20 replies to this topic

[Stefanovic]

There have been quite a few discussions on forskolin and increasing melanocytes on this and other forums but I must say I'm getting results:

I used the formula Orazio used in 2009 on mice: mixed 80 grams of coleus forskohlii 20 % with 60 ml propyglene glycol and 140 ethanol. I've been doing this for 2-3 weeks on a spot near my wrist and the color difference is very obvious especially when I'm outside. People ask me if I have a big birthmark over there. I'm a type 1 and haven't been in the sun.

The solution though is pretty dirty, would be very dirty if you apply it this way all over your body but it's definetely not a stain, I've been using all sorts of pads and lotions to remove sunless tanners and it doesn't remove anything.

Of course we have to look into another way for penetration or putting it into a lotion but it works for melanocytes increase.

I used melanotan before and it also darkened my hair. I shaved the hair on my wrist and so far the new growth is still ginger yellowish. If it also increases melanocytes, there must be a way to reach hair follicles too, maybe something needs to be added to have an impact on the melanocytes of hair.

[cherrysilver]

A few quick questions for you on this, Stefanovic:

1. Are you planning to try this on the rest of your body to see what result looks like?
2. Does the color on the spot on your wrist look like a slightly darker, natural tan? Have you tried to stop treating it to see how long it would take to fade?
3. With regard to the melanotan, did your hair return to its' natural color? If so, how long did it take. Also, if you have other than brown eyes, did you notice any darkening of your iris?

Tx!

Edited by cherrysilver, 26 August 2010 - 08:59 PM.

[Stefanovic]

Hey cherrysilver,

I would like to use it on the rest of my body but I need more help on mixing this. The solution I have now is dirty so it looks very dark brown after having applied it to my wrist but if I'd use it this way all over my body I'd look like a monster.

The color looks darker, it's especially noticable outside, like having a birthmark, it looks like an even tan. I haven't stopped treating it, so I can't say anything about how fast it fades. But I think it's really about stimulating melanocytes, not a fake tanner as it doesn't fade when showering a lot and using pads to remove sunless tans ( and on sunless tans they work wonders)

My hair returned to its natural ginger after two weeks of not using melanotan. I have blue eyes but they remained blue when I was on melanotan.

I'm still looking for a good penetrator for hair to add to the forskolin. I guess it's all about penetration and as it darkens skin stimulating melanocytes, it must do the same for hair.

[maxwatt]

I suspect the solution is not clear because you are using a low purity extract of forskolin. High purity extracts (>90%) are extremely expensive, or were when I researched sources a few years ago.

[drunkfunk]

they are still very expensive, but wouldn't you need lees of it since 20% is already producing results?

what's also strange is that the OP kind of extracted an 'extract' so shouldn't it have come out as a clear solution?

[cherrysilver]

Stefanovic - Did the extract dissolve completely in your solution? If not maybe straining it through a paper towel would help. The purer extracts are off-white in color which should work for you. But, Maxwatt is right, they're still quite expensive:

http://www.sigmaaldr...=0&QS=ON&F=SPEC

When I compare that to other methods of tanning, it's definitely worth it, at least for me. As a light-skinned, freckled redhead, I *didn't* want to try melanotan because it might darken my hair (just love it!) and eyes. It would be interesting to see if forskolin would work as a scalp topical for you. If it did, think about all the grey haired people lining up for it!

Came across an interesting application of forskolin for topical fat loss:

http://www.ankalet.c...a/coleus953.htm

I'd probably just mix the extract up and put in a spray bottle (maybe with some Cosmoperine or black pepper extract for penetration), exfoliate well and apply (or use a cotton pad). If you decide to go with a purer extract sooner rather than later, I'd be most interested in hearing your results!

[Stefanovic]

The extract dissolved but the solution is dark, compare it with brown paint or chocolate jelly. after applying it to your skin, it takes a while to dry. It's definetely not practical to apply it all over your body this way. But it works, my skin was still a bit tanned from melanotan, so the difference would be a whole lot more significant if I wouldn't have used melanotan.

it's most obvious outside when the sun is shining a bit.

for hair: I guess it's all about penetration and reaching the follicles. If it increases skin melanocytes, it's just a matter of penetration to darken hair.

I used 80 grams and put it in a jar. I just wonder how much of it you need to have results...

