Coffee Grounds for Hair Growth

How many of you have seen the following pin going around? 

"No Way! Finally, a way to get rid of unwanted hair ANYWHERE! For 1 week, rub 2 tbsp coffee grounds mixed with 1 tsp baking soda. The baking soda intensifies the compounds of the coffee breaking down the hair follicles at the root!"

Did you pin it excitedly as a way to lessen hair and to use up your coffee grounds? Yeah? Well don't try it. This one looked fishy to me right away, so I started to do some reading. Let me show you some blurbs I found by googling "effects of coffee grounds on hair":



Increase In Average Growth Of Hair FolliclesWhen Dr. Fischer compared the hair follicles treated with caffeine against those that weren’t, he discovered some interesting results. The average growth of the follicles treated with caffeine increased by around 46 per cent compared to the control group. In addition, the life cycle of the hair treated with caffeine was extended by 37 percent. Caffeine boosted the length of the hairs by between 33 and 40 per cent.
Dr Fischer noted that “hair follicles treated with caffeine showed a highly significant growth rate at 24 hours and still showed further significant growth at eight days.”http://www.hairboutique.com/blogs_p/index.php/2012/09/10/coffee-hair-growth-secrets/


Hair Shine Solution Let’s face it, everyone wants to have shiny and bouncy hair. Some people spend significant amounts of cash just to make their hair look better. You can look no further than your supply of used coffee grounds to give you softer and shinier hair. Just wash your hair with the coffee byproduct and rinse. You will soon sport your favorite celebrity hairstyle after a few strokes.http://lifehackery.com/2008/08/21/home-7/
Soften and shine hair
Before lathering up your tresses with your favorite organic shampoo, scrunch a handful of coffee grounds into wet hair. It may feel a tad strange at first—like rubbing sandy grit into your hair—but that coarse stuff is actually good for them. Once you’ve worked the grinds into your mane, rinse thoroughly. The grounds will remove any product build-up and leave your locks glossy and smooth. Beauty disclaimer: You may not want to use this method if you have bleached or light hair, as it may darken the color.http://www.organicauthority.com/delicious-beauty/4-ways-to-use-coffee-grounds-in-your-beauty-routine.html

Coffee for Hair Growth
Why stop with your skin when your hair can benefit from caffeine as well? The way that caffeine increases your circulation can be applied to hair growth. When massaged directly into your scalp, caffeine can stimulate the hair follicles to speed up growth.Let brewed coffee chill, and pour it into a spray bottle for easy use. While in the shower, spray the coffee onto roots as an after-cleansing scalp treatment, and allow it to sit for as long as possible. Rinse your hair, and use products as usual. You will likely notice less shedding and increased hair growth with regular use.http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/5-ways-to-use-coffee-for-beauty#nc-gallery-header

Convinced yet? So this will not get rid of unwanted hair...it'll make it stronger. Someone thought they were funny when they put that caption on a Pin. 

So what does that picture really go to? 

 Facial exfoliant / faux beard

"Facial Exfoliant:
Coffee grounds are abrasive enough to scrub with, but are soft enough to be used on your face. Gently massage a small amount of spent coffee grounds into your face to use as an exfoliant. The sensation was like rubbing sand into my face, and not unpleasant. My skin was left feeling smooth, tingly and with an espresso aftershave aroma that would make Juan Valdez blush."

"Faux Beard:
Feel free to get carried away and give yourself a fearsome coffee-beard while you're doing the exfoliation."

-http://www.instructables.com/id/11-unusual-uses-for-coffee/step10/facial-exfoliant-faux-beard/

While reading for this post I did find this handy tip for anyone needing a good stubbly beard: 

Mix coffee grounds and Vaseline together and rub that on your face. The Vaseline will help the grounds stick to your face so your beard doesn't fall off slowly. But some people have had issues with the coffee grounds burning their face...so maybe you actually shouldn't use this for costume...just to freak out your spouse or roommate. 

Moral of the story: Don't trust everything you see on Pinterest. Or the Internet. Question everything and don't be afraid to seek and learn. 

teehee, I love this.