Coffee hair mask

If a coffee hair mask has not yet become part of your arsenal of procedures that help your hair to be more well-groomed – thick and silky shiny, then it’s time to find out how to do it.

Benefits of coffee for hair

There is no need to say much about the caffeine content in whole beans and natural ground coffee: all methylxanthine alkaloids, which include caffeine, are neurostimulants. And we feel this property when we drink coffee.

However, as German researchers led by dermatologist Dr. Tobias Fischer discovered at the beginning of this century, caffeine also stimulates hair follicles (bulbs).

As reported in the January 2007 issue of the International Journal of Dermatology, a study has shown how coffee benefits hair. The main coffee alkaloid blocks the effects of the sex hormone testosterone and its derivative dihydrotestosterone, which suppress growth factor (protein TGF-β2) in hair follicles and inhibit the proliferation of keratinocytes in the hair matrix, i.e., are essentially the main cause of androgenetic alopecia - hair loss.

When the researchers compared coffee-treated hair follicles to regular ones, they found that within 8 days of the procedure, the average growth of caffeinated follicles increased by almost 46%, the life cycle of hair increased by 37%, and the length of the hair shaft increased by 33-40%.

Coffee also contains mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (including linoleic, palmitic and oleic), and terpenes in coffee have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In addition, coffee beans contain vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B9, E and K), calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.

Of particular note from this list are vitamin B3 (PP or nicotinic acid), which is contained in coffee in the form of the alkaloid trigonelline, and the trace element zinc, the main regulator of protein metabolism, and, consequently, the main protein component of hair – keratin.

Coffee Hair Mask Recipes

Before you put any coffee hair mask recipes into practice, you should keep in mind that coffee will darken your hair color, and can give brown-haired women a reddish tint, which they may not like very much. A special case is light hair: coffee can change the color of your hair completely unpredictably, so either be prepared for surprises or don't take risks.

The easiest way to feel the beneficial effect of coffee on your hair and scalp is this. Before lathering your head with shampoo, pour a tablespoon of ground coffee onto wet hair. It may feel unusual, like sand got into your hair, but massaging your scalp for 1-2 minutes will not only be pleasant, but also extremely beneficial for your hair follicles. Then rinse your hair thoroughly.

The second option: after washing your hair as usual, squeeze it out well and rinse it with cool coffee that you have brewed beforehand; wait until all the excess has drained off, and wrap your head in a towel for 5-10 minutes. Then dry your hair.

Coffee mask with honey

Mix 4 teaspoons of natural ground coffee, 2 tablespoons of liquid honey and 4 tablespoons of boiling water into a homogeneous mass. Apply the warm mass to damp or dry hair and leave for 15-20 minutes. The mask is washed off for quite a long time - with moderately hot water, but the result after 2-3 such procedures will certainly please you: hair of any type will become more elastic and shiny and, in addition, will fall out less.

For those with very dry and dull hair, it is useful to add 8-10 drops of olive oil or avocado oil, which contain oleic acid, to this mask.

And if hair loss has increased, reinforce the effect of caffeine with nettle. To do this, simply replace the 4 tablespoons of boiling water prescribed by the recipe with the same amount of nettle decoction.

Hair mask with egg and coffee

This mask is useful for dry and normal hair, as egg yolk contains biotin (vitamin H). To prepare it, brew a tablespoon of ground coffee with 100 ml of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes; when the coffee cools to +40°C, add two raw egg yolks (if the hair is short, one will suffice) and mix until smooth.

The resulting mass is applied to the hair along the entire length, the head is covered with a polyethylene film or a shower cap is put on, and a towel is wrapped on top - for 25-30 minutes. Washed off without shampoo.

For oily hair, add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to this mask.

Hair mask made from cognac and coffee

The use of cognac to stimulate hair growth is due to the fact that under the influence of cognac alcohol, blood flow to the hair follicles increases. And the benefits of caffeine were mentioned above.

To prepare a hair mask from cognac and coffee, you will need a tablespoon of ground coffee, about 50-60 ml of cognac and a raw egg yolk. The coffee is brewed with a small amount of boiling water, infused to room temperature, and then all the ingredients are mixed. The mixture should be evenly distributed over the entire scalp with light circular movements (the hair does not need to be greased) and the skin should be massaged a little. The head should be "warmed" and the mask should be kept on for at least 30-40 minutes.

This mask can also be used by men if their hair has started to thin and bald spots have appeared.

A similar procedure (once a week) will also help improve the condition of the scalp with oily seborrhea, since the tannins that pass into cognac alcohol during aging in oak barrels have not only astringent properties, but also anti-inflammatory ones.

Dark brown-haired women and moderate brunettes leave rave reviews about the coffee hair mask, but blondes (natural and not so) complain that such procedures do not suit them... Especially for the owners of blond curls, we inform you: caffeine is also contained in green (unroasted) coffee, so all coffee hair masks can be made by grinding green coffee beans. Naturally, there will be no familiar aroma of coffee, but this does not reduce the benefits.