DIY Caffeine Eye Serum

by | posted in: DIY Beauty | 135

Dark circles… puffy eyes… when I don't get enough sleep, it's pretty easy to tell with a quick glance. My solution: a simple DIY caffeine eye serum! I created this recipe after enjoying the results of another coffee-infused product.

Apparently, dark under eye circles are hereditary, and I'm sorry to say that I've passed the “gift” on to my children as well.  Sorry, chitlins! (They are still super cute.)

Dark circles are caused by oxygenated blood pooled beneath the eyes. Being horizontal as you sleep makes it worse – especially if you sleep on your tummy. (Guilty.)

So why do some people have worse circles than others? Some people just have thinner skin underneath their eyes than others! Apparently I'm one of them.

DIY caffeine eye serum made from coffee

Caffeine applied topically improves circulation and plumps up the skin, diminishing the appearance of the circles. It also works to bring puffiness down, so this diy caffeine eye serum going to be your new early-morning best friend! (Besides actual coffee, maybe.)

Coffee eye serum and coffee grounds. Caption: "Coffee Skin Benefits: improve circulation, brighten dark circles, depurr, reduce cellulite, brighten dead skin, exfoliate, energizing aroma, rich in antioxidants"

How to Make Coffee-Infused Caffeine Eye Serum

Supplies:

(All supplies are available on Amazon! Any caffeinated coffee will do – organic is ideal. As a lovely commenter pointed out below, light roast coffee has more caffeine!)

The first step is the longest: infuse some sweet almond oil with with ground coffee. Add 1/2 cup ground coffee  to a jar, then just enough sweet almond oil to cover the coffee grounds.

Close the jar tightly and let it sit in your cupboard for 4 or 5 days to infuse.

Using a cheesecloth, strain the infused oil into another jar or a clean bowl. Squeeeeeeze as much of the oil out as you can.

Add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and stir until combined

Bottle it up, baby! I added a couple coffee beans because it's cute and will continue to infuse my serum with caffeine.

(You'll have some leftover oil and coffee grounds that you should totally throw together to make a nice scrub – use it on your hands and feet to exfoliate and improve circulation!)

DIY caffeine eye serum: 1 oz dropper bottle with coffee infused oil

Don't want to DIY?

No worries. You can buy my handmade PERK serum – this is the exact method I use to make it! It's listed in the shop here.

I always use high-quality, organic ingredients when I make this serum.

Using Your DIY Caffeine Eye Serum

I use the caffeine serum as needed. If I remember to, I'll put it on as I head to bed if it's super late. Otherwise, I just put it on in the morning. Within 10 minutes, I'm looking much more refreshed!

Remember to use your ring finger to apply any and all eye products! It's the weakest finger, so it's the most gentle on the delicate skin around your eyes.

Fun ideas:

  • You don't have to keep this serum in the fridge for preservation, but it's not a bad idea: cold is great for puffy eyes, so it'll enhance the effects.
  • If you get your hands on a roller-ball applicator with a steel tip, that would be great for storing your serum. The cool steel would enhance the effects, too. (Edit: These are available from Rivertree Life on Amazon!)
  • I didn't have any vanilla essential oil on hand, but IF I DID, I totally would have added a drop to my eye serum. It would smell heavenly and aid the anti-aging effects.

Enjoy! Let me know if you try this recipe or if you find any cool ways to tweak it!

DIY caffeine eye serum made from coffee

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Kylie Wiser is an herbalist, writer, and educator on nature-based self care. She founded Everblossom in 2009 to share resources for natural living, green beauty, and mindfulness.

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135 Responses

  1. heather
    | Reply

    I need to make like a gallon of this stuff!! No matter how much sleep I get, I still always look like I’ve not slept in months!

    • Kylie
      | Reply

      Give it a try!

      If it’s a chronic issue, though, there might be something else you need to address. Brittany just told me that dark circles can be a sign of food allergies, too.

