CBD and Skincare – Everything You Need to Know

In recent years, CBD, Hemp and Kratom have all seen an increased demand and awareness regarding the host of benefits they can offer. In the United States alone, most states have legalized the use of these substances so long as the THC count remains below 0.3 percent. In 2021, CBD has developed to the extent that you can find it as an ingredient in a variety of products, from chocolates to tea to gummy bears.

One of the most recent advances in the CBD industry has been the use of CBD for acne, CBD for skin inflammation and other skin conditions. This advance has been so rapid that CBD is quickly taking over the world of skincare with its serums, chapsticks, oils and moisturizers. In fact, a recent report shows that the global CBD cosmetics market is valued approximately over $580 million dollars. At the same time, it is estimated to cross $1.7 billion by 2025.

If you are suffering from skin problems and are looking for an organic treatment for it, CBD skin care might just be exactly what you need. Here’s everything you need to know about CBD skin care!

Let’s start by assessing the following aspects of CBD and skincare:

•       What is CBD oil?
•       What Skin Care Problems can CBD Help You With?
  •       CBD for Acne-Prone Skin
  •       CBD Oil for Wrinkles and Anti-Aging
  •       CBD to Alleviate Psoriasis
  •       CBD for Eczema
•       Mainstream CBD Products
•       CBD oil vs. Hemp Oil vs. Hemp Seed Oil 
•       How to Find the Best CBD Skin Care
•       CBD and Light Destruction

In What Forms is CBD Used for Skin Care?

While CBD, also called cannabidiol, comes in a number of different forms, the one mostly used for skin care is CBD oil. The typical manufacturing of CBD for skin care involves its extraction as a powder and then its combination with oils like olive, hemp, coconut or almond.This combination makes the CBD suitable for your skin and also enhances its skin care effects.

Worried about CBD skincare making you high? Applying CBD oil to your skin will not have any psychoactive effects on you. This is because the psychoactive properties of marijuana come from tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Since the CBD oil made for skincare is extracted from the leaves, stems and flowers of the hemp plant which has low THC content, you don’t need to be concerned about getting high.

CBD’s ability to help you dermatologically can be seen by a statement made by Ildi Pekar, an New York based aesthetician. She suggested that CBD provides you with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects which can help with various skin care issues that you may be facing.

“…cannabidiol offers some serious antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits which can be beneficial in treating skin concerns like inflammation, dryness and free radical damage,” says Pekar

What Skin Care Problems can CBD Help You With?

Given the various applications of CBD you must’ve seen, it should come as no surprise that there are different ways in which CBD can help with skin care. It is a breath of fresh air for people who want to treat their skin ailments organically. Here are a number of common skin issues CBD is being used for.

CBD for Acne-Prone Skin

One of the major skin care issues that people face is acne. Not only is it one of the most obvious problems, it is also the one which ends up being the most difficult to treat. While some skin care treatments simply don’t work for you, others end up irritating your skin unbearably. CBD for acne however is different as CBD only targets the causal cell which activates the acne. This means that unlike prescription drugs, CBD will allow your skin to heal without irritation or dryness as it doesn’t affect the acne-prone skin, just the acne causing cells.

CBD for acne helps fight it off in two ways:

Inhibits Oil Production

One of the major reasons for acne is having oily skin. The oil on your skin is called sebum. While sebum itself is not detrimental as it helps keep your skin healthy, moisturized, and shiny, too much of it leads to harmful effects. This is because sebum then clogs the pores of your skin. Consequently, P.acne or propionic bacterium acne, the bacteria which resides in the hair follicles, multiply. The buildup of this bacteria causes inflammation of your skin which leads to red patch formation.

While it is important to keep your skin away from bacteria during these times, it is just as important to use skin oil that won’t clog your pores. CBD skincare is known to not clog your skin and to inhibit sebum production to prevent acne from forming.

Reduces Inflammation

The sebum causes acne to form and the skin inflammation leads to rashes and scars that can take weeks or months to heal, and in some cases, can even be permanent. CBD prevents this from happening as you can also use CBD for skin inflammation. It contains omega-6 fatty acids which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Not only will they help reduce the inflammation on your skin, but these acids will also aid in skin growth and recovery.

CBD Oil for Wrinkles and Anti-aging

Wrinkles aren’t always a sign of sickness. They can just be a natural side-effect of growing older. But skin aging is why many people resort to strong medicinal treatments and anti-aging surgical treatments, such as plastic surgery and Botox, to prevent their skin from wrinkling.

One of the biggest reasons we get wrinkles and sagging skin are collagen breakdown, skin oxidation and inflammation. Collagen makes up 75% of your skin’s dry weight which means that when it sheds, your skin’s appearance changes for the worse. Simultaneously, skin oxidation leads to free radicals. CBD counters all of this.

Skin care infused with CBD is the perfect option for aging skin without any permanently damaging risks. Hemp plants that produce CBD oil consist of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids which boost collagen production. This means your skill we be better at retaining water, which keeps your skin hydrated and prevents visible signs of skin aging from showing. Furthermore, CBD also has antioxidant properties that help keep your skin in beautiful condition. This is one of the reasons why CBD-infused skincare products are making waves in all age groups due to the versatile benefits it offers.

CBD to Alleviate Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin disorder that leads to your skin cells multiplying abnormally fast; more than 10 times faster than normal. Consequently, your skin forms bumpy red patches that are covered with white scales. There is no localized space where these patches can form as they can show up anywhere, from your scalp to your elbows to your face.

Sadly, psoriasis can be extremely painful as well. It hurts when your skin just rubs on your clothing. CBD skin care is proving to be very effective even against psoriasis.

