CBD topicals are, as the name implies, topical products that use cannabidiol as their main ingredient. They’re easy to use, fast-acting, and offer a more targeted approach to relief. They do this by sending localized doses of hemp directly to the problem area through absorption of the skin. You can find loads of unique CBD topical treatments and formulas on the market. Each with different milligram strengths, hemp compounds, ingredients,, and formulas.
One trend that we absolutely love is hemp-based topicals that provide either cooling or warming sensations on contact. We’ve known for a long time that both warm and cool sensations can help painful areas heal faster. And, these topicals supply those effects in natural, holistic ways.
CBD Topicals: Why It’s Time to Give this Delivery Method a Try
CBD topicals refer to any CBD-infused product that is applied to the skin rather than taken internally. What’s unique about CBD topicals is that rather than dispersing cannabinoids throughout the body, they supply them directly to the area that is giving you a problem, as the cannabinoids bind with cannabinoid receptors in the skin, muscles and joints without spreading much further. This way, you’re basically giving the area a concentrated dose of CBD for potentially stronger effectiveness.
CBD topicals come in a wide range of milligram strengths, and the higher the strength, the more potent the product is. CBD topicals can be applied daily, and may work in a cumulative manner as a result of maintaining a consistent routine.
What’s in CBD Topicals?
The main active ingredient is CBD. This is the dominant compound in the hemp plant, which is known for its regulating effects on the body. CBD is one of many cannabinoids found in hemp, and the plant also contains a rich array of terpenes and nutrients that can all be quite useful, even in terms of topical administration. Broad and full spectrum hemp topicals will contain a variety of these hemp-derived compounds for a more complete approach to relief.
CBD topicals will also contain a number of plant-based ingredients that may offer more benefits. And, of course, these ingredients help turn pure CBD extract into a formula that can be applied to the skin. Most CBD topicals simultaneously moisturize the skin while sending CBD and other hemp compounds deep beneath the surface. The goal is to penetrate the muscular tissue.
Enhancing CBD Topicals with Cooling Ingredients
Since CBD topicals are most frequently used for pain relief, it would make sense that companies would figure out ways to enhance their formulas with cooling ingredients. Cooling ingredients cool not only the skin but the muscular tissue, providing a sensation much like putting ice on a painful part of the body. We know that cooling sensations can promote healing. They do this by bringing down inflammation which can cause pain and swelling.
What’s the Best Cooling Agent You Can Find in a CBD Topical Solution?
Well, without a doubt, the gold standard would have to be menthol. For those who don’t know, menthol is a chemical compound abundant in the mint family. When making direct contact with your skin, it offers a cold feeling that lasts for quite a while. Simultaneously, it helps numb pain through its analgesic properties.
Enhancing CBD Topicals with Warming Ingredients
These warming ingredients are equally useful, because most of us know that heat can help with pain just as effectively as cold. While cooling sensations can lower inflammation and stop swelling, heat can open up the blood vessels to increase circulation to the area, which can reduce tension while allowing the body’s natural healing mechanisms to fully activate.
Ingredients that can provide a heating sensation tend to be essential oils derived from spices. This includes ginger, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper. These are natural ingredients that have been used for centuries in order to provide pain relief on contact. They effectively absorb into the muscles to help open things up to provide an easing feeling that can be extremely therapeutic to those struggling with all kinds of pain.
Choosing Which Topical Solution (Warm or Cold) is Right for You
First, please note that there is no right or wrong answer. It’s not like choosing one over the other puts you at risk of ending up in greater pain. But, if you’re trying to use CBD topicals for therapeutic purposes, here are some tips to help you decide.
#1: Ask Your Doctor
If you’re curious about the difference between warming and cooling topicals, you can ask them specifically which one they would recommend. Some types of pain may benefit more from one type of sensation over the other. Make sure they also know your medical history and what you may be taking now to manage the pain, in order to give you the most accurate information about how you should maintain a regimen with this type of product.
#2: Experiment
There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with each by grabbing both. You can apply one in the morning and one in the evening and see for yourself which one brings you the most relief.
#3: Alternate Between the Two
Nowadays, more pain specialists believe that alternating between heat and cold is the way to go. Each sensation offers unique advantages. So, incorporating both of these types of topicals into your daily routine may be particularly helpful.
You Can Find all Kinds of CBD Topicals on the Market These Days
However, our favorites would have to be ones that offer either cooling or warming effects when applied to the skin. These topicals can be used therapeutically for all types of pain and can be applied daily as needed. It’s time to explore these unique CBD topicals for yourself in order to discover what they can do for you in a completely natural and holistic way.