[cherrysilver]

Well, I can guarantee that if you didn't like it on your skin, you're definitely not going to like it on your hair! Sounds like the purer extract may be way to go, but only with testing will you find out if it will darken your hair.

[Ben]

This is really interesting Steff. Keep us posted

[Stefanovic]

Thanks, Ben. I'm sure it works now. The challenge will be how to formulate it a bit better, also to reach the hair follicles and to be a bit practical than what I'm currently using.

[Stefanovic]

I got a good idea from someone to penetrate hair follicles with this forskolin. Caffeine has been proven to be a good hair penetrator, so I was thinking about making a mix with forskolin ( don't know if it would be best to mix the powder or the solution I already have)
Here's a website with information

http://www.alpecin.c...howitworks.html

[jetsfan]

I got a good idea from someone to penetrate hair follicles with this forskolin. Caffeine has been proven to be a good hair penetrator, so I was thinking about making a mix with forskolin ( don't know if it would be best to mix the powder or the solution I already have)
Here's a website with information

http://www.alpecin.c...howitworks.html

hey stefanovic,

how is the color now that it has been a month?

did you stop applying the forskolin?

any recommendations on a supplier, i noticed quite a few, not sure if one has a reputation for possessing high quality?

i have fair skin that does not tan easily and have to go tanning once a week just to keep from being very pale, so i might try something similar to you on a part of my body, and then apply to the rest of my body. i would prefer if it didn't change my hair color, so I am actually pleased to hear, from what it sounds like i could apply to my whole body and scalp without changing my hair color?

any more thoughts after a month, or tips?

also what was your experience like with melanotan-1?

thanks for sharing!

[cherrysilver]

Be careful with experimenting with the forskolin. I spoke with Elsom Research and they said that at high concentrations, it can act as a poison.

[jetsfan]

did they say what levels are considered "high"? i was going to start with the 80g formula at the top of the thread, what I would like to know is how to scale that formula, for example if i mix 80 grams of coleus forskohlii 20 % with 60 ml propyglene glycol and 140 ethanol, what surface area of my skin would that be appropriate for if i spread the entire solution evenly over a surface area of my skin? thanks for your reply

[cherrysilver]

did they say what levels are considered "high"? i was going to start with the 80g formula at the top of the thread, what I would like to know is how to scale that formula, for example if i mix 80 grams of coleus forskohlii 20 % with 60 ml propyglene glycol and 140 ethanol, what surface area of my skin would that be appropriate for if i spread the entire solution evenly over a surface area of my skin? thanks for your reply

No, Dr. Yechiel didn't specifically say what would be considered a high level/toxic to your system. However, if you're going to be applying this over a large surface area, that would certainly be something I'd think about. You may want to email him or Dr. Orazio for more info.

[niner]

Here's the text of the Scientific American article linked above:

Sun seekers and tanning-bed junkies take note: Researchers have induced honest-to-goodness suntans in mice without exposing them to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Instead, they rubbed a lotion into the critters' skin that activated their tanning machinery, which then protected the mice from UV's cancer-causing effects. The animals carried a mutation making them fair skinned and unable to tan otherwise, like human redheads, suggesting that a similar tanning trick might help even the pastiest of us bask in the sun without worry.

True redheads are famous for having fair skin that tends to burn, not tan. These individuals often have an abnormality in pigment-producing skin cells called melanocytes. Normally, when ultraviolet radiation strikes the skin, a receptor protein on the surface of melanocytes known as MC1R kicks into gear, causing the cells to produce the pigment melanin. In many redheads, MC1R has an altered shape that hampers its response to the usual biochemical signals initiated by UV light. Researchers wondered, though, could the melanin machinery be turned on in these individuals anyway?

In mice at least, the answer is yes. A team studied rodents carrying a mutated Mc1r gene and bred to have melanocytes in their skin, as opposed to their fur. As might be expected, under increasingly strong UV irradiation, the animals skipped the tanning stage and went directly to burn. Then the researchers applied the plant compound forskolin, which is known to promote cellular production of a molecule called cyclic AMP, a chemical that the normal MC1R also targets. When anointed daily with forskolin, the mice developed a rich caramel hue, report David Fisher of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and colleagues in the September 21 Nature. "After a couple of weeks they were virtually black," Fisher says. These bronzed rodents were nearly as resistant to UV-induced sunburn as naturally black-colored mice, and even animals especially prone to skin cancer saw fewer and slower-developing tumors when slathered with forskolin. Fisher says his group is working to identify a compound that would offer similar protection to people and is safe to apply.

