3 Reasons to Use Coffee in Your Hair & How to Do It

For many, a cup of coffee is a vital component of their morning routine. Interestingly, another routine of ours could benefit from our love of coffee – hair care. 

Are there any benefits to drinking coffee and hair? Yes, drinking coffee could help your hair health, but not as much as topical application. While drinking coffee can aid in our overall health, applying it directly to the scalp can help us cultivate healthier hair.

If your locks have been lackluster, using coffee could be just the boost your beauty regimen needs!

3 Benefits of Using Coffee in Your Hair

1. Growth Stimulation

In America alone, 50 million men and 30 million women suffer from different types of hair loss.

Some degree of hair loss is a natural part of aging. Of course stress, poor diet, illness, and genetics can contribute as well.

The main contributor to severe hair loss (baldness) is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is an androgen or sex hormone. As we age, DHT can bind to hair follicle receptors and cause them to shrink, making them less effective. 

Once the follicle shrinks, the growth cycle of hair becomes shorter, causing the hair shaft to thin and become less vibrant in appearance. Eventually, the follicle ceases to grow healthy hair.

But not all hope is lost! Coffee can promote hair growth due to a few useful compounds.

Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can help increase blood circulation in the scalp. This means more nutrients reaching the scalp and subsequently, hair follicles which can lead to faster and better regeneration. 

Additionally, coffee contains antioxidants which can help improve scalp wellness and prevent thinning hair.

Does coffee affect hair growth? Yes. Coffee can stimulate hair growth and potentially prevent hair loss.

2. Improved Texture

Antioxidants in coffee not only help with hair growth, but can create softer and shinier hair.

This is all baout your hair’s pH level. Hair is slightly acidic, typically falling somewhere from 4.5-5.5 on the pH scale. However, many shampoos, dyes, and treatments can disrupt those pH levels.

Too much acid causes the hair cuticle (the outermost layer of the hair shaft) to contract while too little acid causes the cuticle to expand. Also, if hair becomes more alkaline, the results is dull and even brittle hair strands. Alkaline hair tends to be more frizzy.

Adding coffee to your hair care routine whether as a scalp scrub or as a rinse can help return some of the lost acidity. This will renew hair’s strength and shine.

If you’re concerned that your taste for strong coffee could be increasing the acidity of your hair, consider using a low-acid coffee.

Something else to consider is dandruff. Dandruff causes irritation of the scalp which can damage hair follicles. Not only that, buildup can cause the scalp to feel oily and dirty. Coffee can be a solution to this issue as well!

Coffee grounds can be used to exfoliate the scalp. Cleaning the surface area around hair roots can free follicles to grow hair once again.

3. Color Correction

If you’re hoping to steer clear of the chemicals of dyes, coffee can act as a natural hair dye.

We know coffee has a tendency to stain; however, this power can be put to good use. Chromogens and tannins give coffee its deep color and staining capabilities. Regularly applying coffee to hair will darken its color.

Though coffee likely won’t permanently take your gray away, it can deepen the color.

Is coffee good for hair? Yes, coffee can be good for hair. Coffee can help treat and even prevent some of the most common issues of the scalp and hair.

What are the effects of coffee on your hair? Coffee can improve hair health by increasing growth, enhancing texture, and enriching color. 

Adding Coffee to Your Hair Care Routine

The following are some easy DIY methods to incorporate coffee into your hair care routine. As an added bonus, your bathroom may end up smelling like a coffee shop.

Use as a Rinse

Perhaps the easiest method is a coffee rinse. The object is to douse hair in coffee and allow it to absorb the nutrients.

What You Need

• 2-4 cups of coffee (depending on the length and thickness of your hair)
• Spray bottle
• Shower cap

How to Do it

1. Brew coffee and allow it to cool to room temperature
2. Fill spray bottle with coffee
3. Shampoo and condition as you normally do
4. While hair is still wet, spray coffee directly onto the hair
5. Cover hair with shower cap and allow to sit for about 20 minutes
6. Rinse one final time

Coffee Masks

Hair masks tend to be more concentrated, as they’re meant to hydrate and deeply nourish hair. For this reason, a coffee hair mask requires a bit more time. 

What You Need

• 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds
• 1 tablespoon of honey

How to Do it

1. Mix coffee grounds and honey to create a paste
2. Apply coffee paste to scalp and hair
3. Wait for about 25-30 minutes
4. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water

Coffee Oil

With frequent washing, we can strip our hair of its natural oils. Hair oils are known for conditioning hair to return some of its natural luster. 

Crafting your own coffee oil is a slightly more involved process; however, the product should last for quite a while as it’s quite concentrated and you’ll want to use it more sparingly.

What You Need

• Slow cooker
• 4 cups of carrier oil, such as olive or coconut oil
• 4 oz. of roasted coffee beans (whole or ground)
• Your choice of essential oil *optional*

How to Do it

1. Add carrier oil and coffee beans to slow cooker
2. Set slow cooker to 6-8 hours
3. Stir mixture about every hour
4. Once the time elapses, allow mixture to cool
5. Strain mixture into a jar or container
6. Store in a cool, dry place until ready for use
7. Apply and massage oil into the scalp and hair
8. Wrap hair in towel and allow oil to sit overnight
9. The next day, shampoo hair while dry, then rinse and condition like normal

Caffeine Hair Products

If you’re hoping to save a bit of time, caffeine-infused hair care products exist! A number of caffeine-infused shampoos, conditioners, masks, and oils are available for purchase on the market today.

Can coffee damage your hair? In short, no. As with anything, excessive use could prove harmful; however, for now, there is no definitive evidence that coffee damages hair. That being said, see the following precautions should you decide to try coffee hair care.

Precautions

1. When using brewed coffee, be sure you’ve allowed it to cool to room temperature before applying it to your hair and scalp. The skin of the scalp can be more sensitive, so it’s the last place you’d want to burn. Cold brew is often recommended.
2. Steer clear of instant and flavored coffees as they tend to include more sugar and be less potent overall.
3. Remember, coffee has the ability to act as a sort of hair dye. If you have a lighter hair color, or even color-treated hair, coffee will likely alter it.
4. Even though you rinse after each of these coffee hair treatments, there will likely be some coffee residue in your hair which could stain your towels. In short, it’s better not to use the high-quality white guest towels after these specific hair treatments.

Sources

1. Therapeutic use of caffeine in dermatology: A literature review Visconti MJ, Haidari W, Feldman SR
2. Scalp application of antioxidants improves scalp condition and reduces hair shedding in a 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial