What Causes Skin Inflammation?
Inflammation is essentially an immune response presenting itself on the surface of your skin as your blood vessels become dilated. Its appearance varies from person to person, however, inflammation usually takes on the form of a raised rash that can be red, itchy or warm to touch. The exact cause of skin inflammation can be difficult to determine but there are a few common triggers such as: skin conditions like dermatitis, psoriasis & eczema, allergic reactions, stress and diet.
It should be noted that if you have persistent skin inflammation, you should seek medical advice prior to trying out new skincare products.
How Coffee Grounds Reduce Inflammation:
So it turns out that your morning cup of coffee (or your 4th cup before 11am – hey, I’m not here to judge!) not only gives your brain a hit of energy, but it can also invigorate your skin! And I’m not talking about all that ‘making your skin glow from the inside out’ stuff, I mean literally putting coffee grounds on your skin.
The idea of rubbing used coffee grounds on your skin might seem strange but there’s scientific research that might change your mind. Coffee beans contain caffeine (shocker, I know) and chlorogenic acids (CGA), both of which exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These ingredients help to boost microcirculation by constricting blood vessels. Since inflammation appears in the presence of dilated blood vessels, this increase in circulation can greatly reduce the redness caused by inflammation.
But before you go smearing the contents of your percolator on your face, you should note that coffee grounds alone can be harsh on your skin. It is best to combine coffee with natural moisturisers.
Natural Moisturisers:
Our skin is made up of over 60% water so it makes sense that when our skin becomes dehydrated, it can be flaky and sensitive. In order to avoid this, we need to apply emollients to our skin to trap water. Unfortunately, many moisturisers on the market these days contain harmful chemicals. There are natural alternatives which can be used alongside coffee grounds such as:
Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil is a great natural moisturiser because it contains solid lipid particles which help to increase skin hydration and elasticity. Not only will it keep your skin soft, it can also reduce redness and discolouration. Coconut oil is a great source of vitamin E, which is commonly used to treat skin pigmentation.
Shea Butter:
Shea butter is a natural emollient that is derived from shea tree nuts. Due to the high concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins, shea butter is extremely effective at softening your skin. Shea butter also contains anti-inflammatory properties. The plant esters in the butter have been found to slow down the production of inflammatory cells such as cytokines.
The Perfect Solution:
Many of us have very hectic schedules and simply don’t have the time to gather numerous ingredients to make our own coffee scrub. But fear not, Upcircle have taken the hard work out of it for you and have come up with an amazing coffee scrub for your face!
Their citrus blend coffee scrub is formulated especially for dry, dehydrated skin with rosehip, sweet orange and lemon verbena essential oils. The orange oil acts as both an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, perfect for soothing redness and irritation, whilst the uplifting lemon verbena helps to tone the skin. With strong antiseptic properties, their natural face exfoliator can also help treat acne and spots for a clear complexion.
This aromatic scrub is made with 100% upcycled Arabica coffee grounds (which means you can help contribute to the circular economy while making your skin radiant!). Best of all, it is blended together using BOTH of the natural moisturisers we talked about above!
If you’re interested in learning about some of their other fabulous products, click here.
