ALL ABOUT COFFEE OIL – BENEFITS AND USES FOR SKIN CARE

IN ESSENCE…

• Coffee as an energizing drink gained its popularity in the Arabian Peninsula around the 15th century, also bringing about the rise the first Coffee shops.
• Early cultivation of Coffee began in Yemen and spread to other Asian countries where it became an important trading commodity and eventually spread to other parts of the world such as Europe and North America.
• Diffuse some Coffee Oil in the room to make yourself feel refreshed; use it as a carrier oil to make your own mixture to apply on the skin; make a hair mask; Coffee Oil is a trove full of health benefits meant to be unlocked.
• With its wealth of beneficial fatty acids and flavonoids that are rich in antioxidants, along with anti inflammatory properties, Coffee Oil helps skin and hair look lively and moisturized.

HISTORY OF COFFEE & COFFEE OIL

Coffee Oil is a concentrated aromatic oil that comes from green, non-roasted, Coffee beans or roasted Coffee beans. Coffee itself is a significant commodity for many nations and has made it all around the world though new and old trade routes. Its history can be traced back to the 15th century when cultivation and trade began to flourish on the Arabian Peninsula. The first Coffeehouses were born in Mecca and in Constantinople during the 15th and 16th centuries after it became a popular energizing drink. Much like today’s Coffeehouses, these were places for meeting and socializing, where patrons would listen to music, enjoy performances, discuss the news, and exchange ideas. Among other possibilities, it is thought that the name ‘Coffee’ comes from Caffa / Kaffa, a southern province in Ethiopia where Coffee was firsts believed to be cultivated.

By the 16th century, cultivation of Coffee had spread to Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, and by the 17th century, it had made its way to Europe. Initially, there was much resistance from religious communities who were opposed to the introduction of this new product. However, nothing could obstruct Coffee’s growing popularity. Its reputation preceded itself; and by the end of the 17th century, Coffeehouses were also flourishing in continental Europe, Britain, and the British colonies in America. It was also around this time that Coffee started to feature as a beverage best paired with breakfast.

Up until this time, the province of Yemen in Southern Arabia was the world’s main supplier of Coffee. Shortly after, however, cultivation spread to the Indonesian archipelago and to the Americas in the 18th century. It had even managed to reach the Hawaiian Islands by 1825. In the 18th century, the Dutch fostered a growing trade from the city of Java, that later expanded to Celebes and Sumatra. Coffee’s legacy throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America grew out of the far-reaching trade of Coffee around the world. It is believed that all the Coffee now grown in these areas originated from a single tree gifted by the mayor of Amsterdam in 1714 to King Louis XIV. He later had it planted in Martinique, where over the next 50 years, millions of Coffee trees were grown throughout the island and its surrounding region. This new and expansive growth of Coffee in South America shifted the global balance of production, and by the 20th century, Brazil had become the world’s most prominent Coffee producer. This is an interesting fact considering all the Coffee now grown in the Americas originated from one tree in a Dutch botanical garden. Today, Brazil still holds the title of most prominent Coffee producer in the world.

Coffea arabica is the earliest cultivated species of the Coffee tree and still the most widely grown. All fine specialty Coffees come from Coffea arabica, which produces approximately 70% of the world’s Coffee. Coffee of the Coffea arabica variety are dramatically superior in quality to the other principal commercial Coffee species.

New Directions Aromatics carries two varieties of the Coffee Oil, which are:

• Coffee Oil – Green
• Coffee Oil – Roasted

Coffee Oil – Roasted can be burned like incense as a room deodorizer; this can also help to lift your mood and alleviate stress. Coffee Oil – Green, on the other hand, is better suited for skincare products. Both oils contain high levels of caffeine and are known to be loaded with flavonoids and antioxidants. When blended with other oils for topical application, the oil has many positive effects on the skin.

BENEFITS AND COMPOSITION OF COFFEE OIL

The Coffee Oil’s active chemical components contribute to its reputed benefits of being invigorating, refreshing, and a highly aromatic oil. Coffee Oil has a range of benefits such as anti-inflammatory properties which helps reduce soreness in the muscles. The oil is also rich in antioxidants and flavonoids which provide protection from the effects of free radicals, increase immunity, restore moisture to the skin, help the appearance of puffy eyes, and also help improve the production of collagen. In other uses, the essential oil can help to uplift your mood when diffused, stimulate appetite, maintain a healthy immune system, aid respiratory health, and help improve the appearance of dark spots, maturing skin, and skin damage caused by UV rays.

