I have to say I really enjoy eating nuts and all kinds of nuts especially almond nuts and pistachio nuts. But Kola nuts…. I don’t know about you, but definitely not a big fan.

They are used a lot in the eastern part of Nigeria and are relatively found in abundance there. I was only wondering how much of these nuts are consumed when I realized that it owes most of its bitter taste to a chemical called caffeine and nicotine. Caffeine is a very uncommon ingredient in skincare.

Here are some very interesting facts I gleaned off the web about caffeine in skincare

Alkaloid found in coffee, tea, and kola nuts. Caffeine is the chief stimulant in beverages such as coffee and tea. It’s often included in skincare products with claims that it will improve the look of cellulite or puffy eyes. Unfortunately, research into caffeine’s effects in this regard are mixed.

Applied to skin, caffeine may have skin-soothing properties. [1] It can penetrate skin and has a constricting effect, which can help improve the look of redness but also may be sensitizing.

Caffeine’s popularity in products related to cellulite is due to its distant relationship to aminophylline (an ingredient once thought to improve the look of cellulite), which is a modified form of theophylline, and caffeine contains theophylline. [2]

When it comes to puffy eyes, there is no research indicating caffeine can have any benefit when applied topically. However, caffeine does have potential as an antioxidant, so it isn’t a wasted ingredient in skincare products. [2,3]

 

Caffeine’s ability to constrict small blood vessels and reduce inflammation is an asset in a number of creams designed to minimize dark circles and sagging skin under the eyes. These same anti-inflammatory qualities serve caffeine well as an ingredient in cellulite creams, where caffeine’s ability to cause dehydration is put to good use drawing excess fluid from fat cells to improve the skin’s appearance.

 

Researchers are studying the potential use of caffeine in skin care products to prevent and possibly reverse the damaging effects of exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Mouse studies have shown that topical application of caffeine can cause cells damaged by radiation from the sun to “self-destruct.” In the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers reported in 2009 that they are closer to being able to exploit this finding as a potential treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancers.

 

So I decided to use some kolanuts lying around the house to make kolanut extract.

Here is what I did

 

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What do you think?… I am thinking cola creams and toners and masks….

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