Cannabidiol, more popularly known as CBD, is officially taking over the world. Hemp is now legal and CBD products are being sold in stores. I remember when my mom didn’t even let me touch the Hempz lotion on the shelf at CVS… good times. Now I’m writing a CBD wellness post for Betches. LOOK AT ME NOW, MOM! (She’s definitely going to see this. Hi, mom.)
Okay, so I battle chronic Lyme disease and anxiety on the daily. I also train Brazilian jiu-jitsu 3-4 days/week. What I’m trying to say here is that I’m basically an ideal candidate for CBD because I’m always broken and hurting.
CBD is said to work wonders for pain management, stress relief, overall health improvement, as well as beauty and skin care. Since I need all the help I can get, I put a few products to the test for a week to see just how effective CBD products are for relieving pain, easing the mind and body of stress, chilling TF out, and improving my skin. Here’s how well they worked:
Beauty/Skin Care
Skincare routine who? Yeah, I don’t have one.
As someone with eczema and super sensitive skin, trying any form of beauty or skin care product on my face or body (aside from my tried-and-true usuals) has always scared me. Was I going to break out in pimples and rashes everywhere or was I going to turn into a magical goddess with flawless skin? Nobody knows!
I tried CBD For Life’s Eye Serum and Face Cream on Sunday night after I showered and found out for myself.
CBD For Life Eye Serum
I pumped a glob onto my finger and wiped what I thought was a respectable amount of serum underneath and around my eyes. I had some extra serum left over, so I wiped it into my hands then struggled to open the jar of face cream because I had eye serum all over my hands. Again, NOT a beauty pro.
CBD For Life Face Cream
So, did I turn into a pre-pubescent teen all over again or a beautiful goddess?
My skin felt healthier after applying the eye serum and the face cream, and continued to feel that way all week long during this trial run. It was shiny and glowing. It looked so good that I sent my mom a selfie then got yelled at when I told her I wasn’t sharing. Bad daughter, good skin. Oh well. Here’s photographic evidence of my skin before and after applying the cream, so you don’t just have to take my word for it.
Before: My winged eyeliner is flawless but my skin is not.
After CBD. My skin is so much smoother and less blotchy and red.
I also swapped out my fragrance-free and hypoallergenic Aveeno for CBD For Life’s CBD Hand & Body Lotion as a daily lotion and moisturizer throughout the week. I didn’t have any reactions or break out in any rashes at any point, and it kept my skin smooth and hydrated, but it didn’t cause any drastic, noticeable differences compared to the Aveeno I usually use. It actually felt about the same.
CBD For Life Hand & Body Massage Lotion
FINAL THOUGHTS: CBD works pretty well to heal and rejuvenate your skin. My face didn’t break out and has been glowing ever since I started using the eye serum and face cream. The lotion wasn’t life-changing but kept my skin hydrated like any other lotion I’ve used. Regardless, I think I’ve officially converted from a non-skin care believer to a regular CBD beauty product user.
Stress & Tension Relief
As a betch with anxiety, I need something to calm me the hell down, so I found the perfect product to try: Baked Beauty Co.’s CALM THE HELL DOWN CBD Anxiety Salve.
Baked Beauty Co. Anxiety Salve
For seven days, I applied the salve first thing in the morning once I woke up to relieve my already stiff and aching neck. I also applied it onto my shoulders and behind and around my knees after training Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Lucky for me, I was PMSing during this experiment so I was able to see if the product worked to reduce these symptoms as well, like headaches, lower back aches, and cramps. I massaged the salve into my temples, lower back, and pelvic area. Worked like a charm within a few minutes and lasted for a while! This 1,000 mg salve 1,000% helped to relieve stress and tension from my head and body. It soothed my inflamed joints after exercising and literally calmed me the hell down like the product name told me to.
FINAL THOUGHTS: If you struggle with life anxiety, bad PMS symptoms, or stress from work, your relationship, or anything else, then you should try a CBD anxiety/stress relief product. It’s crazy how much better your day can be when you’re not holding as much tension in your shoulders, body, and mind.
P.S. Can we please take a minute to appreciate how amazing this company’s branding is? SO cute.
Pain Management
Last but not least, the biggest, baddest test of all: Can CBD help manage and reduce pain from exercise and everyday/chronic ailments? I put Blue Ridge Hemp’s 200mg CBD-Infused Salve to the test for the week to find out.
Blue Ridge Hemp Co. CBD Infused Salve
I’m currently dealing with a displaced rib, a stiff neck, and aching bones. My pain started acting up after BJJ class Monday night, so I rubbed some of the salve into my calf for the first time. I’m not even kidding when I say I experienced immediate pain relief. I couldn’t believe it.
During Thursday night’s class, my hip popped like the grandma that I am and caused a rude amount of pain that radiated down to my knee. I couldn’t even walk without crying limping. As soon as I got home I applied the salve around my hip and all over my leg… and woke up with little to no pain. I have absolutely no idea how that happened, but I’m so grateful for this miracle rub because that hip pop felt like it should have kept me bedridden for days.
I even let my friend who trains muay thai try it, because sharing is caring (especially when you hold the cure for pain relief and you’re surrounded by people who enjoy beating the sh*t out of each other). The same exact thing happened for him too. We were sitting on my couch obsessing over how quickly it helped to relieve our shoulder, knee, neck, and joint pain. Yay, the joys of getting old!
FINAL THOUGHTS: CBD DEFINITELY works to manage and reduce pain stemming from chronic illnesses, exercise, and injury. It drastically reduced the aches and pains I have on an everyday basis and from training a very physically demanding contact sport. The salve was so soothing and healing that my friend tried to steal it the night I let him try it because he loved it so much. I know I just said sharing is caring, but IDC—that sh*t is MINE and I need it.
Overall Thoughts
CBD is my new miracle drug (which isn’t a drug at all). I can confidently say that after trying all of these products for a week, CBD absolutely works to improve your skin, reduce stress, and relieve pain.
It might sound like I’m promoting the products I used by saying they all worked well but that’s SO not the case. They seriously helped me and I’m genuinely advocating the benefits of using CBD for these reasons based on my experience. I’m just really excited about it, okay?
This was a really fun experiment that has changed my life for the better in many ways. I mean, I’m still an anxiety-ridden betch with a few chronic ailments, but at least now my skin looks and feels healthier, my stress is reduced, and my pain is manageable thanks to these awesome wellness products.
Thanks, CBD! 10/10 would definitely recommend.
