Cannabis in Your Beauty Products? We Think So!

Cannabis and cannabinoidsw–derivatives of the Cannabis sativa L plant–are becoming widely known as not only therapeutic, but medicinal. As legalization of this plant grows, many products–including beauty products and cosmetics–are featuring CBD oil for added health benefits. There are some valid reasons why exploring natural products to use in your daily beauty regimen makes a lot of sense. First of all, medicinal makeup? Hell yeah. You have a few options when purchasing makeup or beauty products–depending on your preferred price point. You can go to a drug-store (dammit, I need a back-up tube of cheap mascara I can keep in my car!), a big box store (with a red bullseye) or something (you know you went there to buy staples, but everyone is touting self-care these days, right?) Or you can go to a glitzy department store to purchase your goodies and have the most fabulous salesperson apply your lipliner to make you look like Rihanna. Please, God, yes. That always feels overindulgent. But you deserve it, right? And presumably the most expensive products must be the highest quality, right? Times are crazy. Bad boys are getting removed from Hollywood, and the third wave feminist movement is going strong–so it’s ok to be a girly girl and still wear makeup, right? (Insert guilty face emoji). The answer is–yes? But let’s try to be a bit more woke about things, shall we?

In the 1930s during the Great Depression, women couldn’t afford bread or eggs or milk, but they made sure to save enough money to purchase a tube of Chanel red lipstick. Never mind it contained whale blubber. Fashionable red lipstick kept the blues away. Since time immemorial, women have quite literally taken great pains to adorn themselves. Try not to think about the not-so-ancient practice of foot binding in China. Who knows why we do it? Today is no exception. The cosmetics industry in America is worth an astounding 445 billion dollars (in sales). And even following the energetic tide of third wave feminism, and ousted icky public figures, we find ourselves in an ethical dilemma of sorts. Is it pandering to the patriarchy to continue to adorn ourselves? Should we cave to social pressures to slap on our makeup day after day? Well, as Cate Blanchett put it so aptly, “Just because we want to look sexy doesn’t mean we want to *%#$ you.” So, carry on, ladies. The madame gave us permission. Wear your Chanel red.

Using Makeup Daily

But hang on, keeping in mind this new-found “awareness” is there a possibility that we could be selling out when we go to the drugstore or even worse, the mall to buy our goodies? It is a possibility. This is why. When you go to the drugstore, you can purchase the cheapest makeup like E.L.F., or Wet n’ Wild, even if you have a sneaky suspicion that you might just be globbing garbage onto your skin. Turn the corner and go up a few dollars in your price point to ease your anxiety, and you’re going to see brands like Revlon, and L’Oreal. But who are their manufacturers and who are they owned by? Not to burst your bubble, but they are owned by some really, really big companies. For example, the same big companies that own–hold the phone–MAC, Jo Malone, AVEDA, and Clinique is owned by the mother company Estee Lauder. Business Insider explains that 182 beauty brand companies in fact, are owned by seven major conglomerates that hog the billions of dollars of annual cosmetic sales revenue. And when you spoil yourself with expensive products from department stores, you may be purchasing the exact formulas you could have purchased at a drug-store, but with just fancier labeling and better lighting (well, the fabulous makeup artist ain’t free, is he?). You could be spending that extra cash on a more talented colorist. Or even better, high quality all-natural products and cosmetics that are actually good for you.

Click On To See Huge Cosmetic Company Conglomerates and How They Hog the Beauty Industry.

And what about those formulas anyway? If the expensive stuff generally has the same or very similar formula as the cheap stuff, not only are you being duped out of your dollar, but what is that crap that is ending up in your pores, anyway? Our skin is the body’s largest organ and some of that muck slides down our hair follicles and plugs them up with gunk. And we know what happens then! Blackheads! Acne! Our skin also absorbs makeup and it can end up in our liver! Weird, right? That’s why parabens are weird. You would not go and eat a tube full of parabens, so putting it all over your body is probably not an awesome thing to do. A bunch of other ingredients found in cosmetics are not great, either. Over time, constant use of these products may accumulate and take their toll on our health.

