Caffeine

What is Caffeine?

• It is proven that a cup of hot coffee can help uplift your senses and refresh you. This quality of coffee can be attributed to the presence of caffeine, which is a central nervous stimulant.

• Caffeine is basically a bitter white crystalline alkaloid. It is a stimulant drug that is found in varying amounts in the seeds, leaves and fruits of some plants.

• Caffeine is most commonly consumed in the form of tea, coffee, soft drinks and energy drinks.

• It is widely consumed in the form of infusions extracted from seeds of the coffee plant and leaves of the tea bush.

• Other sources include edibles containing products derived from the kola nut.

• Caffeine is often considered a harmful drug as it can be addictive. Taking it in the right dose can have positive effects on your health.

• Using caffeine causes an improvement in sports performance, increases alertness and reduces fatigue.

• It can temporarily ward off drowsiness and lift up your mood. Hence, unlike other psychoactive substances, caffeine is legal and unregulated in almost all parts of the world.

Benefits of Caffeine for Skin

Besides boosting your mood, caffeine can improve your skin as well. There is a reason cosmetic companies have started incorporating caffeine in their range of skincare products. Read on to know how:

1. Fights Free Radicals

Free radicals are responsible for causing premature skin aging. This results in the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of elasticity. Yeah, the feared three signs of aging!

But caffeine can help. The antioxidants contained in caffeine can attack these free radicals and eliminate them. This will improve the overall appearance of your skin. For this reason, caffeine is widely used in anti-ageing day and night creams in conjunction with retinol.

2. Soothes Inflammation

Caffeine possesses anti-inflammatory properties that make it useful in reducing inflammation and redness in your skin. Using caffeine in skincare products can reduce and prevent inflammation and redness and give you beautiful, even skin tone.

3. Treatment of Under Eye Dark Circles

Dark circles can be caused by various factors such as dehydration, allergies, lack of sleep or genetics. Even though caffeine cannot cure hereditary dark circles, its anti-inflammatory properties make it beneficial in reducing puffiness and inflammation associated with dark circles. Caffeine also reduces the accumulation of blood under your eyes which contribute to dark shadows.

You don’t have to go places in search of caffeine. Used tea bags would do too. Tea leaves contain caffeine. So you can put moist tea bags under your eyes for 5 minutes to reduce dark circles and puffiness without spending too much.

4. Reduces Cellulite

Caffeine present in skin care products can dehydrate fatty cells. This results in the water disappearing from the surface of your skin. This minimizes the appearance of cellulite, thus providing you with a smoother skin.

Research at the University of Sao Paulo has proven that the application of skin cream containing caffeine reduced the size of cellulite fat cells by 17%. A number of anti-cellulite creams are available that can decrease the appearance of cellulite. Another way to use caffeine is to add ground or instant coffee to regular body scrub at home.

5. Treatment of Rosaceae

Caffeine constricts blood vessels to reduce redness. This makes it an ideal treatment for facial flushing and rosaceae. When applied topically, caffeine works as a diuretic, aids in circulation and is also a powerful antioxidant. Thus, it has the ability to calm irritated and reddened skin caused by sun damage and rosaceae.

6. Repairs UV Damage

Studies have indicated that caffeine may also repair the skin damage caused by exposure to UV rays. It is considered a stronger antioxidant than the polyphenols contained in green tea. In fact, it is among the best and strongest antioxidants to combat UV damage.

7. Tightens Skin

Another added benefit of caffeine is that its topical use can tighten fine lines and smooth puffy skin. Caffeine used in creams is absorbed by your skin to firm and tighten its appearance. It also inhibits the growth of skin cancer cells. Beauty products often include caffeine as it can provide you with a flawless appearance.

Benefits of Caffeine for Hair

The length and quality of your hair depend on the health of your hair follicles and hair growth cycle. Caffeine stimulates not only your body and mind, but also your hair roots. It is often used as an ingredient in shampoos and other hair care products to improve hair growth and structure. It has the following hair benefits.

8. Treatment of Hair Loss

Men often experience hair loss due to the effects of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which affects susceptible hair follicles. Consequently, these follicles become smaller and finally disappear, causing baldness. This process, known as miniaturization of the hair follicles, adversely affects the growth phases of hair.

Caffeine, when applied topically, penetrates into the hair roots and stimulates them. Besides preventing male baldness and hair loss, it stimulates the hair roots in the scalps of women and triggers stronger hair growth.

For caffeine to be effective, allow the caffeine-containing shampoo to stay on your scalp for two minutes so that it can penetrate the hair roots.

9. Stimulates Hair Growth

Caffeine is considered a stimulant for hair follicles. Research by the International Journal of Dermatology indicated that topical treatment with caffeine resulted in the increase in average growth of hair follicles by around 46%. It also extended its life cycle by 33%. This is because caffeine can block the effect of DHT, which damages the hair follicles and is responsible for causing male pattern baldness.

10. Makes Hair Manageable

Besides strengthening the hair shaft, caffeine products add natural shine to your hair and make them more manageable.