If you’ve been keeping your eye on the beauty space for a little while now, you’ll be no stranger to CBD oil being a ‘miracle cure’ for pretty much everything. According to Google, searches for its benefits have blown up since 2017 and sales of CBD oil alone have doubled. Thanks (partly) to high profile celebrities accrediting it for managing stress, anxiety and even their mental health, CBD has become a must-have ingredient. During a period where more of us are suffering with increased stress levels, we’re looking to incorporate more holistic remedies to better cope with a variety of mind-body issues. At ORGANA Beauty we thought this was a great time to do a deep dive into this potentially beneficial ingredient and see what it’s all about.
What Is CBD And Can It *Actually* Help Manage Stress?
Most commonly available as an oil, CBD is a cannabidiol – a chemical compound naturally derived from the leaves of the cannabis plant. We know what you’re thinking and no, it won’t make you high. It’s made from hemp, a variety where the psychoactive elements (tetrahydrocannabinol - THC) aren’t present. Cannabis (in its unaltered from) has been used as an alterative therapy for medical use for hundreds of years and there is growing research that CBD can have potential benefits for those suffering with stress and anxiety. How is this possible? Research suggests that CBD binds with serotonin receptors in our brains which in turn influences our emotions and moods. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that in cases of generalized anxiety disorder, CBD actively reduced stress in animals such as rats. They were observed as having lower behavioural signs of anxiety (think: an increased heart rate, erratic movements etc). Whilst this looks encouraging it’s really important to remember that much, much more research needs to be done into this area – especially on actual human subjects! Are there any studies on humans that how shown promising results we hear you cry?! Yes, but again only very limited ones. In self-perception studies, inhalation of CBD (such as an infused candle, or diffuser) has also shown to reduce symptoms of stress in humans. All in all, really promising – but not quite ‘proven’ it appears.
OTO CBD BODY OIL
How Does This Work When It Comes To Beauty?
We believe that knowledge and education are the cornerstones to making conscious and confident beauty choices, so we sat down with Sharon Cheng, all round CBD expert and founder of Liminal Beauty.
Many aspects of our beauty routines (when they’re not going as we’d like) can be particularly stressful. Sharon attributes this to the ‘brain-skin connection’ where psychological stress can take a negative toll on our skin health. Stress disrupts the skin’s natural barrier function leading to inflammation, dryness, itching and redness. Ever noticed that your skin tends to flare up just when things are getting particularly stressful at home or at work?! This stress can evolve into a downward spiral where the physical symptoms we see in the mirror can attribute to more stress, making it harder for the skin to recover, culminating in (you’ve guessed it) more stress! Sharon passionately believes that ‘beauty is more than just skin deep’ and that ‘our moods and emotions can affect our skin health and visa versa’. With this in mind, when CBD, with its calming properties, is topically applied to the skin it can offer an antidote to this chronic inflammation. People can see reduced symptoms and a chance to break the cycle, whilst improving their mood. Now we know both the benefits (and current limitations) of CBD research it’s time to turn our attention to incorporating this ingredient into our daily routines. It can’t hurt, right?! Remember we spoke about inhaling CBD earlier?
The Liminal Beauty Rose CBD Fragranced Candle is one of our absolute favourites! Simply light during your evening wind down and combine with the OTO 20% CBD Pillow Mist just before bed to create your very own evening ritual. If you prefer your CBD a little more 'hands on' the OTO range really is your one stop shop. Incorporate it into your skincare and body routine or snap up their rollerballs and infused drinks to take the restorative power of CBD with you when on the go.
CBD is here to stay and the real benefits are being seen and reported by people who incorporate various products into their lives consistently. Give it a go and let us know what positive effects you see at hello@organabeauty.com.
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