This CBD Oil Saved My Skin From Full Blown Painful Itchiness
By Miss GrassIt started when I was about 14. The sides of my nose got really red. Then they got flaky. Then they got weepy. Then I got weepy. I didn’t love it. But I also had no recourse to address it, let alone fix it. I didn’t want to draw attention to it, so I just ignored my own face in the hopes that it would fix itself. Once that was no longer an option, I went to the doctor.
I had seborrheic dermatitis, which is kind of like dandruff but red and scaly and on your face. Love that for me! I was quickly given a lotion whose only ingredients were sulfur and mineral oils, and sent on my way. In the years that followed, I treated seasonal and stress-related flare ups with soap-free face wash, cortisone cream, and that’s pretty much it. The idea of using a daily moisturizer—let alone an all-out face oil—was terrifying to my uneducated brain. My motto was pretty much “Don’t touch it!!”
In the last few years, however, I’ve become acquainted with a little concept called clean beauty and rose hydrosol and 100 percent argan oil have become my new best friends. I’ve been able to slowly decrease applications of the aforementioned medical lotion, as my new skincare regimen keeps my overactive sebum production in check. For the most part. Flare ups still happen. That’s where CBD comes in.
As you can imagine, working at Miss Grass has meant CBD has infused itself into almost all aspects of my life. But only now, having been enabled by our ecommerce manager, have I tried incorporating a high-strength CBD oil into my daily skincare regimen. And not just any CBD oil.
I’m talking about the luxe leaders of CBD and skin, Lord Jones. I’m talking about their most potent product yet; their Royal Oil. I set myself the task of using it every day—as a facial oil and as a tincture—and this (not to be dramatic) is my story. 
Why Even?
Like everything related to cannabis, some initial research into the efficacy of CBD as a treatment for skin buggers like dermatitis as yielded promising results, but there’s not enough studies at this point to know why, when, and how it all works. Generally speaking, managing skin issues via the endocannabinoid system (ECS) makes sense.
After all, the skin that covers our bods has a functioning ECS going on, right there. Which makes sense, given the skin’s role in maintaining homeostasis and acting as the vanguard of the human body in fighting off injury and infection.
The superstar endocannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, are present in practically all cell types of the skin, too. These guys help prevent inflammation, and with some help from CBD, they have the potential to do a lot more. One study from Nottingham University points to the potential for CBD to play a role in the slowing down of the proliferation of skin cells linked to skin like mine. Another 2014 study published in the journal of the American Society for Clinical Investigation proposed that CBD also slows down the secretion of sebum a.k.a. literally the cause of seborrheic dermatitis.
Having researched the above, and with all signs pointing to promising, I set about covering my face in CBD oil at any opportunity. And at 1000mg of CBD per 30ml bottle of Royal Oil, that was a lot of CBD.
Lord Jones Royal Oil, $95My (New) Royal Regimen
The potency of Royal Oil is what it’s known for, as you can imagine. Each full dropper contains about 40ml of CBD. Normally, that’d be enough to get a lightweight with no prior CBD experience a little fuzzy-headed. But Lord Jones products contain broad spectrum CBD; they contain all the natural cannabinoids and terpenes, minus the trace amounts of psychoactive THC. So even if you drank the whole bottle (please don’t) you wouldn’t be a trace high.
But back to my skin. It responds much better to all-natural ingredients, it turns out. And for skin care purists, you’ll be pleased to know that Royal Oil contains two essential ingredients; broad spectrum CBD suspended in grape seed oil. No flavorings, colors, or additives—just a subtle, gorgeous cannabis scent.
Having stalked the Sephora reviews for Royal Oil to compare my experience, it seems that some people have found applying ample amounts of grape seed oil to their face causes them to break out. Not to brag, but I’m not one of those people. It’s been almost two weeks and I have the same amount of pimples I always do. Which is average. If anything, that amount’s dropped slightly—no small feat considering my experimentation overlapped with the onset of my period.
How’s the dermatitis, you ask? Zero flare ups. At one point about a week ago, I found I was developing some related dryness on my neck. I slapped it with Royal Oil each night before bed (the only time face oils should be applied, by the way) and after three or four nights? It calmed all the way down to non-existent status. And considering that means it went all the way from red and scaly, to straight up my-skin-color and smooth, that’s kind of a big deal.
Lord Jones CBD Body Lotion, $24