      • Kim
        | Reply

        I made a similar concoction using coconut oil and grape seed oil but instead of cheesecloth, I put the coffee in a sachet bag and put in a jar with the oil to infuse it.

        • Bella
          | Reply

          Omg I know this is an old post but I can’t believe I didn’t think about using a sachet….I tried this recipe as written and I couldn’t get any of the oil out. The coffee grounds had become completely saturated and squeezing of the cheesecloth just left me with coffee stained hands and no serum. Thank you so much for this idea!!

    • Eriana
      | Reply

      This is so cool – I have to try it – I have always made my own remedies because i have so many allergies; and i don’t like the crap and chemicals put in even what is supposed to be the safest products – plus there is the ridiculous cost. My doctor finally told me about the ‘hereditary’ thing – I got so tired of people always suggesting i wear makeup – which makes it worse! I’ve just invested in some glycerine, castile, vitamin E and aloe and have made my own soap and body lotion – but still have a mystery for my face and eyes! Thank you for this! I wonder if it would work with Virgin Olive oil?

    • Mary
      | Reply

      Hi 😄 I made this serum…minus the avocado oil…only because I forgot. For that matter it infused for 10 days lol because I would remember then forget immediately…this brew has been LIFE CHANGING!!!! I apply a few drops after taking my make up off…let my skin rest…then a few drops before bed…then a few drops before makeup in the morning…a perfect primer…I end up with a dewey look all day. Make up is less and smooths beautifully.I was told today from a friend I have known for years that I am looking soooo young…and I recently turned 44!! My face had turned very old due to excessive smoking and drinking…never thought I could regain my youth…but this serum literally has taken at least 5 years off my appearance. I know a lot of ladies in my community that could benefit from this…so I’m making up small batches for these ladies so they can learn the art of learning to love their skin again.THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH…It’s an amazing feeling to be able to get up in the morning and leave the house feeling beautiful 🌺🌺🌺

    • Samantha
      | Reply

      A lot of the over the counter stuff for eye bags and darkness has caffeine as their active ingredient, however, they also include quite a bit of chemicals I wouldn’t want to put on my face let alone that close to my eyes.

      • Shiva
        | Reply

        What would be the shelf life of this dark circles serum?
        Do we need a preservative to keep it for long?

  3. Ella
    | Reply

    Is there anything that can be substituted for the avocado oil? My local health store doesn’t have any in at the moment

    • Kylie
      | Reply

      Hey Ella! Pretty much any carrier oil would work. I chose avocado for its anti-aging properties, but you could easily just use more sweet almond oil.

    • Valerie
      | Reply

      I found Avocado Oil at Walmart with the cooking oil. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks!!

  4. sister_bliss
    | Reply

    What if I mix the coffee with coconut or castor oil or petroleum, because those are the stuff I always have in hand?

    • Kylie
      | Reply

      A warm infusion with coconut oil would work. Use a double boiler to warm the coffee grounds and coconut oil on the LOWEST heat possible. About 5 minutes would be fine, then just let it sit right on the stove until it’s cool enough to strain.

      • Jan
        | Reply

        Coconut oil is not a good idea to use under the eyes as it causes milias to form, which are those little white heads, and the skin around the eyes is prone to developing them.

        • Carol
          | Reply

          If you are going to use coconut oil on your face it should be “Fractionated”, also known as “100% MCT OIL” otherwise it clogs the pores.

  5. Jill
    | Reply

    Would this work as a balm? Could I maybe make the serum, then add coconut oil and/or some shea butter and refrigerate to keep it solid?

    • Kylie
      | Reply

      Sounds like a great idea! I wouldn’t add a butter to this finished product, since it might become too diluted to be effective. Just replace some of the avocado oil with shea butter or coconut oil. Let me know how it goes!

