I love chocolate and I love products from a certain store which sells lovely handmade beauty smellies made from natural products, or I did until recently!
Over Christmas I was lucky enough to be given some delicious plain chocolate and some lovely smellies. Tucking into the chocolates one evening, I started to feel slightly edgy and woozy; naturally, I “persevered” eating the chocolates as they were yummy, but this nasty feeling persisted, so I stopped eating them.
It’s worth mentioning at this stage that I discovered a few months ago that I have a sensitivity to caffeine. At that time, the only thing I knowingly consumed containing caffeine was the drink Coca-cola, I don’t drink tea or coffee, but I did drink rather a lot of Cocoa Cola. The affects one day were not pleasant – severe palpitations coupled with a fuzzy feeling so severe that I had to tell “someone” that I wasn’t ready to go just yet!
I tested this feeling with a drink of Coca-cola now and again over a 2 week period and decided that I did not want a repeat experience, so now don’t drink Coca-cola at all. I hasten to add that I am not given to psychosomatic tendencies.
So, back to the cocoa. The box of smellies contained a deliciously smelling bar which promised to make my skin beautifully soft. I surrounded myself in a heady aroma as I rubbed it all over and one particular evening before going to bed I rubbed it over my neck (which was looking a bit crêpey) and shoulders. That night I had an horrendous nightmare. The following evening I repeated the process of using the bar and again an horrendous nightmare. Racking my brain as to why I should have nightmares, something I don’t recall having possibly since a child, I looked at the ingredients in the bar and, guess what? – cocoa and cocoa contains, caffeine.
They say we learn something new each day, this was a learning experience I could well have done without. But it does mean that I can “research” and test lots of other lovely smellies!
Posted by Jackie Groundsell on 09/01/2010 15:46:54
Jackie Groundsell is known as the queen of women's business networking lunches - the Connector. She supports thousands of small business owners through her events and lunch-time meetings