Since the CBD industry first hit critical mass and began to enjoy mainstream success, consumer demand for CBD has continued to grow with each passing year – and each year, a new hot commodity emerges in the world of CBD products. Last year, it was CBD vape oil. This year, everyone wanted to buy CBD gummies. Next year, our prediction is that people won’t be able to get enough topical CBD products. CBD can absorb through the skin, and that property creates many interesting possibilities for CBD topicals. In the past year, we’ve seen CBD lip balms, CBD moisturizers, CBD undereye serum and many others – but we believe that CBD balm will provide the lion’s share of the growth in the topical CBD segment.
You’ve seen CBD balms available from high-end brands, and you’ve been wondering about them. What’s in CBD balm, and what’s the purpose of it? Does CBD balm actually work? In this article, we’ll address those questions and more as we explain everything you need to know about CBD balm.
What Is CBD Balm?
CBD balm is a thick rub-on product for external use. It combines rich moisturizing oils with CBD and other helpful ingredients. Some sellers offer multiple types of CBD balm with different combinations of ingredients designed to suit different needs. OK CBD, for example, offers three different CBD balms. The three balms in the product range are:
- A balm with chili pepper extract that relieves the affected area by making it feel warm
- A balm with menthol that soothes the affected area by making it cool
- A balm with lemon and ginger scents that provide an uplifting sensation as the balm moisturizes your skin
If your usual over-the-counter pain balm provides a warming or cooling sensation that you find helpful, you can have the same type of experience with the balms listed above – and thanks to the addition of CBD, you may find the balm even more helpful than your usual pain rub.
Using CBD balm is a snap; just rub the balm on the affected area as often as you like. If you don’t experience relief within about 30 minutes, reapply the balm. You can also use the CBD balm in combination with other CBD products such as CBD oil or capsules.
Why Do People Use CBD Balm?
After general health and wellness, the most common reason why people use CBD is to soothe chronic pain – and when you use a topical CBD product, the CBD has the ability to penetrate all the way down to your bones. You can use CBD balm to help soothe everyday bumps and bruises or to help your aching muscles after a strenuous workout or a difficult day at work. You can use it to relieve a chronic condition like arthritis. You can also simply use CBD balm as a relaxing all-purpose moisturizer.
You may have noticed that some CBD balms contain less CBD than many oral CBD oils. There’s a good reason for that. The reason why topical CBD products are perhaps the hottest segment of the CBD industry right now isn’t just because CBD balm lets you target a specific area of the body; it’s also because CBD balms are more bioavailable than CBD oils and other oral products. When you swallow CBD oil, a large portion of the CBD in the oil is metabolized by the liver and never actually reaches your bloodstream. Topical CBD products, on the other hand, skip the first-pass metabolism of the liver and work directly on the problem areas under the skin. Without the first-pass effect, a CBD balm can be just as effective as an oral CBD product without containing as much CBD. You may also find that topical CBD products work more quickly than oral products because you don’t have to wait for the CBD to enter your bloodstream through your digestive system.
Does CBD Balm Really Work?
We know that CBD absorbs through the skin because there are multiple studies proving it. In fact, a new CBD-based medication called Zygel was recently given fast-track status by the FDA in the United States. Applied to the skin, Zygel is believed to alleviate behavioral problems in patients with Fragile X syndrome. Trials of the drug are still ongoing.
Researchers have also used CBD balm in an arthritis study that used rodents as test subjects. The European Journal of Pain published the study in 2016. The researchers induced arthritis in the rats and applied CBD gel to the affected joints. The CBD gel reduced the circumference of the arthritic joints, indicating that it lowered inflammation. In addition, the rats’ behavior indicated that the CBD gel reduced pain. The researchers used varying CBD doses of 0.6, 3.1, 6.2 and 62.3 mg per day. The 6.2 and 62.3 mg doses were most effective in the study, with the 62.3 mg dose being only marginally more effective than the 6.2 mg dose.
Can I Just Rub Hemp Oil on My Skin?
CBD isn’t the most affordable product in the world. Although market forces have driven CBD prices down somewhat, prices can only go down so far because producing CBD requires a great deal of plant material and labor. Hemp seed oil, on the other hand, is in plentiful supply. You can find it in any health food store and even in many supermarkets – and it’s much less expensive than CBD. Further compounding the problem is the fact that CBD oil and hemp seed oil often simply bear the label “hemp oil” – so it’s very important to know what you’re buying.
Hemp seed oil contains virtually no CBD. Although it is an extremely healthy product – and moisturizing to the skin – you shouldn’t buy it expecting the benefits that you’d get from CBD balm. When you do buy CBD balm, examine the label closely to confirm the total CBD content in the jar. Remember that if you buy a product with a label like “hemp oil balm” or “hemp oil lotion,” you shouldn’t expect it to contain any CBD.
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