  6. Karen
    | Reply

    This is great! I made coffee ground scrub for my kids Eczema when it gets hot and inflamed. This idea is similar to that theory – to reduce inflammation! Thx for the recipe! And yes, using it COLD would definitely be great! And I always use the ring finger for around the eyes too!

  7. Kylie
    | Reply

    Hi Marcie – You can leave the aloe out but I’m not sure what would make a good replacement. The aloe is a pretty important ingredient, so let me know how it works if you try it without!

    • Laurie
      | Reply

      Your ingredients above did not include any aloe. Did you mean to say avocado, or did you forget to include aloe in your list of ingredients? I’m confused.

  8. Kylie
    | Reply

    Update: Marcie, try castor oil – a friend suggested it as an aloe substitute. Best of luck!

  15. Kelly
    | Reply

    My coffee and oil mixture sat for 4 days and I went to strain it and nothing came out.. Did I not add enough oil? Do you mix the oil in with the coffee or just enogh to have a small later on top? Thanks!

    • Kylie Worthington
      | Reply

      That is so interesting! Was it in an airtight container? I wonder if some coffees are more “absorbent” too! LOL. If I were you, I would try again with a different coffee or add more oil.

        • KjSk
          | Reply

          I had the same problem! It is still sitting on my counter. I Don’t want to give up on it yet. Any secret strategies for the squeeze??

    • Claire
      | Reply

      Same thing happeened to me. I used plastic wrap. I guess it needs to be air tight. Disappointed. I also may have had it sit 6days. I was looking for he avocado oil 🙂 Might just use as a body scrub instead. I hate to waste…

    • Bella
      | Reply

      This was a complete waste of coffee grounds, really expensive organic oil (I used argan oil), and time. The oil absorbed all the coffee and no matter how much I squeezed, all I got was coffee stained cheesecloth and some oil residue on my hands. Can someone please tell me why this didn’t work as written?

      • Kylie Wiser
        | Reply

        What a bummer! Argan oil is a light, thin oil that would be more easily absorbed by the coffee grounds. If you try again, it would be good to infuse a thick oil like avocado or jojoba with coffee, then add the argan oil after straining the coffee grounds out. I am sure that will work better for you! Best wishes.

  17. Ashlynn
    | Reply

    This looks so awesome! Just remember that coffee comes in different roasts and the difference between dark and light roast is caffeine content. Get a light roasted coffee for the most caffeine content! =) Happy DIY’s!

  19. Patty
    | Reply

    I wish I had seen Ashlynn’s post about using a light roast. I just made mine with dark roast. The serum is dark. Can I add more avacado oil to lighten it or will that weaken the caffiene too much. When I rubbed a small amount on the back of my hand it left my skin a little darker so that will defeat the purpose of the eye serum. It smells wonderful! The scent alone will wake me up in the mornings. Lol Thank you for your time.

    • Kylie Worthington
      | Reply

      It should still work! I am surprised it darkened your skin, you must have a very potent infusion! You could add more carrier oil OR use the serum right away when you wake up, then wipe away any residue 15 minutes later. The oils (+ caffeine!) should sink in by then.

      • Patty
        | Reply

        Thank you for the great idea. After sitting a couple of days it kinda separated so I have been using what was on top. I’ll mix it and then wipe off the extra after a few minutes.

      • Laura R
        | Reply

        I made mine with a medium-dark organic roast and after straining mine in 4 layers of cheese cloth it was still dark but testing it out I didn’t notice it leave a dark coating at all. I figured if it does, I’ll just wait like Kylie said then ripe any residuals off. 🙂 Super excited to see how this works – been battling bags under my eyes, one more than the other since allergies have been so bad this season & a tad bit of sleep loss maybe as well as not drinking enough water (all three are top causes for those pesky bags).

    • Lorie
      | Reply

      I also made mine today…not sure if I got it all squeezed out, but I definitely have serum that “looks” like coffee…i.e., very dark. I would guess adding more carrier oil would lighten, but wonder if it would “weaken” the caffeine effect.

