How CBD Topicals Can Help Psoriasis and Sensitive Skin

Those with sensitive skin understand the trial and error of figuring a beauty routine that works. Figuring out which products won’t cause an adverse reaction is often an ongoing project. Personally, patch tests don’t always predict my skin’s long-term response to a product. This could be due to environmental or hormonal changes, but whatever the cause, I’m always reluctant to try anything that claims to be great for sensitive skin.

Even with my love for CBD, I was skeptical about how my sensitive skin would react. Surprisingly, most of the CBD topicals help my skin without an adverse incident. This is probably because CBD is a great source of Vitamin C and E, can boost collagen production, and can fight free radicals and signs of aging.

As acceptance of CBD grows, more and more beauty and wellness products are surfacing with the promise of helping sensitive skin. Of course, as esthetician Barbara Stender says, testing out products is part of the process. She says doing research and finding what works for you is more important than you may realize: the skin’s memory will show the good care you took years from now.

Stender also points out that sensitive skin is rarely a result of genetics.  Rather an outcome of lifestyle elements like dieting. Environmental factors like extreme heat or cold, skin disorders, medicine side effects, and hormones are some of the reasons a person can develop especially sensitive skin. Using CBD with other essential oils and natural ingredients can potentially soothe irritation.  Everyday Face and Body Oil by Apothecanna, combines CBD with cedar, which soothes skin, and geranium, which can heal scars.

Because CBD is a strong anti-inflammatory, it can reduce redness and blotchiness often present with sensitive skin. Additionally, dry skin can also be associated with sensitive skin, so it helps that CBD topicals can regulate sebum. Trista Okel, CEO and founder of Empower Bodycare, says that CBD can also impact the way our bodies respond to stimuli.

“CBD interacts with the TRPV1 receptor in the skin, it reduces inflammation and acts as an antinociceptive, which means that it reduces the body's response to painful stimuli. CBD also activates PPAR-γ, a receptor that regulates cell life in the skin, including regulating inflammation. In addition, CBD suppresses a pro-inflammatory enzyme, TNF-alpha, thus reducing inflammation,” Okel tells bud.com.

Okel reaffirms the need for patch testing, especially with sensitive skin, and stresses that there is no one product that works for everyone. The presence of CBD doesn’t always mean that a product is good, because things like perfumes and dyes can completely negate any benefits of CBD. Assuming you find a product that doesn’t include irritating ingredients, CBD topicals can significantly improve life for those with sensitive skin.

“If used regularly, CBD-infused lotions, oils, and creams can help prevent irritated skin through a couple of different mechanisms. First, by creating a barrier to potential environmental irritants, and second, by reducing the skin's inflammatory response to irritants,” says Okel.

Diana-Ashley Krach is a freelance writer, journalist, and content creator whose work can be found on Everyday Feminism, Ravishly, and Playboy. She is the co-host and creator of Your Highness Podcast and founder of Good Vibes Marketing Agency. You can find her on Twitter or on her website.