What sounds more appealing than a CBD oil massage? The answer, of course, is not much. If you disagree or don’t immediately see why a CBD oil massage is the absolute best possible outcome for your life, read on.
Why CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is getting a fair amount of buzz these days. But unlike many things that give you a buzz, CBD deserves every bit of good press it gets.
For starters, scientific research is uncovering a massive host of benefits of this compound. It appears to provide symptom relief for a surprising amount of ailments ranging from psychological disorders to chronic pain and epilepsy.
There are also plenty of different ways to get CBD into your system, including:
- Edibles
- Tinctures
- Topical creams and salves
- Topical CBD oil
- Vaping and more
- CBD wine
But in this article, we’re going to focus on how CBD oil helps your skin and what options are available to you.
Does CBD Oil Get You High?
There are a couple of things to know about CBD applied to the skin.
First off, let’s reiterate something you probably already know: CBD is not psychoactive and will not get you high. Derived from the hemp plant, CBD oil is made of less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). For those of you who drink kombucha, consider that that drink contains nearly twice as much alcohol as CBD oil does THC.
In other words, while a CBD massage may leave you feeling relaxed, uplifted, and deliciously wobbly in the knees, it will not impair your mental or motor functions.
Does the Skin Absorb CBD Oil?
There’s a word scientists use to describe how well our bodies absorb substances: bioavailability. When it comes to CBD, which is a fat-soluble compound, bioavailability can be a bit tricky.
When ingested orally as an edible or capsule, CBD can take a while to hit our bloodstreams. Tinctures speed up this process by letting CBD work its way through the vascular area under the tongue.
While the skin is excellent at keep substances out, it turns out that CBD definitely makes its way through and into the bloodstream. Massages are a great way to speed this process up, as the rubbing motion on the skin works the oil in and helps it work its magic.
The Types of CBD Oil
Consider the following three factors when choosing or verifying a CBD oil for your massage:
Is It Broad-Spectrum or Full-Spectrum?
There’s a curious phenomenon in the cannabis world known as the “entourage effect.” In the simplest terms, this means that any isolated cannabinoid (THC or CBD are just two of these — there are dozens and dozens of them) will work better when it’s with other cannabinoids. For example, CBD alone may help relieve muscle aches, but it will work even better if it’s got an “entourage” of other cannabinoids with it.
This brings us to broad- versus full-spectrum CBD oils. A full-spectrum cannabis oil has received minimal processing and will contain all cannabinoids present in the original bud. This means it likely contains THC, which gives the oil an intoxicating effect, which may or may not appeal to you depending on the time of use.
With broad-spectrum CBD oil, THC has been excluded through processing. This is a bit of the best of both worlds — you get the benefits of the entourage effect without potentially getting high.
Broad-spectrum CBD oil is typically more effective than isolates containing only CBD. It will contain many of the plant’s original components, including the fragrant terpenes.
Is It Laboratory Tested?
With legalization having such a recent and ongoing movement, in many ways, it’s still the Wild Wild West for cannabis products. The FDA currently doesn’t regulate CBD products at all, which means it’s good to take extra precautions to know you’re getting high-quality oil.
The best way to do this is to look for third-party testing certificates. When you purchase CBD oil, there will be a label on the bottle verifying third-party lab testing — this guarantees that what you’re buying is what it claims to be.
Go Organic and Domestic
The CBD industry is booming in America, and there has never been a better time to buy U.S. products. Grab CBD oils from U.S. growers and opt for organic if possible. Organic CBD means no harmful chemicals or pesticides — perfect for making a massage the holistic experience it deserves to be.
Enjoy Your CBD Oil Massage to the Fullest
Armed with this knowledge, you now not only know that CBD massages are effective — you also know how to get the most out of them! Enjoy working those muscles into a state of divine relaxation while benefiting from the power of CBD.