  20. Christine
    | Reply

    I made a mixture of infused oil, sea buckthorn oil (i think it’s the fruit oil), aloe vera gel and 2 drops of callendula and rozemary essentil oils. You can try it too if you want. The sea buckthorn oil is full of vitamin E, A and C, along with beta carotene and fatty acids. find more here http://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/sea-buckthorn-oil.aspx.
    I’m super excited. I will come back with th results in 2 weeks

  22. Kenny Long
    | Reply

    Dear Kylie,

    Its sound good!!! I like coffee too ;-)))
    By the way, I want you advice that can i replay coffee ground by coffee Essential oil?? I will blend 24 drop of coffee EO with 1 oz Carrier oil ( Avocado & Sweet Almond )??

    Appreciate your comment,

    Best regards,
    Kenny Nguyen

  23. Summer
    | Reply

    would I be able to use coconut oil or olive oil in place of avocado oil? Or does that ruin the effects?

  26. Amy
    | Reply

    Hi, i infused coffee grounds in jojoba oil. I ended up with a good 2 ounces of nice oil from it. Should i mix and make up all the bottles i can with it now or just make up a small bottle for now and save the rest? How much would I add and what would I add to make a ! ounce bottle? Thank you

  28. Ana
    | Reply

    I’m severely allergic to tree nuts. Can I substitute the almond oil with anything else?

  31. Catherine
    | Reply

    Wow! So great! I’ve heard already-used tea bags and cucumbers can support our eyes, but ‘ve not known about coffee beans. Thank you very much for sharing this awesome idea! I’d like to ask if you have any idea about treating dry eyes. Please share with me if you have. Thank you so much!

  32. Emily R. Smith
    | Reply

    I will have to try this. Did you use this when pregnant? I can’t imagine this small amount of castor oil would induce labor but just wondered. 🙂

  35. Angela
    | Reply

    I have about half the sweet almond oil after the infusion than i started with. How much sweet almond and Avocado oil should i combine?

  37. Debra
    | Reply

    If sensitive to caffeine, I’d avoid using this before bed. I made a very similar version, and since I can’t bear wasting a bit of my lovely concoctions, the evening I strained (I used a coffee filter that I’d dampened slightly) and bottled mine, I swabbed all the drops left in the pan over my face, hands…wherever it would reach. I guess that might have been a tad bit of overdoing it. I was quite “perky” when I went to bed a little later! Lol. Great for the A.M., not so much at bedtime!
    I do love the roller ball idea; soothing and better portion control, tho a dropper bottle would be the most sanitary. And I am definitely going to drop a few coffee beans into mine. I LOVE that! Thanks so much!!

  40. Kathy
    | Reply

    Hello, is there a special type of cheesecloth I should buy? Or a preferred brand that works best for straining?

    • Barbara
      | Reply

      Put completed formula in roller ball bottle. Anxious to see it help
      my old age puffy eyes.

  46. Mama E
    | Reply

    Hi there! Great tutorial, TY!

    Another thing that can cause dark circles under the eyes is an illeocecal valve that is stuck open. I’m not sure if a closed valve can cause them, but I KNOW an open valve does for sure.

    An open ICV also USUALLY causes diarrhea, however, for some (like me & a some of my kiddos) it causes constipation. For my other kiddos, an open valve does cause the dark circles & diarrhea… so everybody does react differently to an open ICV. Just thought I would share that with you.

    We close our valves by massaging the pressure points for them. We know when we have an open valve by pressing down in the location of the valves & there is a tenderness, if we aren’t noticing other symptoms as constipation can be easy to forget about… diarrhea always ends right away or after one more bout after rubbing the pressure points. It’s AMAZING!

  49. nandini saini
    | Reply

    what do to if i don’t have avocado oil..is there any substitute for this..

