When no amount of concealer can cover up a late night, try this simple—but effective—caffeine eye cream to rescue those puffy peepers. A potent antioxidant that helps repair aging skin, caffeine also reduces swelling while increasing blood flow to wake up tired eyes.
Using leftover grounds for coffee body scrubs has been a long-time fave, but it turns out my face loves a little java jolt, too! I recently started coffee face masks and scrubs for a bit of natural toning.
Caffeine is a wonder ingredient for your eyes—it tightens skin, smooths puffiness, eliminates fluid buildup, fights free radicals, and reduces dark under-eye circles. Splurge on expensive coffee and make your own caffeine skincare products rather than spending your money on expensive coffee-infused products!
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Ingredients
- Caffeine source: ¼ cup fresh coffee grounds
- Carrier oil: ½ cup of a nourishing and noncomedogenic oil such as sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, or grapeseed oil
- Beeswax: ½ oz provides a solid texture to the balm
- Vitamin E oil: 3 capsules provide an emollient as well as a natural preservative
- Essential oil: Use a calming and skin-friendly essential oil like lavender or chamomile for a pleasant scent and added benefits. Try coffee essential oil for an extra caffeine kick.
Instructions
Prepare the caffeine infusion: Combine coffee grounds and the carrier oil in a clean glass jar and let it infuse in a sunny spot for 24–48 hours. Strain the oil into a heat-safe bowl and discard the grounds.
Melt + combine ingredients: Add the beeswax to the oil and submerge in a larger pot of water on low heat until the beeswax is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat.
Add essential oil: Add in the essential oil and vitamin E oil, stirring to combine.
Pour and store: Transfer to a storage container or into small tin containers.
Hint: If you want to complete the project faster, use the heat infusion method to speed up the oil infusion. If you don’t end up with ½ cup of coffee-infused oil after straining, just top it off with a little bit of almond oil.
Substitutions
- Vegan - For a vegan alternative, we love candelilla wax or carnauba wax. You can also leave the wax out altogether, but you’ll need to use an ingredient that’s solid at room temperature (like coconut oil, shea butter, or cocoa butter) to get a balm-like texture rather than a skin oil.
- Essential oil - You’re free to use any essential oils you prefer. Just make sure they’re gentle enough to use near the eyes.
Variations
Witch hazel infusion — You can add this natural astringent that reduces puffiness to your eye cream. After combining the beeswax and oil, warm 6 tablespoons of witch hazel in a small bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium and slowly pour in the coffee oil mixture. Continue mixing until a creamy emulsion forms, then transfer to a lidded jar.
Whipped eye cream — Infuse coconut oil with coffee and whip it with shea butter like this 2-ingredient body butter.
Caffeine eye oil — Leave out the wax and butter altogether and make an eye serum made with 6 drops of coffee essential oil per ounce of oil.
Want a harder or softer texture? — Your eye cream’s consistency has to do with the ratio of beeswax to oils. If you’d prefer a softer, more spreadable consistency, simply reduce the amount of beeswax and add more coffee-infused oil.
If you’ve already made your eye cream, then just scoop it from the tin, re-melt it, and add more oil. Try this vitamin-rich homemade eye cream if you want to experiment.
Storage
Carefully pour the balm mixture into clean, airtight containers. You can use small tins, lip balm tubes, or glass jars. Let the balm cool and solidify at room temperature.
Store your cream in the refrigerator since the cool temperature is also key to reducing under-eye puffiness. As long as you’re careful not to get any water in the mix, your eye cream should last 3 months.
Using Caffeine Eye Cream
Apply your caffeinated face cream 1–2 times a day for a quick pick-me-up. Dot around and underneath the eye area and allow it to sink in thoroughly (no need to rinse—just leave it on). Or apply a small amount anywhere you need some toning action and massage it into the skin.
If your face is feeling puffier than normal, one of my favorite tricks is to apply a cold dab of eye cream with a jade roller. This eye cream is perfect for use with a jade roller—its rich, moisturizing texture helps the jade just glide over the skin and smooth away any puffiness. It’s the ultimate self-care treat for the end of the day!
If you don’t have a jade roller, a jade gua sha tool is also an amazing skincare tool for promoting lymphatic drainage in the face. Like with the roller, the gua sha tool perfectly complements the rich texture of this cream for a reinvigorated under-eye area.
(What is gua sha? It’s a handheld tool that helps to relieve facial puffiness and muscle tension. Initially used in traditional Chinese medicine to promote the flow of “chi” or energy in the skin, it now has many uses for anti-aging.)
FAQ
You can, but be gentle, as using coffee grounds or caffeine powder directly on your skin might be too abrasive or intense. The eye area is delicate, so it’s generally safer to infuse caffeine into a carrier oil before applying it to your under-eye area.
To prevent puffiness, try elevating your head while you sleep and reducing your salt intake to reduce fluid buildup. For natural puffy eye relief, cover your eyes with cold spoons, potato slices, or cold tea bags.
A coffee oil infusion makes a great toning body oil or can easily be turned into a bronzing lotion bar.
Eye Care Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Caffeine Eye Cream Recipe
Equipment
- Three 2-ounce metal tins
- Heat-proof container and saucepan (or double boiler)
Materials
- ¼ cup fresh coffee grounds
- ½ cup carrier oil (sweet almond, grapeseed, jojoba)
- ½ ounce beeswax
- 3 capsules vitamin E oil
- 20 drops essential oil (lavender, chamomile, coffee, etc.)
Instructions
- Combine coffee grounds and carrier oil in a clean glass jar and let it infuse for 24–48 hours. Strain the oil into a heat-safe bowl and discard the grounds.
- Add the beeswax to the oil and submerge in a larger pot of water on low heat until the beeswax is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat.
- Add in the essential oil and vitamin E oil, stirring to combine.
- Transfer to a storage container or into small tin containers. Let the mixture sit at room temp to solidify, and store it in the refrigerator. Use within 3 months.
Notes
This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Rina Mary Allawh, M.D., a dermatologist who practices adult and pediatric medical dermatology, skin cancer treatment, and cosmetic dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice, and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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