Each variety of Coffee Oil has a slightly different scent. Coffee Oil that is sourced from roasted beans has a fresh scent while Coffee Oil from green Coffee beans has a sweeter aromatic profile. In natural perfume, the Coffee Oil, whether it is Green or Roasted, adds a nice aroma without overpowering your senses and pairs well with citrus oils when blended. The common chemical constituents in both the Coffee Oil variants include flavonoids and fatty acids such as, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid.

FLAVONOIDS are known to:

• Help build defense against free radicals
• Possess antioxidant properties
• Possess anti-inflammatory properties

LINOLEIC ACID is known to:

• Add moisture to the skin
• Benefit maturing skin
• Improve the appearance of damaged skin
• Help promote skin regeneration

PALMITIC ACID is known to:

• Possess anti-inflammatory properties
• Have emollient properties
• Help heal rashes, dryness and insect bites on the skin
• Help remove excess oil from skin

OLEIC ACIDS are known to:

• Help calm and soothe skin
• Help balance and repair skin damage
• Possess antioxidant properties

STEARIC ACID is known to:

• Possess cleansing properties
• Help soothe damaged skin
• Have emulsifying properties
• Help stabilize the texture in skin products

Coffee Oil is a favorite in the aromatherapy arena. Its health benefits when added with other essential oil / carrier oil blends include lending a hand in maintaining healthy skin by helping to control excess oil and improve the appearance of dark spots. The fatty acids in the oil are known to have cleansing properties that remove excess sebum from the skin. Its high antioxidant content helps in retaining moisture in the skin. Due to its benefits for the skin and mood, Coffee Oil is used largely in diffusers, body butters, body scrubs, under-eye lotions, and body lotions, and many other cosmetic products.

CULTIVATING AND HARVESTING QUALITY COFFEE BEANS

Native to Ethiopia and tropical Africa, the Coffee plant is an evergreen plant that can grow up to 15 feet. They are attractive plants; known for their glossy green leaves, and little white flowers. As the plants mature, the flowers turn into fruit containing the seeds that eventually develop into the beans that the world loves.

The most popular commercial Coffee, Coffea arabica, although mainly cultivated in Brazil is also grown in India, Indonesia, and other Asian countries. Ideal climate conditions for Coffea arabica include temperatures between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius (73-82 degrees Fahrenheit), annual rainfall in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 mm (60-80 inches), and a dry period of two to three months.

Typically, Coffee plantations are established in cleared forestland, and shrubs are planted in rows, with density ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 plants per hectare. Shrubs are planted at the beginning of the rainy season and require little maintenance until they start producing fruit, which occurs after three to five years. Up to this time, they must be regularly trimmed to provide a balanced structure, which facilitates fruit production. Once fruit appears, it takes about seven to nine months for it to mature, turning from green to a rich reddish-purple. Ripe fruits are known as ‘Coffee cherries’, and each cherry houses two seeds – the Coffee ‘beans’ in their raw form.

Traditionally, Coffee plants were grown in the shade, however recent findings have shed light on the practice, and it is increasingly common for producers to cultivate the plants with little to no shade. Provided appropriate care is afforded to the plants with frequent trimming, weeding, and fertilization, the reduction of shading can greatly enhance harvest yields.

Harvesting is a painstaking affair that is done by hand. Selective picking is the optimal practice for a quality harvest; this involves examining the state of each plant and selecting only the best cherries to pick. As the time required to reach maturity may vary among plants, several rounds of selective picking may be necessary for a full harvest. When crops ripen evenly from favorable growing conditions, another harvesting method known as ‘stripping’ can be employed; this involves simply picking all possible cherries, regardless of ripeness or lack thereof.

EXTRACTING OIL FROM COFFEE BEANS

Once harvesting is complete, Coffee cherries and their beans are processed using either a traditional dry methodology, a wet methodology, or a hybrid ‘pulped natural’ methodology. Typically employed with lower-quality beans, the traditional dry methodology is used in favorable climates. Once harvested, the cherries are hand-picked and cleaned with water, then spread out to dry in the sun. Any fermentation is prevented through this time-consuming method. The wet processing method, on the other hand, is less labor-intensive and yields more uniformly high-quality beans and is employed in climates not conducive to cultivate Coffee plants. Under this method, after the pulp is removed immediately after harvesting. After the beans are stored in holding tanks and allowed to ferment for a short period of time, they are washed and dried in the sun, or with hot air driers. The pulped-natural processing is a third method that combines some elements from both dry and wet processing. In this method, cherry pulps are removed mechanically, after which beans are dried without undergoing fermentation. Any remaining residue is not removed until after the beans have been dried.