  50. Deborah
    | Reply

    I made this!! And it’s lovely. I have a little bottle of vanilla in jojoba oil that I added and wow… the fragrance is beautiful! Smells like a dessert or a specialty coffee. Just started using the serum tonight… can’t wait to see if it helps with puffy eyes and dark circles. Thank you for sharing this recipe – so much fun.

  51. Lady N
    | Reply

    Does the ground coffee have to be strained from the oil to be used or can it be kept in the almond and avocado oil.

    • Kylie Worthington
      | Reply

      It’s really good to strain it, otherwise you’ll have coffee grounds on your skin! Cheesecloth or a fine woven cloth works well. If having coffee dust on your skin doesn’t bother you, you can leave it, and in fact you would probably find that you end up with an even stronger serum over time. 🙂

  52. ella higgins
    | Reply

    when you say coffee ground do you mean brewed coffee grounds or unbrewed, right from the can.

  53. Darlene Young
    | Reply

    Desperate! Serum sounds great and I am going to make some later today. How wet should coffee be after adding oil. Seems like a lot because the only serum squeezed out is the amount of (oil) liquid put in. Seems like there would be little serum squeezed out.

  55. shruti
    | Reply

    hey ! what do you mean by ground coffee ? cant we use instant coffee powder that we buy ?
    and can we use almond hair oil ?

  59. Maritsa
    | Reply

    I’m going to try this serum. Although I have a couple of questions.

    Does the coffee bean need to be whole? Would the resulting serum not be more concentrated if coarsely chopped, or even ground, coffee beans were used?

    Also, other than the natural phytochemicals in coffee, is there any other advantage to using coffee beans? Or, could caffeine tablets be used?

    Thanks for your input.

  60. Carmen Michelle
    | Reply

    How long does this last before it expires? Like what can be done to preserve it?

  61. Gerard
    | Reply

    Hello. Is there alternative for almond oil. Can I use jojoba oil. To infuse the coffee beans?

  62. Audrey
    | Reply

    I read that it will last for months in a cool, dry, dark place. Could you add a couple drops of Vitamin e oil or squeeze out a vitamin e capsule into it to help preserve it?

  65. Paula
    | Reply

    Loving this recipe! Swapped out the rose-hip oil for the avocado seed oil (I’m 53) and very pleased with the results. Better than anything I’ve ever bought!!

  67. Kiran Dodeja Smith
    | Reply

    Love this!! I need to try this. I don’t have dark circles, but definitely get tired eyes. I’m a sucker for coffee anyhow, so this is right up my alley:).

  69. Mary
    | Reply

    cant wait to try this recipe. thank you for sharing!! how long would it take to see results? and would my eye circles come back if i stop using this serum? also, i dont have a cheese cloth. is there anything i can use instead to strain it?

  70. Sherry
    | Reply

    Since caffeine is soluble in water, how can steeping coffee grounds in oil extract caffeine?

  74. Katie
    | Reply

    In regard to the people asking why it didn’t work your coffee may have been ground too fine. Also, while lighter roasts do have more caffeine, the actual difference is minute and you honestly aren’t going to see too much of a difference unless you’re using a very dark roasted (and I mean dark, charred more like) or a decaf bean. Alternatively you could use a green coffee bean extract, the fruit before roasted (probably more caffeine). Also, having worked at a coffee roaster the whole organic coffee thing is mostly a marketing scheme. But honestly, don’t buy fancy coffee for this. Get in to the habit of supporting a local coffee roaster that does business ethically and then use your beans that are stale (literally you don’t need fresh, you’re essentially making cold brew for your face and literally you can use old old old coffee for cold brew and taste no difference, it’s why it’s sustainable and awesome so do the same with your skin care pls). You drink good coffee, your skin gets good products it’s a win win.

  75. Ally Stockton
    | Reply

    I have an anaphylactic allergy to all nuts including almonds. Is there another oil I could use to infuse with the coffee?

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