Using beauty products to enhance one’s appearance certainly isn’t anything new.
The history of using beauty products can be traced all the way back to 4,000 BC in ancient Egypt when kohl was used to create the look of those dramatically famous Egyptian eyes.
Women (and men alike) have put care into their appearance for centuries, and the beauty industry today is estimated to be worth some $445 billion.
You might’ve noticed that CBD beauty products have created quite a buzz in the world of modern beauty.
There are countless serums, creams, lotions, and beauty potions with CBD as the star ingredient.
Why is CBD showing up in so many beauty products? And why are so many people suddenly so interested in CBD for beauty and skin care?
Are CBD’s beauty benefits really that good — or is it just some marketing scam?
Here we’ll take a look at all that and more.
CBD could have serious potential as your new go-to beauty product of choice. Let’s check it out.
Aside from the countless therapeutic effects it contains that are beneficial for everything from anxiety and epilepsy to conditions such as chronic pain and serious conditions like cancer, CBD is also proving to be extremely popular beauty product.
Sometimes we wonder if there’s anything CBD can’t do!
Why are CBD beauty products becoming so popular? As it turns out, for quite a few reasons.
Before we get into that, first it’s important to understand how CBD works with the skin.
As the largest organ of our body, the skin covers everything of which we are composed, including our bones, muscles, and organs.
The skin contains its own endocannabinoid system that helps with the regulation of different proteins and hormones, and human skin tissues have shown to have both CB1 and CB2 receptors.
Research has discovered a distinctive signaling mechanism of CB1 receptors, which has shown to have significant effects on skin development and epidermal differentiation (a gene complex that comprises several genes that are fundamentally important for the maturation of keratinocytes, the primary cell type of the epidermis).
One of the primary roles of keratin is to protect skin cells from stress.
In the skin, cannabinoid receptors are found in extremely small nerve fibers that control hair follicles.
Keratinocytes have shown to bind to anandamide, the most common endocannabinoid found in the body, which is believed to be the one of the reasons CBD is so beneficial for the skin.
Basically, it’s the presence of the endocannabinoid system in the skin that works in harmony with CBD to offer the beauty and skin benefits the non-psychoactive cannabinoid contains.
Now that you know how CBD interacts with the skin, check out the following ways CBD is proving to be a beauty and skincare aid with wide-ranging benefits.
Before cannabis was banned in the 1930s, it was used widely throughout the world for several therapeutic applications.
Why?
For a lot of reasons, really. But for one, it’s proven to be one of the most beneficial natural compounds that exists to help reduce inflammation.
There have been many studies to highlight the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD in several different areas of the body. The skin is no exception.
Inflammation is the root of several troubling skin problems.
Psoriasis, eczema, acne, and rosacea can all be traced back to increased inflammation in the skin cells.
With the ability of CBD to fight inflammation elsewhere in the body, it’s no wonder that CBD helps to reduce irritating skin inflammation as well.
As well known dermatologist Dendy Engelman puts it, “Inflammation is the root of all evil, whether that’s acne or the signs of aging.”
For those accustomed to dry skin, itchy skin, CBD could help.
This is because CBD is known to bind to TRPV-1 receptors in the skin, where it helps mediate dry, itchy, painful, and hot skin conditions.
Anyone familiar with eczema knows this feeling all too well.
The fatty-acids naturally present in hemp oil can also be extremely soothing for conditions like common dry skin or eczema.
This is because cannabinoids have shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that are useful in the treatment of both allergic contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis, where itching is a common side-effect.
Whether you’re in a dry climate and are prone to dry, itchy skin or you suffer from a more serious skin condition such as eczema, CBD could help.
A 2014 study found that CBD exerts sebostatic and anti-inflammatory effects on human sebocytes.
What does this mean for people with acne-prone skin?
That CBD could be exactly what they need to clear up their skin.
There isn’t one single factor that causes acne. And contrary to popular belief, acne isn’t caused by greasy, fried foods.
Acne occurs when sebaceous (oil) glands that are attached to hair follicles are stimulated.
This can happen for several reasons, the most common being: sebum (oil) overproduction, unwanted sebocyte (sebum-producing cells) production, and inflammation.
CBD has shown to be a highly effective sebostatic agent, essentially helping to inhibit the action of the various compounds associated with acne.
What do people that have used CBD for acne say?
While CBD should never be taken for a “miracle” cure and doesn’t work the same for everyone, there are positive reports all over the internet of people seeing a reduction in acne after using CBD.
Take the UK woman “whose skin was so bad that strangers called her a ‘spotty freak’” who says that CBD eradicated the problemed skin she’d lived with for nearly a decade.
Could CBD clear up your troubled skin the same? We can’t make any promises, but it certainly couldn’t help to give it a try.
Just make sure to check that the product you choose to use doesn’t contain any harmful or irritating ingredients which could make your skin worse.
Many CBD brands like to add beneficial ingredients like herbs and other plant extracts to make their CBD products have a unique blend.
While beneficial to many, these additional ingredients could be allergic or irritable to some.
Always carefully check the label and test a small amount on your skin before applying liberally.
It’s estimated that almost 32 million Americans suffer from some symptoms of eczema, while worldwide this troubling skin condition is estimated to affect approximately 20 percent of children and three percent of all adults.
In one of his first written works, one of the founders of American dermatology noted that taking “a pill of cannabis at bedtime has, at my hands, sometimes afforded relief to the intolerable itching of eczema.”
Colorado researchers say that CBD and the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabinoids are particularly useful for treating eczema or symptoms typically associated with the annoying skin condition.
According to Dr. Robert Dellavelle of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, “There’s a large segment of the population that doesn’t like using steroids, even if they are a topical steroid on the skin.
This would be an alternative, natural product for them to try.”
Dellavelle says that “when people have tried conventional steroids or topical immunomodulators that suppress the immune system for psoriasis and eczema and they haven’t gotten completely better,”
CBD could work as an alternative way to help people dealing with eczema or psoriasis who don’t want to use conventional therapies.
Of all the beauty products that exist, those that promise a drip from the fountain of youth are some of the most popular.
So popular, in fact, that the global anti-aging market is projected to reach over $331 billion by 2021.
There are studies that indicate CBD is actually capable of reversing the aging process. Is it really true? Let’s take a look.
CBD is known to be an especially powerful antioxidant, maybe even more so than vitamins C and E.
What do antioxidants have to do with aging skin?
At the most basic level, they help to slow down the aging process by reducing free radicals and the damage they cause the skin.
Free radicals are known to break down collagen more quickly, and collagen is what’s responsible for keeping skin firm.
Because CBD can help manage dry skin due to the effects it has on the sebaceous glands, it can help revive the dry, fragile skin that comes with age and manifests as fine lines and wrinkles.
CBD helps replace that lost youthful glow by replenishing dry aging skin with the moisture it needs.
Interested in checking out CBD beauty products for yourself? We can’t say that we blame you.
We’ve seen some great results in our own lives and have read countless stories and studies online that point towards the powerful benefits CBD contains for troubled skin.
According to NYC cosmetic dermatologist and founder of Smarter Skincare Dermatology, “Generally, CBD is well-tolerated by all skin types, but be sure to look for it in products that best suit your skin type.
Just as you would with any new product, start using ones containing CBD with caution and stop using if it develops a negative reaction.”
Have you tried CBD beauty products before? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
