By Hannah Wardle
Around 2.3 Billion cups of coffee are consumed around the world every day- but did you know that coffee grounds can make a great addition to your skincare routine too? The waste that’s leftover from your morning coffee has incredible benefits for brightening and exfoliating the skin.
Why Use Coffee Grounds On The Skin?
Every day over 6 million tons of used or ‘spent’ coffee grounds go to waste, generated by our global coffee consumption habits. These used grounds can have a range of benefits when used on the skin/face, and so using them to exfoliate your skin is a great way of combatting the environmental pollution caused by their disposal. Coffee is rich in antioxidants and caffeine, and in its ground form is the perfect texture for exfoliating the skin. Not only is using coffee grounds great for your skin, but it can save the environment from unnecessary waste pollution too!
What Are The Benefits Of Coffee Exfoliators?
Exfoliating
The form and texture of ground coffee beans make them perfect for exfoliating the skin. Because they are finely ground, the grounds are able to stimulate the skin and scrub away dead skin/excess oil without being too abrasive on the skin. Studies have shown significant increases in overall skin smoothness and quality when exfoliated with a coffee ground cream.
Exfoliating the skin is important to remove dead skin cells which can build up over time as the skin regenerates. This dead skin can clog pores, leading to acne, and cause the skin to have a generally dull, uneven appearance. Regularly exfoliating using coffee grounds can help to prevent these issues and keep the skin looking youthful and bright!
Reducing Under-Eye Circles & Puffiness
Coffee polyphenols and caffeine have been shown to increase the microcirculation of blood in humans - this microcirculation circulates blood to and from the skin. By helping to circulate blood away from the undereye area, they can reduce the appearance of ‘dark circles’ and ’eye bags’.
Methylxanthine can be found in high concentrations in coffee, and is a mild diuretic, meaning it can help to reduce tissue swelling by preventing excess fluid retention. Therefore, using coffee on the face may be helpful in relieving puffiness in the skin & undereye area caused by fluid/water retention.
Protecting Against Skin Damage
The antioxidant properties of coffee are well-observed, which makes it great for use on the skin, as antioxidants can protect skin cells against oxidative stress caused by environmental factors like UV rays. Oxidation reactions in the body can release free radicals, some of which may be harmful to the skin’s cells, potentially leading to chain reactions which cause cellular damage or death to the cell.
Antioxidants help to reduce unnecessary oxidation reactions in the body, thereby protecting the cells from unnecessary damage caused by free radicals. This means that using coffee grounds can help fight against skin cell damage caused by environmental stressors such as UV/sun damage (the caffeine in coffee grounds can help protect against sun damage too!)
Reducing Skin Inflammation
The topical use of coffee grounds on the skin has been studied and shown to be effective at reducing inflammation in the skin. Skin inflammation may be a symptom of internal infection or an allergic reaction, so make sure to find the cause of inflammation and treat this accordingly in order to best combat skin inflammation.
However, using coffee may be a suitable treatment for the symptoms of inflammatory skin conditions, helping to reduce the redness and swelling of inflamed skin and even skin tone.
How To Use Coffee Exfoliators On The Skin
Coffee exfoliators for the skin can be made at home using your own dried spent coffee grounds, though choosing a pre-mixed coffee scrub will ensure the scrub is fully safe for use on the skin and can maximise its efficacy. Our Organic Coffee & Brown Sugar Facial Exfoliator combines coffee grounds with brown sugar which also has great brightening and exfoliating properties, and utilises Organic Safflower Oil to give your skin an extra hit of hydration.
Apply your coffee exfoliator to damp, clean skin, and massage gently in circular motions to exfoliate away dead skin and stimulate blood flow to the skin. Remove the exfoliator from the skin with water, and follow with toner and moisturiser to ensure hydration.
Conclusion
Coffee Scrubs can be great for exfoliating the skin, thanks to their finely ground texture which stimulates blood flow and removes dead skin cells. Coffee grounds can also reduce puffiness and the appearance of dark under-eye circles, as well as protecting against sun damage and reducing inflammation.