Can CBD Beauty Creams Get You High?

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Thanks to CBD, cannabis is starting to shine, trading its stoner image in for a newer beauty and luxury wellness ingredient. Cannabis laws loosening up and the enthusiasm around growing scientific evidence has legitimized CBD's medicinal claims, but now it's cannabis's boutiquification that's gaining all the attention.

Celebrity evangelists are popping up everywhere, like Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian, who threw a CBD-themed baby shower, and Melissa McCarthy who, before the Oscars, rubbed CBD oil on her feet.

By now, you've likely seen a CBD-infused version of just about everything from lubrication to mascara, but probably not as much about what CBD actually does. Does it give you great skin? Does it de-stress you? Will it make your hair shine? Perhaps the biggest question of them all is — can CBD get you high?

In short, the answer is no, it won’t.

Why CBD Beauty Creams Don't Get You High

The 2018 Farm Bill took hemp, the mild cousin of marijuana, off the federal list of schedule 1 drugs. And, this move is what legalized hemp-derived CBD, a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that doesn't get you high.

THC is the other main cannabinoid you've likely heard of, and unlike CBD, it does get you high.

CBD, unlike THC, is seemingly bad at CB1 receptor activation. In fact, it actually interferes with the CB1 receptor activity, particularly in the presence of THC. When CBD and THC work together to impact CBD receptor activity, you tend to feel a more mellow high, and a much lower risk of experiencing paranoia than with THC alone. This is because instead of activating the CB1 receptors, CBD actually inhibits it.  A study in February 2010 found CBD and THC affect the regional brain function the exact opposite, helping to explain why CBD often inhibits THC's effects.

What CBD Beauty Creams Can Do

Some things CBD beauty creams can do are:

  1. Work as an Anti-Inflammatory

There are certain ideas that CBD could act as an anti-inflammatory on the skin, which could theoretically help manage conditions like:

  • Rosacea
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis

For example, along with its effects on the CB1 and CB2 receptors, some evidence points out that CBD effects the TRPV-1 and GPR55 receptors as well. These are both found in your skin, and play a role in pain signaling and inflammation. But, CBD is still being studied to see if it can actually cause meaningful inflammation changes (particularly in the fairly small concentrations found in OTC beauty skin-care serums).

There are some ideas about how CBD might contribute to an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, Jordan Tishler, M.D., medical cannabis expert at InhaleMD in Boston, tells SELF, which could theoretically be helpful in managing conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.

  1. Helps Soothe Muscle Soreness

Chances are you are familiar with muscle aches. Well, CBD creams just may be able to provide you with relief. That's right, new topical creams on the market today infused with CBD might help alleviate muscle soreness and pain.

And, there's theoretical logic there. There are several ways CBD might help regulate pain, including:

  • Decreasing your inflammatory response
  • Increasing your natural endocannabinoids
  • Desensitizing your pain receptors

Fortunately, CBD seems relatively safe. If you do end up having a reaction to a CBD-infused product, it's not likely it's because of the CBD, but rather it could be a different botanical ingredient like dye, preservative, or fragrance added to the product that's causing it. So, if you'd like to try a CBD-infused beauty cream out, you may want to consider that beforehand if you have sensitive skin.

Enhance Your Beauty With a CBD-Infused Pillow

CBD-infused pillows could help your skin in the same manner as other beauty creams do, except you don't apply them to your skin. Just lying down on the pillow is enough to release microdoses of CBD into your skin, so you can take advantage of its therapeutic actions, including helping you to achieve better sleep quality.

Holding a CertiPUR and GreenGuard Gold Certification, a CBD-infused pillow may be all you need for healthy, beautiful skin, as you could be sleeping more soundly through the night.