Coffee - that other beauty tool
Aloha All!
As promised in the last blog, here are some great beauty and health tips using coffee! BTW, I am now using a green tea rinse almost daily and I can say that I am seeing a slight improvement. Will keep everyone posted!
As you sit and sip away at your morning coffee, think about this - Did you know that you can use coffee for more than just that jolt in the morning to kick start the ol’ motor? It is true! In response to my last blog, I found quite a bit of information about using coffee in your daily regime of beauty and health.
Skin looking tired and dull? Try using a handful of coffee grounds as a scrub. The rough texture of the grounds will help to slough off dead skin from the surface, leaving a fresh glow in its place. Additionally the caffeine will help to tighten skin and fine lines, reduce puffy eyes and dark circles but wait! Antioxidants a coffee scrub will help to protect your skin from daily environmental damages i.e. pollution and UV radiation! You can also add cane sugar and palm, grapeseed or olive oils for additional moisturizers!
Besides being a great facial scrub, did you know that you can also use this scrub to get rid of cellulite? Coffee is a main ingredient of many products targeted for cellulite and can reduce water retention in problem areas. Additionally antioxidants will tighten skin over time and try adding tea tree oil your mix to improve scent. Mix up some fresh grounds with brown or white sugar and oil and spread onto problem area, rubbing in a circular motion. From what I have learned in researching this is that over time you will see noticeable improvements in the reduction of cellulite. If anyone tries this let me know how it works!
Coffee is also a great addition to your shampoo routine as it will remove residual buildup of hair products, stimulate hair follicle grow and leave your hair lustrous and more manageable. To make a good coffee hair masque, brew a strong pot of coffee and allow to chill to room temperature. Pour the coffee onto your hair and massage into the scalp for the benefits from antioxidants. Cover your hair with a towel or bag and sit for 20 minutes before washing as normal. One caveat to this tip – if your hair is chemically treated, colored or have naturally light hair, this may discolor your hair.
Finally, to help you all out I have added coffee recipes from my searches below for your experiments! Let me know what works and doesn’t work and I will pass it on with future blogs. Thanks to the following sites which made my job a bit easier:
Facial Scrub:
Ingredients
3 tablespoons coffee grounds (new, if possible)
1 tablespoon natural oil of your choice: Olive, grape seed, or coconut
1 tablespoon cane sugar
Directions
Mix all dry ingredients, then add oil. Based on the kind of scrub consistency you want, add more or less brown sugar. Massage onto your face in gentle, circular motions and rinse with warm water.
Cellulite
Ingredients
1 cup coffee grounds
1/2 cup white or brown sugar
1 cup coconut oil
Directions
Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. After you’ve washed your body, massage the scrub into wet skin for about 60 seconds per area, rinse with warm water. Tip: use a drain screen as this scrub could clog your tub.
Hair treatment
Ingredients
1 pot coffee (room temperature)
2 tbsp. tea tree oil
Directions
Prepare strong coffee and let it cool until the mixture is lukewarm or room temperature. Add tea tree oil and mix prior to application. Pour the coffee onto your hair and scalp, wrap hair with a plastic cap or towel and allow sit for 20 minutes. Wash out with warm water. Style as usual.
Mahalo!
