Shock: What Happens to Hair When You Apply Just a Teaspoon of Coffee?
Does black coffee affect hair growth, and can it contribute to hair lengthening? Here's what studies have discovered.
Black coffee has become a popular trend in the world of beauty lately, thanks to the claim that it encourages hair growth when mixed with shampoo. This claim is mainly based on the caffeine in coffee, whose effect on hair has been researched in certain aspects.
How might caffeine promote hair growth?
Caffeine, considered a stimulant, improves blood circulation to the scalp—which may help accelerate the metabolism in hair follicles.
A study conducted in 2007 and published in the International Journal of Dermatology found that caffeine positively impacts hair follicle growth and even inhibits the growth of the hormone DHT, known to cause hair loss in men and women.
Further studies examining caffeine's effect on this hormone found that caffeine also helped stimulate hair growth in follicles influenced by it.
An additional interesting study, published in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, demonstrated that caffeine penetrates the skin and directly affects hair follicles—when applied consistently on the scalp.
Is adding coffee to shampoo effective?
While there is evidence that caffeine can locally encourage hair growth, no established research proves that directly mixing black coffee into shampoo is effective.
The reasons for this:
1. The concentration of caffeine in black coffee is not controlled.
2. Caffeine absorption might be limited due to the short exposure time during washing.
So, what should be done?
One can prepare a particularly effective 'paste' containing a quarter cup of coconut oil or olive oil, to which a teaspoon of coffee is added. It is recommended to apply the paste twice a week, each time for about an hour.
