5 Ways To Use Coffee Oil
We surprised ourselves by realising that we actually haven’t yet included coffee oil as our Oil of the Week, especially considering how much we love it. But it's time to change that: herewith our Oil of the Week - coffee bean oil!
Coffea arabica seed oil or coffee bean oil is the pure, cold pressed oil of the seeds (green coffee beans) of the coffee plant. It has the utterly delightful aroma of rich, brewed coffee and makes a fabulous addition to skin care products. It contains high and balanced percentages of fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and steraric acid and has been scientifically proven to improve the appearance of wrinkles and redness and increase firmness and texture in the skin. Coffee oil increases elastin and collagen production, as well as production of specific proteins in the skin that decrease moisture loss and improve hydration levels. With its caffeine content, it is a great depuffer, skin wake-me-up and boosts circulation. It is also rich in antioxidants. This all helps your skin appear more youthful.
Now that we know why coffee bean oil is simply amazing, here are five great ways to use it!
Luxury Night Serum
My absolute favourite way to use coffee oil is in the form of a simple but luxurious night oil serum.
You can choose any combination of your favourite skin oils to blend with the coffee oil. Go for the more ‘fancy’ oils so as to maximise the skin benefits overnight. My go-to combo is:
10 drops squalane
1 drop Vitamin E
There is no hard and fast rule about how much of each oil to use - I simply add the vitamin E and squalane to a 30ml or 50ml pipette bottle, then top up the rest of the way with more or less equal proportions of each oil. To use, squeeze out one pipette-full into your palms following a shower or whenever you do your nighttime skin routine. Warm the oil by rubbing your palms together, then apply all over your face, massaging it in.
Whipped Coffee Sugar Scrub
This delicious whipped sugar scrub is emulsified which means it will turn all creamy on contact with wet skin in the shower, and will be easy to wash off - no greasy residue.
10g polawax
8g oliveM 300
54g coffee bean oil
24g cetearyl alcohol
100g brown sugar or coconut sugar
2 drops Vitamin E
Melt the polawax, coffee oil, oliveM 300 and cetearyl alcohol together. Let this mixture cool till viscous but not completely solid, then stir in the Vitamin E oil and sugar. Whip by hand or electric beaters until light and fluffy, then decant into a jar. If you have left over coffee grinds, you can also add in some of those to the scrub.
Morning Coffee Gel Oil Cleanser
Gel cleansers are fun to make and lightweight to use on skin. This cleanser is the perfect skin wake-up, incorporating coco glucoside and betaine as surfactants, and coffee oil as the cleansing oil.
0.5g coco glucoside
1 T coffee bean oil
Make up a portion of the xanthan gum gel according to the recipe hyperlinked.
Weigh the coco glucoside and betaine, and blend together. Stir this surfactant mixture into the gel then lastly add in your coffee oil,blending everything well. Pour your gel cleanser into a glass jar. To use, take out a small amount with your fingers, wet your hands and rub together to lather up, then apply to your face. Rinse off and apply moisturiser as usual.
Whipped Mocha Body Butter
An incredibly simple but decadent body butter - just melt, cool, whip and enjoy!
60g cocoa butter
60g mango or shea butter
40g coffee bean oil
Melt the cocoa and mango or shea butter together. Then add the coffee bean oil. Leave the mixture to cool down to room temperature and almost solid, then with up with electric beaters.
Massage Oil
Combine the relaxing and uplifting scent of coffee oil with a carrier oil such as grapeseed or jojoba to make a massage oil that will revive the body. This is also great for anti-aging and anti-cellulite.
Use oils that are great for body massage such as sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil or jojoba oil, and combine with coffee oil.
50ml sweet almond or apricot kernel oil
10ml jojoba oil
30ml coffee bean oil
Combine all oils together in a glass jar and shake lightly. To use, pour some into your palm and warm up, then apply to the body.
A bottle of coffee oil actually makes a lovely gift all on its own! It's a really special oil that any coffee lover will appreciate.
