Your Guide to Topical CBD and All the Reasons to Use It

Your Guide to Topical CBD and All the Reasons to Use It

Topical CBD products are among the most abundant, varied, and readily available of all CBD products. So what do they do, and why should you use them?

As CBD companies everywhere keep looking for new and better formulations, one line that’s increased the most is topical CBD products.

There are two reasons for this.

The first is that the current legal restrictions on topicals are much lighter than on ingestibles. Many retail and advertising outlets only accept topical CBD products to avoid trouble.

The second reason is that almost any topical product that currently exists can be made with CBD. Lotions, ointments, cosmetics, hair products, and even clothing are getting the CBD infusion these days.

But why should you use topical CBD, and how do you choose the best CBD oil product for your needs? Time to take a deep dive into the world of CBD topicals.

Did You Know You Can Absorb CBD Through Your Skin?

CBD works by interacting with the endocannabinoid system, a network of neurotransmitters and receptors that respond to many different compounds in cannabis. Those receptors are located throughout the body, including under the skin. For more details, see How CBD is Absorbed Through Skin.

Applying CBD to the skin does not bring the same allover intensity as taking CBD internally. But it does allow for a more targeted application if you want to focus on a specific area. And it can bring soothing effects to the skin itself. From recovery for sore muscles after workouts to keeping your skin looking youthful, topical CBD has a multitude of uses.

Three roll on tubes of cbd relieve sit in a row against a blue background

CBD Topicals Can Include Common Pain Relievers

Many of us use medicated creams, gels, and ointments medicated with substances like menthol, lidocaine, and other pain relievers for everyday aches and pains. Now, many manufacturers are developing CBD topicals based on those familiar formulas.

Here at cbdMD, we’ve developed three such pain relievers. While all of them are good for temporary relief of joint and muscle pain (not for open wounds), each brings slightly different properties depending on your need.

  • cbdMD Freeze is a variant of the menthol rubs made to relieve discomfort and strain from exercise, which has been popular with athletes for decades. The menthol provides a cooling sensation that brings instant relief. CBD and other plant-based emollients, including Arnica montana and aloe vera, add to the soothing qualities.
  • cbdMD Recover is a CBD pain relief cream with histamine dihydrochloride, a pain reliever that creates a warming sensation by increasing blood flow. This option is especially good for stiff tendons and swollen joints. Recover also includes arnica and aloe vera, along with vitamin B6 and MSM.
  • cbdMD Relieve is made with lidocaine, which temporarily numbs the pain in the affected area with its anesthetic properties. Lidocaine is a popular remedy for minor burns and itching, and pain in muscles and joints.

A woman squeezes cbd revive from cbdmd onto her hand

The Best CBD Cream to Soothe and Moisturize Your Skin

Moisturizers are among the most popular topical products out there. Between the drying effects of washing, weather, age, and other factors, everyone’s skin could use some extra moisture. CBD in a moisturizer can be extra soothing for dry skin.

Since CBD users tend to prefer natural and alternative wellness products, we at cbdMD have endeavored to create the best CBD cream to moisturize your skin without adding artificial perfumes, dyes, or harsh chemicals. We also know that different types of skin and different parts of the body might require different kinds of lotions, so we’ve built a range of products for everybody.

  • Revive CBD lotion is an excellent all-purpose CBD moisturizer with a coconut oil and shea butter base, enhanced with aloe vera and essential oils.
  • CBD lip balm helps prevent dry, cracked lips with cocoa and shea butter and comes in a range of sweet flavors.
  • CBD body balm is our solid-stick moisturizer, similar to lip balm, but specially designed to provide intense moisture to your roughest areas, including elbows, feet, and other targeted areas.

Those products detailed above provide good basic care to keep normal skin comfortable and supple. But we’ve also created our cbdMD Botanicals line to offer a whole other set of moisturizers with more detailed applications, especially for the face.

An attractive asian woman puts cbd skin serum on her face with cbdmd botanicals products in the foreground

If you want more detailed information, check out our previous CBD facial lotions post. But in short, cbdMD Botanicals are targeted for these special uses:

  • Heavenly Hydration Facial Lotion is a good daily moisturizer for all skin types, with a base of apricot and Moroccan argan oils.
  • Clearskin Moisture is a daily CBD moisturizer specially made for oily, blemish-prone skin, with a unique botanical blend of willow bark, turmeric, green tea, and other calming ingredients.
  • Night Shift is a CBD cream for dry and mature skin, with intensive hydration derived from coconut and avocado oils.
  • Adore Me Eye & Lip Cream, as the name suggests, targets the delicate skin around your eyes and lips, which can show early signs of aging.

In addition to the facial moisturizers, the cbdMD Botanicals line also provides hands and feet lotion, Luv Me Tender soothing lotion for especially rough and irritated spots, and Everyday body lotion for everywhere else.

Topical CBD Products Can Keep You Looking Youthful

As we detailed in a separate post, several factors contribute to your skin’s youthful glow, or lack thereof: dryness, slower cell turnover, and oxidative stress. We’ve dealt with dryness in the moisturizing section above, and unfortunately, you can’t do much about cell turnover. But oxidative stress is another thing entirely.

Oxidative stress is the damage of skin cells through oxygen processing. Many factors can aggravate this process, including sun exposure, pollutants, and harsh chemicals. The same antioxidant nutrients found in food that are so good for your body can also combat stress and head off premature signs of aging.

To that end, our cbdMD Botanicals line includes products loaded with CBD, vitamins, and other antioxidants, such as the Facial Serum, Fountain of Youth Dynamic Serum, and our Rose Clay Mask with rose oil.

Two different size bottles of cbd bath salts from cbdmd lay on their side with contents spilling out

Topical CBD Makes a Hot Bath Even Better

A hot, relaxing bath is a great way to recover from a stressful day or a strenuous workout. There’s even reason to believe that a hot bath can help you sleep. Adding CBD to the water lets you absorb its benefits to make the soak even more relaxing.

As with other forms of topical CBD, additional ingredients can enhance the impact. For baths, skin conditioning and aromatherapy products supplement CBD perfectly. This allows your mind to wander while your skin does all the work.

That’s why cbdMD created CBD bath salts supplemented with essential oils and herbal extracts like lavender and eucalyptus oils to meet your aromatherapy needs. These ingredients nourish and soothe your skin in combination with Epsom salt, Dead Sea salt, and Himalayan pink salt. Our nighttime blend also includes melatonin and soothing herbs to put your body at ease and help you get quality sleep.

CBD bath bombs provide similar benefits with Epsom salt, coconut oil, and kaolin clay for skin conditioning. Available in your choice of lavender, eucalyptus, or frankincense oils, the bath bombs also include non-toxic, non-staining dyes to give your bathwater a pleasant tint. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to find out how topical CBD creams and other products can help keep your skin bright and hydrated!

Devon Firestone contributed to this post.