Wellbeing

5 Ways to Make Cannabis a Self-Care Staple

By Anna Duckworth
Photo by Unsplash

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years, across thousands of cultures to all kinds of affects, not the least of which has been to heal our bodies, spirits, and our minds. Today, that all translates to self-care—even if cannabis and everything it encompasses—from cannabinoids to terpenes—seems a bit intimidating.

After all, the whole point of the War on Drugs was to make weed seem scary. And decades later, the plant still carries around a whole lot of stigma, even as we start to see the laws around it loosen. But the truth is, cannabis is just a plant and incorporating it into your self-care regime is safer than a whole host of toxic beauty and skincare brands currently on the market. For perspective, the beauty industry is unregulated in the US and many products that make it onto store our shelves have been altogether banned in Europe.

So, as the pendulum around cannabis swings back, we can now start to better understand all of the incredible applications for the plant—some of which have nothing at all to do with getting high AF. From skincare to keeping it chill after a long ass day, here are five easy ways to start incorporating the plant into your self-care routine. 'Cause cannabis self-care is where it's at.

Cannabis Self-Care Tips

1. Swap your glass of wine for cannabis

After a big day, switching gears is one of the toughest things. It’s important to get out of work and into *you* and that’s why a glass of wine can be so helpful. But if you’re like a lot of people, wine makes you breakout, wakes you up at 3 a.m., and makes you feel like a faded version of yourself the next day. Cannabis can be every bit as effective in helping you take a load off without the annoying side effects.

 Bloom Farms CBD Mini Vape - Stone FruitBloom Farms CBD Mini Vape - Stone Fruit, $39

2. Start your day with some CBD

Just like taking vitamins in the morning, a CBD tincture can be a nice way to keep your CBD intake regular, which is an important part of this. You may not know it, but your body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which explains why we respond so well to cannabis. Essentially, the ECS a network of receptors that are responsible for maintaining the body’s equilibrium or homeostasis —which is fancy speak for regulating things like pain, appetite, sleep, immune function, neurogenesis, and stress. Researchers have found that a daily dose of CBD can help to keep all of that in balance. Try 2Rise Naturals Full Spectrum CBD Oil or to make it part of your regular vitamin habit, try Papa & Barkley's Hemp Capsules.

2Rise Naturals Full Spectrum CBD Oil with Turmeric, $50

3. Cover your body in it (and your vagina too!)

Putting cannabis topicals on your skin won’t make you high. And generally speaking, you’re perfectly fine to drive after applying cannabis-infused creams or balms to the skin. The one exception would be a THC-infused lubricant, which has been known to make some people high.

Foria Awaken CBD Arousal Oil, $48

4. Soak it up

A hot bath can work magic. But a hot bath with epsom salts? Now that’s a gift from the heavens. Add cannabis to that, and you have yourself a new level of chill. Try putting a few drops of Apothecanna's Everyday Oil with CBD or Life Elements Bath Bomb. You might just feel yourself become one with the bathtub.

 Apothecanna Everyday CBD Face & Body OilApothecanna Everyday CBD Face & Body Oil, $21.60

5. Post-workout recovery

Taking care of your body after a workout is as important as working out itself. Beyond eating the right stuff, staying hydrated, stretching, and resting up, there’s one more way to kick that recovery game up a few. Studies have shown that using cannabis topicals can help reduce inflammation significantly, so next time you’re feeling sore, try Apothecanna’s CBD Circulating Oil or Wildflower’s CBD+ Healing Stick.

Wildflower's CBD+ Healing StickWildflower CBD+ Healing Stick, $75