Once processed, oil can be extracted either from the green beans or from beans that have been roasted. While the green beans are soft, spongy, and possess a slightly grassy aroma, roasting brings about chemical changes that endow the beans with their characteristically rich Coffee aroma and corresponding flavor profile. Roasting also reduces the amount of caffeine present in the green beans. Depending on the temperature and duration of the roasting process, as well as any pre-treatment given to the beans, it is possible to obtain greatly different flavor profiles and a variety of caffeine concentrations. Beans lose some moisture weight when they are roasted but they are also known to expand physically due to changes in their cellulose structure. Extraction should then take place soon after roasting to preserve the potency of the aroma.

Cold pressing is the preferred method of Coffee oil extraction because it does not interfere with the properties of the oil and the chemical constituents from the beans remain intact. This method is performed by crushing or grinding the beans under a millstone or using an oil press. Because the mechanical action of grinding generates heat, the temperature must be closely monitored during the cold pressing process to ensure the oil’s integrity is not compromised. The temperature should remain below 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) to maintain the oil’s integrity.

Green Coffee beans produce oil that is light brown to yellow in color, while roasted beans produce oil that is green to dark brown. The oil obtained from green Coffee beans is nearly odorless while the oil obtained from roasted beans possesses the signature Coffee aroma.

USES OF COFFEE OIL

Coffee Oil is a fantastic ingredient in all kinds of cosmetic applications. From massage butter to body scrubs, beauty bars to bath blends, lotions to lip balms, and hair care to craft perfumes, Coffee Oil is about as versatile as you can imagine. Although it has properties that are more in line with a carrier oil, it can also be used as an essential oil.

In perfumery, the scent of Coffee is adaptable and tends to pair well with a variety of strong aromatic essences such as resins, woods, spices, tobacco, and leather. It often features in men’s fragrances, which makes it particularly suitable for men’s care products. Because Coffee is often used as an olfactory cleanser, Coffee Oil (Roasted) is also a great ingredient to use in a blend meant to help mask other odors. This is beneficial for anyone who is regularly exposed to strong odors as part of their work or hobbies and does not want them lingering on the skin.

With amazing moisturizing qualities, Coffee Oil – Green has great benefits for skin and hair to help improve their condition. Many people use Coffee Oil – Green for skin because its helps promote a youthful appearance by firming the skin and improving its appearance. This is one of the best ingredients for maintaining your skin and you can even create your own Coffee face mask. Mix together equal parts of Coffee Oil (Roasted) and Olive Oil. Apply on the face and massage in a circular motion. Leave it on for 15-30 minutes, and rinse with warm water for skin that looks and feels rejuvenated.

Another way to use Coffee Oil – Green, is by applying the oil onto your hair to help reduce damaged ends and smooth out the texture. Blend some Coffee Oil with Argan Oil and apply the mixture to your hair. Coat a generous amount of the blend into your hair, allow the oil to saturate the hair for a couple hours, and then rinse off. This method helps nourish hair down to the roots to improve the feel and appearance of hair and the scalp.

Coffee Oil is especially useful if you need to get rid of those puffy dark circles around the eyes. To ½ teaspoon of Coffee Oil and ½ teaspoon of Olive Oil, add 2-3 drops of water to make a small paste. Gently pat underneath the eyes without rubbing. Leave the mixture on for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with water or gently wipe the mask off with a soft cloth or cotton ball.

You can diffuse Coffee Oil (Roasted) in the living room to liven up the general atmosphere. The smell of Coffee is nothing less than intoxicating when it is spreading through the house giving you and those around you an uplifting and warming feeling. The Coffee aroma has the ability to lift your mood and help with anxiety and stress. Pair it with other oils like Vanilla or Cocoa in your diffuser to enjoy the beautiful aroma and beat that mid-afternoon slump. You may even find it to be as good as an actual, warm cup of Coffee.

A GUIDE TO VARIETIES OF COFFEE OIL

Important Notes on the Coffee Oil – Green: May appear to be cloudy. Potential cloudiness is caused by the oil’s natural wax content. If this is a concern, prior to using, place the product inside a bowl of hot water (while it is still in its original container) and allow it to remain in this bath until it attains the ideal degree of clarity.

CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR COFFEE OIL

As with all other New Directions Aromatics products, Coffee Oil is for external use only. Topical use of this product may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction in some individuals. To minimize the risk of experiencing an adverse reaction, we recommend performing a skin patch test prior to use. The test can be performed by applying a dime-sized amount of Coffee Oil to a small area of skin that is not known to be sensitive. In the event of an adverse reaction, immediately discontinue use of the product and see a medical healthcare professional for appropriate remedial action.