Hemp 101 - How To Use CBD For Beauty & Skincare

CBD is quickly gaining fame in the beauty world, and for good reason! The compound has demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, hot commodities when it comes to skincare for their ability to decrease redness, puffiness, and premature aging and cellular damage. Preliminary research has also shown that topical CBD products could help combat inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and allergic dermatitis. There’s also some evidence to suggest that CBD could help balance the skin’s oil production.

Just like the benefits of CBD in the body, CBD’s skin supporting properties seem almost endless. And they just might be! A review published in Dermatology Online Journal stated: “…we found that cannabinoid products have the potential to treat a variety of skin conditions, including acne vulgaris, allergic contact dermatitis, asteatotic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, Kaposi sarcoma, pruritus, psoriasis, skin cancer, and the cutaneous manifestations of systemic sclerosis.” Keep in mind that for each of these potential applications, there are varying degrees of scientific evidence and much of it is pre-clinical, meaning it hasn’t actually been tried on humans in a controlled setting yet.

When buying a topical product, look for one that contains a significant dose of CBD. Many brands have added only one or two grams of CBD per serving. And while there are no “official” dosage recommendations for CBD, this amount of CBD feels more like an afterthought than a therapeutic dose. As a general rule, look for a product with at least 5 mg/ml, which is about 30 mg of CBD per ounce.

- GRETCHEN LIDICKER