1. Caffeine Is Full of Antioxidants

When it comes to a simple definition of what caffeine is, it’s a stimulant that is most easily found in coffee, certain teas, and the cacao plant. When consumed, it will stimulate your brain and nervous system and, so long as it’s taken in moderation (according to the FDA, that should be no more than 4-5 cups daily), you should be fine. Since caffeine is chocked full of antioxidants like polyphenols (plant compounds that protect against disease) and hydrocinnamic acids (acids that help to fight against oxidative stress), as far as your skin is concerned, a couple of cups of coffee on a daily basis, could help to keep your skin in great shape from the inside out.

2. Caffeine Increases Blood Circulation

Since caffeine is a stimulant, something else that it does is increase blood circulation throughout your entire body. On the beauty tip, this is a cool thing because that helps your skin and hair follicles receive an extra boost of the nutrients that they need in order for your skin and hair to appear healthy. As an extra bonus, good blood circulation can keep your nails from becoming dry and brittle too.

3. Caffeine Protects from Damaging UV Rays

Even though the vitamin D that comes from the sun is good for your skin, the reason why you should use sunscreen (even during the colder months and even if you’ve got melanin) is that the UV rays that also come from that particular star (yes, the sun is a technically a star) have the ability to damage your skin in a way that could lead to premature aging and, quite possibly, skin cancer.

The way that caffeine helps to keep any of this from being (as much of) an issue is it contains properties that actually act as a “molecular sunscreen” by absorbing the UV rays before they can wreak too much havoc on your skin cells. Pretty cool, right?

4. Caffeine Softens the Appearance of Cellulite

The next time you see a commercial for a beauty brand that promises to remove your cellulite, please ignore it. The reality is that you can never fully get rid of it. Another reality? Between 80-90 percent of women have experienced cellulite at some point in their life which means it’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Now if you wish to soften the appearance of it, this is where caffeine can come in handy because it has a way of draining the fluid from the fat cells that cellulite comes from which is why coffee scrubs are so effective. If a coffee scrub is something that you’d like to try now that you know that it’s not a rumor that caffeine can help you out in the cellulite department, there’s an easy recipe that you can try yourself here.

5. Caffeine Brightens Your Skin’s Appearance

On the days when you want to go out, totally make-up-free, caffeine can serve as your beauty regimen’s wingman. The reason why I say that is because, when you apply it to your skin, it can actually restrict a certain amount of blood flow; this, in turn, can cause your skin to look tighter and brighter. So, if heading out with a “wake-up face” is your desire sometimes, Aroma Talks is a YouTube channel that offers up recipes like how to make your own coffee skin cream. You can watch the video here.

6. Caffeine Reduces Frizz

Remember how I said that caffeine is packed with antioxidants? Another one that it contains is flavonoids. When it comes to your hair, specifically, flavonoids are beneficial because, not only do they help to protect your scalp and hair from UV damage, they also help to reduce frizz too. That’s because, the properties in it can help to smooth the cuticles of your hair strands, so that your hair both looks and feels healthier. Plus, the less frizz you have, the easier it is to manage your locks while you’re styling it too. A coffee hair rinse on your wash day is the best way to tame your frizz. You can read about a few different ways to apply one here.

7. Caffeine Helps to Prevent Hair Loss

Did you know it’s estimated that over 50 percent of women will experience some level of hair loss at some point in their life? Those are big enough odds to also mention that caffeine has been proven to help prevent hair loss from being an issue. The method behind the madness is it helps to block DHT. If you don’t know what that is, DHT is short for dihydrotestosterone, and what it ultimately does is shrink your hair follicles while also shortening your hair growth stages. Anything that can get in the way of that happening is doing you a solid. And yes, caffeine is indeed one of those things.

Honestly, something as simple as putting a teaspoon or two of coffee grounds in your shampoo can help exfoliate your scalp and treat your hair follicles, so that hair loss will be less of a concern. It’s an easy hack that can make a significant difference over time.

8. Caffeine Stimulates Hair Growth

Are you currently on a mission to grow out your hair? Caffeine can help with that. Not only does research reveal that it helps to lengthen and widen the roots of your hair, but caffeine can also extend the anagen part of your hair growth cycle. This is super helpful considering that the anagen phase is literally called “the growing phase” when it comes to your tresses. This is where creating a coffee scrub that consists of ground coffee beans, honey, and olive oil could come in super handy. Read more about how and why here.

9. Caffeine Decreases Eye Puffiness

If your eyes are puffy, what that typically means is there’s some sort of swelling going on whether it’s due to not getting enough rest, consuming too much salt, congestion being in your system, not getting enough exercise, or consuming too much alcohol (it could also indicate that you’ve got a bit of a thyroid issue happening as well).

Caffeine can help with reducing puffiness by constricting the blood vessels that are causing it and increasing circulation to your eye area at the same time. There are many caffeinated eye creams that can help to get the puffiness under control or you can make your own.

I happened upon a YouTube video that has a quick and easy recipe for you to try, thanks to the Way of Being channel. You can watch it here.

10. Caffeine Contains Anti-Aging Properties

And finally, since caffeine has so many antioxidants in it, it’s also a proactive way to slow down the aging process as far as your skin is concerned. Since it fights against the free radicals that can create fine lines and wrinkles, this is just one more reason to not feel bad about having a couple of cups or applying coffee (or green tea) to your skin on a regular basis. I also read a Harvard study where drinking coffee can increase your chances of longevity by 30 percent — and if that ain’t the greatest form of anti-aging, I don’t know what is! So, if coffee is indeed your thing — with moderation…enjoy, sis! From the inside out, it’s got your back. CLEARLY.

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