DIY Coffee for Skin Care

First it was Tea, now Coffee is the newest 'IT' thing these days in cosmetics & skin care products. From under-eye creams to anti-wrinkle creams, all are racing to add this latest wonder product

What makes it so great?

Coffee can keep your skin healthy in a lot of different ways. Other than preventing skin cancer and melanoma-related diseases, coffee has anti-oxidant ingredients that can help:

Image via Wikipedia

• Your skin be free of different radicals that can cause inflammation & aging
  
• Improve the flow of blood in your skin
• Break up fatty deposits which cause those ugly cellulites
• Clear up your skin of acne and other blemishes
• Act as sunblock and prevent sunburn and wrinkles (not proven through)
  
• Absorb and neutralize strong odors such as fish and other smells
• Helps lighten & tighten skin
• Is a pore-cleanser
  

Personally I am not sure it is as great as it is being made out to be, but it smells lovely & I think a pinch added to weird smelling home made packs won't hurt.

The lingering smell of coffee on the skin is very, very sexy & a nice break from all the fruity smells like cherry & strawberry (not that I have anyhting abgainst them, I just love strawberry smells, but it nice once in a while to smell a little different)

PS. You need to use ground coffee bean powder for maximum potency & effect. Not instant coffee powder like Nescafe. You can get coffee bean powder at any tea & coffee powder stores that dot the city. There is one outside Andheri Station, & plenty at Matunga. It will cost you about Rs. 30/- for 100 gms (which is quite a bit if you plan to use it only for facials)

1. Mix a pinch of ground coffee with your cleansing cream just before using to exfoliate and cleanse better

Image by rexb via Flickr

2. Mix coffee with milk cream for a very nourishing & great smelling mask for dry skin

3. Replace milk cream in tip no. 2 with curd for oily skin.

4. For a stronger exfoliant, mix spoonful of coffee with a spoonful of sugar & add few drops of cream/oil to make a paste. Rub Gently. Wash off.

5. Very lush moisturiser: Mix a spoonful of coffee with a spoonful of cocoa powder. Add milk cream to make a paste. Apply on face, scrub gently for 5 minutes and then & drift into La-La land for the next 30 minutes (This is my Favourite!!)