Rule number one. Do your best to ditch products that contain ingredients you cannot pronounce. A list of four weird ingredients in your makeup and what they do:

• Parabens: Xenoestrogens. Which means they look like endogenous estrogens that humans produce naturally. You sure you want to slather that on your skin? Did you want any more estrogen than you’re currently trying to deal with? Didn’t think so. They are preservatives that prevent your cosmetics from putrefaction and mold and bacterial growth–so they can sit longer on shelves.
• Sulfates: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and this family of chemicals may wreak havoc on your endocrine system. These chemicals are not only used in cosmetics, but they are used in industrial cleaning supplies as a foaming agent. They are harsh chemicals, and while they are not approved by the FDA to be used in large percentages in your cosmetics, long term daily use of products that contain these chemicals may build up in our tissues–without enzymes that are able to break them down and remove them from our system. This isn’t cool.
• Formaldehyde: Want to embalm a body? Go for this preservative. Oh, wait, you just wanted to straighten your hair. Eek. There are ingredients found in makeup like quaternium-15 and DMDM hydantoin that releases formaldehyde. So, just because you don’t see the word formaldehyde in your cosmetics formula, doesn’t mean it’s not lurking in another chemical form.
• Phthalates. These are a family of chemicals that are used in plastics to make them more pliable, and are lipophilic–or fat soluble, so can they be leached more easily from products containing oils and fats. They are of real concern to the CDC–pregnant women and children are thought to be especially vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals. And you may have phthalates in your cosmetics.

Natural Makeup Options

What about beauty products that tout “all-natural”? Quality cosmetics you can buy that aren’t potentially harmful to your liver, and don’t cost a fortune or give you a guilt trip for being a well-groomed gal–sounds like a dream. Doesn’t seem like it should be too much to ask for. What is the difference between the ingredients found in these products and the products you purchase at the mall? Brands like RMS Beauty, ILIA Beauty, Alima Pure, and 100% Pure all have a pretty solid ethos–which includes striving for fair trade, and includes organic beauty products that are not tested on animals, and are eco-friendly.

For information about skin care, see Why CBD Cream is a Healthy, Viable Skin Care Alternative

Beauty and Body Products Containing CBD

And what if those high quality organic products actually contained compounds your skin absorbed that were actually really therapeutic, healing, whole? Well, it could be that the cannabis sativa L plant is your answer and CBD oil (aka hemp oil) is great for all that. And more.

Why? CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound found in the industrial hemp and marijuana plants, and has many medicinal compounds that are excellent for your health. It is not psychotropic like THC, and is (technically) legal in all but six states. It is a known anti-inflammatory, so it can be used on sensitive skin, and can be used for skin that is prone to acne. In fact, CBD has been shown to have a powerful effect against acne. It is lipophilic–meaning it is fat soluble, so it glides down the hair follicles and settles comfortably in the pores–and CBD oil has no known side effects.

Start by giving this list a shot. We have discovered a few products that are all natural and contain CBD or Hemp oil.

A feature in the LA Times reports some interesting reviews on beauty products containing CBD or Hemp oil. There seem to be a growing number of body products and skin care containing CBD or Hemp oil–with major brands such as The Body Shop, Dr. Bronner’s, and Lush–all touting the benefits of cannabidiol. But there aren’t many beauty products for use for specifically makeup with pigments.

An article in Marie Claire highlights the use of an effective eye serum that plumps up the appearance of your sensitive under-eye area. Since CBD is known to have a number of antioxidants such as vitamins A, D, and E, an effective eye serum containing CBD oil is a must-have to keep on-hand.

If enough cosmetic consumers refuse to purchase products from huge corporate conglomerates that are driving us into unwellness, just to cut costs and fill our products with gunk, higher quality products will be in higher demand. And maybe we can even turn the tide. Some more “aware” and “conscious” manufacturers are catching on. The beauty business is big business. And sales trends for all-natural cosmetics are on the rise. As they should be.

How to choose? What’s the Best CBD Skin Cream for You?

Make Your Own From Beauty Products Containing CBD Oil From Home.

If these products are out of your reach, or cost more than your price-point, start by making your own natural makeup and beauty products from home–using your own CBD oil. Keep in mind that there aren’t currently manufacturers that are creating make-up that contains both CBD and your favorite pigments, so there are simple ways to create your own makeup that contains the medicinal and therapeutic properties of CBD. Here’s how:

• Make sure you use sterile containers, and try to steer clear of mixing and storing in plastics. Also, make these products in small batches so they do not spoil.
• Put a few drops of your CBD oil in some organic coconut oil and apply to your face for use as a day cream. Or wear your homemade CBD oil makeup as a beauty balm prior to applying your foundation. This will plump up the appearance of your skin, and will add a natural glow–making your skin appear hydrated and fresh. Plus, your mood is likely to benefit, since CBD has mood calming properties.
• For color, especially if you have natural mineral makeup powder–use your favorite pigments for lips, cheeks or face. For example, a product like Lotus Bio Mineral or OCC Cosmetics loose color pigments can easily be blended for use as a liquid eyeliner or even lip liner or gloss. Blend these pigments with a mixture of organic coconut oil using a drop or two of your CBD oil.

So fresh! So “aware.”