Skincare and beauty trends are a funny thing. They can be really intense, like microneedling with PRP (platelet rich plasma) – which is just plain weird to put your own blood on your face – to dyeing your armpit hair (hey, whatever floats your boat) . I like weird; but when it comes to my beauty routine, I just want simplicity. I’ve fallen in love with the growing trend of holistic health and wellness in the last several years, but when the whole marijuana-infused skincare and beauty thing began trending, I was skeptical.
Will I get high? Will I smell like a bong?
The answer is no.
Is it worth investing in?
I say yes.
Cannabis has both the compound THC, which gets you high, and cannabinoid (CBD), which is not psychoactive. At first, people latched onto the studies that found CBD is capable of alleviating inflammation, nausea, anxiety, etc. Soon even my grandma was seeking out CBD tinctures for her arthritis. Then the beauty brands started to pop up, and I wondered if it was some sort of soon-to-be-forgotten trend like those vampire lip plumpers and those gimmicky activated charcoal peels everyone was having the hardest time taking off.
But then I read the research, which suggests CBD is great for skin allergies and diseases like psoriasis, as well as acne. Basically, CBD owes its good looks to its 21 amino acids that are well-known for supplying vital nutrients to nourish the skin, hair, and nails within the body.
Additional research has indicated that CBD’s essential fatty acids are incredible for keeping skin issues related to sun exposure, pollution, weather changes, and more, at bay. CBD is also a neuroprotective antioxidant that ranks above the skincare and beauty industries’ most well-revered vitamin C, E, and A.
I sought out a couple brands to see if this CBD thing was my thing, and I’m ecstatic to report that it most certainly is. For starters, I have ridiculously thick and unmanageable hair (like if I even think about wearing a sweatshirt with my hair down, I will definitely have dreads, and if I just decide not to brush my hair in the morning and throw it up in a cool top knot, it will take hours, upon hours, and a ton of conditioner, to untangle). CBD for Life’s shampoo and conditioner made me clap with joy. I have been trying to find a product free of all the chemicals and animal testing that actually washes my hair (doesn’t sit on top and leave it feeling heavy and greasy) and conditions it (unlike pretty much every hotel conditioner I have ever used). I also really like the body lotion and lip balm. I have found that a lot of au-naturel brands kind of just sit on my skin, and I’m left with ashy shins and flaky lips. But these products did their job.
Kush Creams is another notable brand. I don’t have a lot of skin issues, besides stress-related or hormonal breakouts, but their face and eye cream works wonders for both fighting acne while moisturizing. I love spot treatments, but my chin area gets very dry, and I find that I am constantly battling between keeping breakouts at bay and making sure my skin stays hydrated. Kush’s cream has been a Godsend.
The great thing is, a lot of the brands out there are extremely reasonable too. Sometimes I find that the cleaner I am in life, the less money I have in my wallet, but the CBD industry is really approachable. More research will hopefully help boost this wonderful industry, promoting what I can already tell you: CBD is definitely anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. And if my grandma is tossing back CBD like it’s a Manhattan straight up, then you can bet it’s working wonders within the body just as much as on it.