CBD SKINCARE

For Skin Distress, CBD is a YES!

It is no secret that 2020 was an overwhelming year. Pandemic, panic, a sort of holding pattern for many people, sitting idle, waiting to see if their world and the world would ever go back to normal. And if you're like me, my skin told the whole story of my pandemic paranoia... holy blemishes and impurities! Luckily, I found a remedy to my distressed skin, and it all started with CBD and CBD skin care products.

As 2021 moves along at a steady pace, I have felt the urge to take back parts of my life that have been ignored. I am ready to replace sitting with running, TV with books, and I am ready to start treating my skin better.

My skin has always been contentious. It turns on me without notice; one day I am basking in a fresh-faced glow and the next I’m ready to hide under a blanket. I have never had an issue with intense hormonal imbalance, but there is certainly enough roiling inside of me to cause my skin to overreact.

Since most of my day is spent writing, I wouldn’t initially jump to blaming a high-stress work environment on my skin’s turbulent nature. But the truth is, a full year - that’s right, 365 days - of pandemic isolation, social distancing, and general future uncertainty, has culminated in my becoming a great big ball of stress.

Can Stress Show On My Skin?

Absolutely. Stress causes hormones that can lead to physiological changes in the body. Acne responds to heightened levels of cortisol. Cortisol tells your hypothalamus to release the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) which in turn is thought to stimulate oil from the sebaceous glands surrounding the hair follicles. These oils can clog the pores, resulting in acne.

In addition to acne, the chronic presence of stress can cause one to unconsciously hold their faces in a state of concern or worry. My mom used to say “careful with that face, one day it’ll freeze like that,” and I hate to say it but she wasn’t far from the truth. Throughout the day I have to remind myself to unfurrow my brow and unclench my jaw. The deep rivets between my eyes from hours of concentration and underlying anxiety become harder to smooth out as I get older.

Before the pandemic, we were able to blow off steam in a multitude of ways - outdoor brunch, venting to friends, a pint of beer in a dark theater - these moments of levity and social relaxation allowed our brains to pause from daily stressors. Laughter does amazing things for our immune system, but how often have we found ourselves rolling in a fit of laughter in the past year?

Stress also increases inflammation, which can cause breakouts in rashes and hives and can irritate chronic skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.

I think we can all agree that we’d prefer the lines on our faces to come from smiling, and while a part of that effort must come from finding ways to satisfy and stimulate our intrinsic selves, I am also a proponent of finding amazing products that can help contribute to looking great.

How Can CBD Help My Skin?

A 2014 study found that CBD can prevent sebocytes, sebum-producing cells, from creating too much sebum, clogging the pores, and causing acne. CBD also has antifungal and antibacterial properties and can potentially reduce the appearance of acne scars. The terpenes found in CBD soothe itchy and irritated skin.

In addition to these properties, CBD helps with stress and inflammation, and we know how those factors can cause problems for our skin. My journey this past year has made me analyze my own relationship with stress and how I process it, and I have found a direct correlation between CBD and lowering my stress levels - I can actually feel my stomach calm its worrisome fluttering. Because the Seabedee tincture I tried worked so well for my inflammation, I decided to look into their skin care line.

Green Tea Facial Cleanser

I decided to start with the Green Tea Facial Cleanser because I am not exactly a wild child when it comes to skincare products, I start with the basics and add on from there.

Filled to the brim with antioxidants and nutrients, the therapeutic properties found in green tea are anti-inflammatory and anti-androgenic. High levels of androgens can cause an increase in sebum, increasing the likelihood of clogged pores.

I used the Green Tea Facial Cleanser twice a day for two weeks, two pumps with a bit of water, and saw results almost immediately. My main problem areas are my t-zone and chin, so I focused on gently massaging those areas for a minute or so before rinsing with warm water. My skin instantly felt refreshed and there was a slight bit of stimulation. There is the faint smell of regular THC products when first applying the cleanser on the skin, but it was not strong enough to bother me and went away quickly.

My favorite part about the cleanser is that it helps with my sporadic acne issues without drying my skin out, which is no small feat. I have often gone from one extreme to the other, from acne to acne + flaking skin, because of skin cleansers that focus on drying skin out in an attempt to clear acne. This has never worked for me and I see now that it is not necessary.

Within days, my face was smoother and less prone to inflammation. I started using the product to cleanse my upper chest as well, which has issues with redness and rashes, and within a few washes with the CBD cleanser, that area too was showing significant improvement.