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Coffee is something we’re all familiar with. It’s a delicious beverage made from roasted and ground seeds obtained from the coffee plant. Consumed orally, it can act as a powerful stimulant and can help you stay awake. But did you know that your craved coffee grounds have a lot of other uses – including uses in skincare?
Topical application of coffee can have a lot of benefits. First, coffee grounds are excellent for exfoliation, as the granular texture can rub off dead skin cells. Additionally, the caffeine of coffee can stimulate blood flow by dilating the vessels. This can actually reduce the appearance of dark circles under eyes and puffy eyes, making it an excellent ingredient in anti-aging products.
Another positive benefit of coffee as an anti-aging product is that it acts as an antioxidant, protecting the skin from the damage of free radicals and UV damage.
Chlorogenic acid within coffee is also known to reduce inflammation, which allows coffee to help reduce the appearance of redness and inflammation from eczema, rosacea, and acne.
Coffee even has skin lightening effects, so it can also be used to treat dark spots and improve the overall consistency of skin tone.
There seem to be no adverse effects of applying coffee topically in the form of a face mask. However, drinking coffee may cause you to have acne breakouts, as caffeine can lead to increased production of stress hormones, and these hormones can increase the amount of oil your sebaceous glands produce.
Pores are itsy-bitsy openings in the skin—and there are millions covering every millimeter of skin. There are two types of pores with different functions: sweat pores and oil pores. The sweat pore allows moisture, produced by sweat glands, to exude out to the surface of the skin, where it helps to cool the body in response to heat, exertion or fever. Sweat pores are so tiny, they are mostly invisible to the human eye.
The oil pore, on the other hand, is a bit larger. Oil pores are also known as hair follicles because these pores produce oil from the sebaceous glands, but they are also the openings from which hair emerges. The oils help to keep our skin and hair healthy. It is the oil pores that can get clogged with sweat, debris and other gunk, causing acne, blackheads and whiteheads. Sweat pores rarely get clogged, as they are so tiny.
Benzoyl peroxide is a topical agent for fighting bacteria and unclogging pores. It is one of the longest-used medications to keep pores clean and healthy. Jojoba oil and rosehip oil are also good for reducing inflammation, fighting bacteria, and keeping in moisture for healthier skin. Ingredients that help exfoliate dead skin cells and increase new skin cell production, such as Vitamin A/Retinol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, are good for keeping pores unclogged as well.
Coffee may be effective for clogged pores, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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