"It's a very elegant study," says skin cancer researcher Meenhard Herlyn of the University of Pennsylvania. "We can now test new compounds to induce pigmentation, and that has major ramifications for the future prevention of skin cancer. It makes me quite optimistic." Others note the value added by studying the right mouse. "This is an incredibly good example of how mouse models can be used to gain insight into human disease or prevention," says Glenn Merlino of the National Cancer Institute.

So they imply an unacceptable toxicity, but don't elaborate in the abstract.

J Nat Prod. 2009 Apr;72(4):769-71.
In vitro skin diffusion study of pure forskolin versus a forskolin-containing Plectranthus barbatus root extract.

Chen J, Hammell DC, Spry M, D'Orazio JA, Stinchcomb AL.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, USA.
Abstract

An in vitro skin diffusion study of pure forskolin (1) versus a 1-containing Plectranthus barbatus root extract (P. barbatus extract) in hairless guinea pig skin and human skin in a flow-through diffusion cell system was conducted and is being reported for the first time. Both topical agents were formulated in a solution of 70% ethanol and 30% propylene glycol (v/v). The results showed that forskolin can be delivered through the stratum corneum and that the flux of this compound was enhanced when 1 was delivered as a constituent of the P. barbatus extract as compared to an equivalent amount in pure form. These results suggest that the P. barbatus extract used contains permeation enhancement activity from other compound(s) contained in the crude root extract. It is possible that P. barbatus root extract may be used as an economical source of 1 to perform topical chemical manipulation of pigmentation in high-risk populations.

PMID: 19281221

But these guys imply that it would be better than being exposed to sun for "high-risk populations". I wonder what they mean by "high risk"? People with Xeroderma Pigmentosum? Albinos? Redheads? Australians? Forskolin is used systemically, so it can't be that bad as a topical.

Edited by niner, 08 October 2010 - 09:11 PM.

[cherrysilver]

Yes, but for the most part they're using the dried herb as opposed to using ultra-pure concentrated extractions over a large surface area...

[Stefanovic]

I think it's about using the right concentration. Look at this for instance: http://www.beautydeb...h-serum-review/
an eyelash serum produced darkening of the new eyelash growth. I think if we'd know the concentration and what acts as a penetrator, we could formulate something.

[Kawatche]

(Posting here as this topic is exactly what I have in mind and starting a new, on the same subject with the same resources, is... blegh.)

A goal of mine for the past few years has been to darken my hair (or brownify it, to be more accurate) and aside from hair dye, this is in my opinion the best option. So, continuing on Stefanovic's experiments: Would a mixture of forskolin (for the melanocytes) and a medium that can reach the hair follicles be viable? I am not crazy about adding the ethanol though, but the tincture would be something like forskolin+caffeine shampoo/conditioner/leave-in cream (I am more inclined to the conditioner as shampooing everyday isn't all that great for your hair).
The real tricky part would of course be to adjust the mixture so it focuses on the hair and not the skin, so it won't look like you suffer from some scalp disease.





Eyelash serum ingredients: From what I can tell, this contains mostly preservatives (the parabens), moisturizing agents and herbs/fruit extracts, all of which I doubt have any other purposes than just adding nutrients. Perhaps the serum just coats the shafts and make them look darker rather than actually penetrating to reach the follicle?
Aqua (Water), Sodium Lactate, Carbomer, Hydrolyzed Sericin, Glycerin, Maltodextrin, Phenoxyethanol, Alcohol Denat, Phosphatidylcholine, Sodium Hydroxide, Allantoin, Dextran, Hypericum Perforatum (St. John's Wort) Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (With Hazel) Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Extract, Urtica Diodica (Nettle) Extract, Coleus Forskohlii Root Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

[Stefanovic]

Hadnt seen this last post. Hopefully some other people can elaborate on it. The conditioner plus forskolin idea seems promising, just hope someone would help us out.

[Mirko1985]

It's veen a while, have you continued with the forskolin? What kind or brand of forskolin did you use? Where did you buy it?