One of the major reasons for CBD’s efficacy against psoriasis is its analgesic properties. CBD affects the endocannabinoid system which is responsible for our pain response. Simultaneously, CBD oil also helps to decrease rapid skin cell multiplication as well as inflammation. All of these effects combine to form an efficient way to treat psoriasis.

CBD for Eczema

Eczema or atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin ailments in the U.S.A as it affects up to 15 million Americans. Eczema is usually caused by trigger factors and irritants such as soaps, wool, skin infections, dry skin, and sweating. Even in the 21st century, there is no set-in-stone treatment for eczema which is why it is still rampant. CBD however, has proved to be very effective against it.

CBD’s properties make it helpful against both inflammation and skin dryness. Simultaneously, it works in direct correlation to your endocannabinoid system which is connected to any allergic inflammation that you might have. Consequently, by relieving dry skin and reducing skin inflammation, CBD tackles the two leading causes of eczema with negligible potential side effects. CBD skin care reviews suggest that it has helped them with problems like eczema much better than any other medication or treatment.

Mainstream CBD Products

If you are a buyer who has bought from the niche market for a long time, you would know why the mainstream never lives up to the expectations. Due to the uproar CBD-infused skin care products have caused, mainstream brands have already begun launching their CBD-infused skin care line. In the last 2 years, Abercrombie and Fitch, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, The Body Shop, and even retailers like Whole Foods and Walgreens have either rolled out their own CBD skin care lines or stocked other brands’ products in their stores. However, before you succumb to the glamour these big brands have, consider some of the red flags which should make you think twice before choosing a mainstream brand for CBD.

One major red flag is that, more often than not, mainstream brands cash in their fan-following without actually providing 100% authentic or effective products. For instance, if a company has not listed the CBD content of their products on their website, this is a question mark on the authenticity of their products. The CBD content should always be well labeled and easy to find. Compare the amount of CBD in these retailers’ brands to the products sold by niche CBD brands and be sure you are actually getting value for your money.

CBD Oil vs. Hemp Oil vs. Hemp Seed Oil

One of the most prominent misconceptions in the hemp extract marketplace is that CBD oil, hemp oil and hemp seed oil are the same. Not only are they all very different, compositionally their efficacy as skin care products also differs. Since we already know what CBD oil is, let’s see how it differs from Hemp Oil and Hemp Seed Oil.

Hemp Oil

Hemp oil may or may not contain CBD. Sometimes, companies use the term ‘hemp oil’ to advertise their products, since the letters ‘CBD’ are still not allowed to be used in many places, especially online. However, if the product only says ‘hemp oil’ and doesn’t give a quantity of CBD, it does not contain CBD.

All products that contain CBD will list the mgs of CBD on the bottle, and will also list every other ingredient. If you have skin issues you want to treat with CBD, hemp oil itself cannot be an alternative as it simply does not have the same composition as CBD oil to meet your needs.

Hemp Seed Oil

Hemp seed oil has become one of the biggest avenues companies use to mislead consumers. Hemp seed oil is made by cold-pressing the hemp seeds into an omega-rich culinary oil. On the other hand, CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the leaves, flowers, and stalks of a hemp plant. While both products come from a hemp plant, their effects and composition are very different.

Hemp seed oil has become a basis of spreading misconception as many brands are mixing the terms CBD and hemp seed to sell their products for more money. While both substances are from the same family, CBD is a much more expensive ingredient than hemp seed.

Skin care brands are adorning their packaging with hemp leaves and highlighting the word cannabis or hemp to make customers think what they are purchasing is CBD. In reality, hemp seed oil contains no CBD at all. In a product search for ‘CBD’ on one major makeup and skincare company’s website, we discovered there were 5 products provided in the results, but only 1 actually contained CBD. These tactics are confusing customers and ultimately, making a bad name for CBD.

It is indisputable however that there is a stark difference between the effects of hemp seed oil and CBD oil on your skin. While hemp seed oil does have some skin wellness capabilities, namely hydration, the efficacy of a premium product like CBD oil is incomparable to hemp seed oil.

How to Find the best CBD Skin Care

As the CBD market all over the world and especially in the U.S gets saturated, it gets more and more difficult to find the perfect CBD product for yourself. We know that the task of going through the pros and cons of different vendors may even be more daunting than acne at times. This is why we will simplify this task for you by letting you know just what you have to look for.

One mistake you should swear off when it comes to CBD purchases, especially for skin care products, is to buy them from gas stations, convenience stores, and drug stores. These products are often poorly manufactured and contain exceptionally low doses of CBD.

To keep yourself safe, there are a few things you should look out for. 

• First and foremost you need to make sure that the product which you are buying has CBD in it by carefully reading the ingredients. 
• Secondly, you should always go through the CBD skin care company’s website for any indication of third-party lab tests to make sure their products are safe. All quality products will make a COA available, so you can see the results of the laboratory testing on the batch of hemp the product was made from.
• Finally, reviews will make it clear whether or not a brand is good.

CBD and Light Destruction

While light may seem harmless, it can actually end up ruining your products. CBD will degrade if exposed to light for a long time. One of the major components of light which is even harmful to humans is UV or Ultraviolet radiation. There are a number of studies which have shown that UV light (which is given off even by your light bulbs), is the biggest contributor to the breakdown of active ingredients and cannabinoid loss.

To protect against this, make sure you’re buying products in jars, bottles, or tubes which can’t be penetrated by light.

Conclusion

Conclusively, CBD skin care is quickly becoming the next big thing as various mainstream brands are also jumping on the bandwagon. The hype for CBD for skin care has be shown to offer a variety of benefits for users. Whether you are a complete beginner or a CBD veteran, CBD could be a great product to help you manage your skin issues and ward of the effects of aging.