dark cirlces. Coffee improves blood circulation and gets rid of stagnant blood in dark eyes. [12] Our favorite stimulant also gets absorbed by circulation through the skin - so you may not want to do this before going to bed. 

 

How to make your own coffee scrub at home

If you can't wait to get these benefits, you can make a DIY coffee scrub with an easy recipe. [13] The ingredients are more likely found in your kitchen so there's no need for that last-minute grocery run!

 

 

Applying your homemade coffee scrub is as easy as making it!

Just wet your skin and start slathering the coffee paste from your feet up. Apply it in circular movements and spend more time on areas where there is cellulite or stretch marks. Be firm - but not to the point of irritating your skin.

Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing off.

 

Don't go overboard with your coffee scrub though! As much as you want to keep your skin radiant and glowing, experts remind us to only exfoliate at most 3 times a week.

 

A few reminders...

• Babies don't really enjoy the smell of coffee so if you're still breastfeeding, steer clear of this area.
• While coffee can help minimize dark spots, make sure you don't get too close and avoid making contact with the eyes.
• If you're on the way, don't go overboard with coffee scrubs as there's only a limited amount of caffeine that's considered safe for pregnant women.  

You're now ready to slather away!

 

Bonus

If you'd like to know more skincare tips and routine you can do in the comforts of your home, then watch this video:

Sources 

[1] https://blog.paleohacks.com/skin-benefits-of-coffee/

[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201598

[3] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122834

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23075568

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26101616

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14506489

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25280419

[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18254807

[9] https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/cellulite2.html

[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23075568

[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754

[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23075568

[13] https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-to-make-a-coffee-body-scrub