There’s nothing like a strong cup of joe to kickstart… your beauty routine? No, we’re not talking about drinking coffee — we’re talking about actually applying coffee to your skin. The mighty coffee bean contains caffeine and healthy antioxidants that offer a host of potential skincare benefits when applied directly to the skin. It turns out java can help soothe puffy eyes, brighten skin, and even help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

So even if you’re trying to cut back on drinking coffee — you can still apply it to your skin to add a jolt of joe to your beauty routine. Here are six ways:

1. Coffee, Oat, and Honey Face Mask

Is your complexion a little worse for the wear? A face mask with coffee grounds will do a lot to help rejuvenate and restore a tired complexion.

Coffee is plentiful in antioxidants which are must-haves for healthy skin.¹ Antioxidants fend off free radicals that irritate the skin and contribute to the signs of premature aging.² Combine that coffee with cleansing properties of oats which absorb impurities. Oats may also help boost your skin’s protective barrier. This keeps environmental irritants and pollutants out.³ Add the natural humectant benefits of honey, and you’ll have skin that’s cleansed, moisturized, and youthful.

For this restorative mask, mix 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds with 2 tablespoons of ground oats. Add 1 tablespoon of honey. Apply to the face, and leave on for 20 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water.

2. Coffee Ice Cubes

Drinking a cup of coffee perks you up in the morning. Unfortunately, it won’t do anything for puffy eyes. And it can’t help get rid of those dark half-moons you get after a restless night of sleep. But putting coffee under your eyes might help.

The area under your eyes is a lymphatic fluid channel that doesn’t always drain well. And anything from fatigue to hormones to salty snacks can cause a buildup of fluid. This is what gives you those unwelcome “bags” under your eyes. But the caffeine in coffee has properties that may help draw that excess fluid away from under your eyes, so that your body can process it properly.

For a pick-me-up in the morning, brew a pot of coffee the night before. Pour the coffee into an ice cube tray, and freeze overnight. In the morning, take an ice cube and run it under your eyes and along the orbital bone. The coldness will help bring down the appearance of swelling. The caffeine will help increase circulation, giving your face a tighter, less puffy appearance. You’ll look up-and-at-’em in no time!

3. Dark Circle Diminisher

Those dark circles under your eyes? They tend to become more prominent as the skin ages and becomes more thin, especially under the eyes. Applying caffeine can help constrict blood vessels, lessening the appearance of dark circles.

To wake up tired eyes, combine:

• 1/2 teaspoon coffee grounds
• 1/2 teaspoon of oil (olive or jojoba are good choices)
• A few drops of water

Blend in the palm of your hand, and gently massage into the skin below your eyes. Don’t rub! This could irritate the delicate skin below the eyes. Make sure not to get any of the mixture into the eye itself. Leave on 5 to 10 minutes, then wipe away with a soft, damp cloth. Ta-dah!

4. Cellulite Combat Body Scrub

You might think coffee grounds would make for a great body scrub, and you’d be right. Coffee grounds gently exfoliate the body without the harshness of common exfoliating agents. And even better, caffeine does wonders for cellulite.⁴ The caffeine encourages blood circulation, which helps with the removal of excess toxins and water. This will temporarily help shrink the size of the fat cells, resulting in a tightened look. And while the effects aren’t permanent, they’ll help give you the confidence to don that cute bathing suit.

To reap the benefits of coffee’s cellulite-reducing properties, try this at-home coffee scrub:

• Mix 1 cup cooled coffee grounds with 1.5 tablespoons of jojoba oil and and tea leaves from two green tea bags.
• Rub the coffee scrub into the skin in a gentle, circular motion. Focus on areas where cellulite is concentrated.
• Rinse off in the shower, pat dry, and follow up with moisturizer.

5. After-Sun Soother

Too much time in the sun? Take a break from aloe vera, and reach for coffee instead. The antioxidants will help neutralize free radicals from UV rays that cause redness and irritation.

And it turns out, coffee is good for more than soothing UV ray-irritated skin. It may actually help protect your skin from harmful UV rays as well. Studies suggest applying caffeine to the skin may help prevent UV skin damage.⁵

To calm red, irritated skin, dilute a cup of brewed coffee with cold water. Then, soak a soft cloth in the liquid, wring out, and blot over the affected areas.

6. Hair Enhancer

Don’t leave your tresses out of the coffee game! The antioxidant benefits of coffee extend to the hair as well.⁶ A mask made with coffee grounds will help your hair fight off free radicals that cause dullness, dryness, and graying. And the acidity found in coffee will help seal in the cuticle. Best of all? A German study found applying caffeine to the scalp might help stimulate hair growth.⁷

Here’s a shine and growth-boosting hair mask to try:

• Mix two tablespoons of oil (jojoba or olive) with two tablespoons of honey.
• Add 2 teaspoons of coffee grounds.
• Apply to damp hair, working through in sections.
• Cover with a shower cap, and leave the mask on for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse out, and follow up with shampoo and conditioner.

Time for a Coffee Fix

Ready to perk up your beauty routine? Try putting a little coffee on your skin! The caffeine and antioxidants might be just what you need for skin that’s calm, smooth, and healthy. What a delicious wake-up call!

For more anti-aging tips, keep reading on our blog here:

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Want to Stop Hair Loss? Try These 10 DIY Treatments

Sources
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11453788
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25906193
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17373175
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18254807
5. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15343906
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2929555/
7. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjd.13114/abstract