The health and wellness market is currently flooded with CBD treatments. CBD topicals, especially CBD body lotions, are popular with many people — even those who wouldn’t dream of touching a joint.
What’s all the hype about? Let’s learn a little bit more about CBD topicals and run through the main reasons people are using CBD body lotion.
What Is CBD Body Lotion?
It’s like a normal lotion — a topical solution made from oil and water — but it’s also infused with a distillate that contains an isolated CBD compound.
A CBD body lotion can include other minor cannabinoids or terpenes to enhance the effects of CBD by tapping into the entourage effect. It might also feature popular skincare ingredients such as vitamin E or vitamin C.
How Do CBD Lotions Work on the Body?
Every human body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS). It’s designed to maintain homeostasis in the body — regulating numerous functions including appetite, inflammation, immunity, mood, and others.
Cannabinoids from cannabis bind to ECS receptors in different parts of the body and activate them. CBD and any other cannabinoids in a CBD body lotion bind to ECS receptors in the skin, muscle tissues, and nerves.
When applying a CBD body lotion, the solution soaks into the skin. But the skin is quite thick, so cannabinoids can’t break through the skin barrier and into the bloodstream. Therefore, topicals provide localized relief exactly where it’s needed.
Why Are People Using CBD Body Lotions?
Here are five reasons people might have for using CBD topicals.
To Soothe and Improve Skin Conditions
CBD has important anti-inflammatory properties. A study in 2014 observed transdermal CBD’s abilities to fight inflammation and reduce sebum production — and suggested it could be a promising acne treatment. CBD’s anti-inflammatory qualities may make it suitable for alleviating some other skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.
CBD’s ability to calm irritated skin means it could also help prevent dryness, red skin, and chronic itching.
To Relieve Pain and Inflammation
CBD’s anti-inflammatory characteristics go deeper than the surface of the skin. When CBD lotions are applied to the skin, they penetrate both its dermal and subdermal layers.
Several studies have found CBD has the potential to relieve inflamed and painful joints from arthritis. For example, researchers in 2016 and 2017 found that localized CBD treatment reduced acute joint inflammation and swelling in rats with arthritis.
More recent studies have begun to explore the potential of topical CBD for treating nerve pain and jaw pain. The study into nerve pain collected anecdotal evidence from patients who reported they felt lower levels of pain. The study into jaw pain reported improved functioning and condition of the relevant muscles surrounding the jaw.
To Heal Wounds
A case study published in 2017 demonstrated that CBD, when combined with THC in topicals, could reduce pain in healing malignant wounds.
CBD may also help prevent and reduce scars. A study in 2019 found that if CBD can control the action of collagen-producing cells, as believed, it could potentially help the body heal injuries and reduce scar formation.
CBD body lotions should never be applied to sores, open wounds, or any other broken skin.
It’s Legal Everywhere in the US
When the Farm Bill was passed in 2018, it federally legalized any CBD products derived from hemp with a THC content of under 0.3%. This ruling acknowledges that pure CBD is an entirely different cannabinoid in its own right.
Since CBD products have been classified under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instead, there has been a lot more interest in both selling and buying them.
There Are No Known Side Effects
Some people report side effects from using CBD. Common complaints include sleepiness, diarrhea, and changes in appetite or weight.
Because CBD body lotions are applied topically and can’t break through the dermal layers into the bloodstream, they cannot produce side effects in different areas of the body. Unlike a topical steroid or other over-the-counter (OTC) medical creams, CBD applied topically has no known side effects on the body.
How Do You Choose a CBD Body Lotion?
Here are two things to keep in mind when choosing CBD topicals:
- Make sure the product matches its label. There’s currently no regulation of CBD topicals, so the FDA can’t guarantee their safety, quality, or efficacy. When tested, many OTC products have different amounts of CBD than their labels claim. Look for products that have been recently certified by a reputable third-party testing lab.
- Think about other ingredients you’d like in CBD topicals. You may want to consider a full-spectrum CBD lotion to benefit from the entourage effect. Or maybe you’d prefer isolated CBD with other beneficial ingredients — like our CBD Muscle Freeze Roll-on, which also contains aloe vera, arnica, tea tree oil, and more.
How Do You Use CBD Body Lotions?
Pay attention to the directions for use, and then do the following:
- Test the lotion. Find out if you’re allergic to any ingredients before you start using them on more sensitive areas. Carry out a test on a sample patch of skin, leaving the product on your skin for 24 hours to see if you have an adverse reaction.
- Figure out the appropriate dose. Consider your tolerance and any previous experiences with CBD. Experiment with half of the recommended dose, to begin. Build up from there until you see the results you want. You can’t take too much CBD, so try things out.
- Decide where to use it. If you have a painful joint, rub the lotion into that area. If you suffer from migraines, rub the CBD into the place where you feel the pain worst of all.
- Prepare your skin. Take a shower to make sure your skin is ready for the treatment. Consider using a sponge to apply the treatment, so you don’t accidentally double-dose through your fingertips.
After the steps above, you can apply the product to your skin. For the most powerful dosing effect, rub the lotion into your skin until it’s fully absorbed.
Where Do You Buy CBD Topicals?
If you’re feeling ready to seek out a CBD topical for yourself, take a look at CBD Direct Club’s range of soothing and powerful CBD topical products.