Whether you’re keen on caring for your skin, dealing with aches and pains, or helping to balance your mood – CBD has unquestionably taken the wellness market by storm. With the industry set to be a $23bn business by 2025 it should come as no surprise that the product has expanded into almost every market imaginable. And that includes the weird ones.
Whether you’re keen on caring for your skin, dealing with aches and pains, or helping to balance your mood – CBD has unquestionably taken the wellness market by storm.
So, as CBD continues to soar in popularity, what are some of the strangest products out there and is there any method to their madness?
Here are our five favourite items on physical and digital shelves this year, starting with-
1. Tongue shots: Combining the calming world of CBD and the start of a particularly messy night out, CBD shots are concentrated bursts of the substance in a carrier liquid of dubious quality. Famously sold by B&M Bargains, the range comes in a variety of flavours and strengths. These are intended to be carried around and taken as needed, whether it’s to help with the management of RSI pain, winter stiffness, or to get you through a stressful situation.
While the image of grimly slamming a shot before going into a meeting may be unsettling, the product builds on a long-standing precedent for portable CBD in the current market. VSAVI’s full-spectrum CBD oil is designed to be robust, easy to carry, and there when you feel you need them. They also deploy what is known as the entourage effect, to help provide a powerful CBD ‘hit’ that’s cheaper in the long run that purchasing wasteful, one-shot products.
Could it work?: While it’s important to safely trial CBD – and the product may not work for everyone – being able to use CBD as and when you need is incredibly helpful. If you choose a CBD tincture, the substance is swallowed and travels to your stomach and is absorbed by the small intestine. This allows it to quickly move through your body and get to work.
2. CBD suppositories: Simultaneously pushing the boundaries of medical science and acceptability, CBD infused suppositories have proven to be another surprisingly popular option for users throughout the world. While you may never get someone to admit to taking them on the reg, there is a genuine precedent for their use. Suppositories are most often deployed when their users may have difficulty taking oral medication as seen in sufferers of seizures and tremors, or those with digestive issues. While research is still ongoing, CBD’s ability to potentially help manage these conditions can make it useful to try with the correct medical advice.
Does it work?: Conventional suppositories have been used for generations to safely administer medications with ease and effectiveness. This allows for quick and comfortable absorption making them perfect for treating a range of issues that would otherwise require injections, heavy courses of medication, or require fast-acting relief.
3. CBD pet treats: Getting your dog to relax after hearing the doorbell may seem like an impossibility but, after hearing the prayers of pet-owners throughout the world, many dog treats are now being sold that have been infused with CBD. These claim to serve two purposes, helping your pet to relax if it is under stress, and also potentially assisting with the management of inflammation in older animals or those recovering from injury.
While research may ongoing, multiple human studies that have highlighted the potential for CBD products to help with mood and pain management. This is caused by the cannabinoid interacting with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the body. For the former, this helps cause an analgesic or painkilling effect, reducing the inflammation response throughout the body. The latter helps stimulate the production of mood-lifting chemicals such as serotonin. This means that administering CBD oil in controlled doses could potentially meet the unique needs of your animal.
Does it work?: Before you consider using CBD products with your pet, it is essential to consult your vet and ensure that there are no elements in their food or medications that could react adversely. If your pet is getting on in years, CBD could potentially help sustain their quality of life and help make their remaining time with you as comfortable as possible.
4. CBD hair gel: Increasingly popular amongst the Instagram set over the last couple of years, CBD infused hair gels have enjoyed a steady rise in popularity. These items are essentially tinctures that – in addition to providing exceptional hold and control – also carry the reported benefits of CBD and the ability to potentially tackle a range of issues.
For some users, these benefits can be hard needed. CBD and tinctures have some potential to help keep conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis under control. While these may not be truly debilitating, they can significantly lower the quality of life for sufferers and provide a possible alternative for users who may be unable to undertake more intensive treatment for medical reasons.
If you are concerned about skin irritation or hair loss, it’s always best to consult your doctor and seek medical help. We would always advise you thoroughly check with a practitioner before applying a topical cream or CBD product to a medical condition. If irritation or an adverse reaction occurs, you should your stop immediately and consult medical assistance. And, as with any new product, it’s always best to try it in small amounts first over a period of time to ensure that you will not experience an allergic reaction.
Does it work? The human scalp is incredibly sensitive, and any products should always be used responsibly and with care. If you are looking for potential wellness alternatives, our range of products includes a CBD infused eye-cream with an added caffeine kick. Or you could enjoy a cream with CBD and collagen to help care for your skin in the depths of winter, making it a perfect present for a certain special someone’s Christmas stocking.
5. CBD lubricant: For our final entry, we’re setting down a conspicuously slippery slope to the world of CBD-infused intimate products. One of the latest hot trends in the sector is an increased demand for CBD lubricant. This product claims to as a vasodilator which causes muscle constriction and improves blood flow throughout the body, with many shops offering it as part of their ‘Holiday Collection’ for a very, very merry Christmas indeed.
While we have yet to branch out into this potential market, if you’re looking for something that could help bring your heart rate down at the end of the night – or day – you could try a CBD vape. Simple and easy to use, these can help bring a quick hit of CBD when you need it most and, unlike the product in question, can be safely deployed with latex or polyisoprene forms of protection.
Does it work?: We believe any CBD products should be always be used in an informed way that is safe and carefully administered with respect and consent. If you are planning to use CBD in any corner of your life, it is important to consult your doctor beforehand and ensure there will be no complications with any existing issues or course of medication. The selling point for the product in question is CBD’s potential ability to lower blood pressure in individuals which can help bring down stress levels. If you or your partner are experiencing issues with intimacy, it’s always worth seeking professional help to eliminate medical issues and pursue additional support if required. As with physical wellness, sexual health is a vitally important part of your life and every individual deserves the right to secure the assistance they need without worry or shame.
Honourable mentions
With our favourite five out of the way, some other – slightly more dubious – runner-up products include-
Beard oil: Now reaching apex hipsterdom, CBD beard oil helps control wayward hairs and allegedly provides a helpful CBD ‘kick’. Deployed as a tincture, the oil can potentially provide relief for skin conditions or help deal with rashes.
Eyebrow makeup: Allowing for thick brows and a renewed sense of calm, these powdered makeups are infused with CBD to potentially help reduce inflammation.
Deodorant: Though CBD’s purported ability to help you stay calm will make it difficult to work up a sweat, more deodorants are adding an extra element to add to their appeal.
What next?
If you have questions or queries about what item is right for you, please do not hesitate to get in touch and let our team know exactly what you need to fully enjoy your CBD experience.
Update 2021: The Covid-19 pandemic continues to cripple the world in multiple ways, especially economically. Depending on where you are reading this from, you may be out of lockdown now and trying to get on with life as much as possible. For example, as of September 2021, the UK is out of full lockdown after challenging times at the beginning of the year cooped inside homes, unless for urgent medical care or to pick up food supplies.
An unimaginable experience on a global scale – work, family life and all other pressures were contained inside four walls for months on end. In stressful situations, anxiety naturally increases while millions suffer pain mentally and physically.
From people using CBD as a daily supplement, to others using the hemp extract to help alleviate a range of niggles and pains, people using CBD in lockdown has seen the industry hit new heights and sent sales soaring. Let’s look at why more people used CBD in lockdown and why, now more than ever, you should consider using the supplement to support your general health and wellbeing.
Why Did People Use CBD in Lockdown?
2020 and coronavirus will go down as one of the most surreal times in recent world history. It’s an indirect effect on the mental health and wellbeing of billions of people struggling to cope with a new way of life, after losing simple freedoms previously taken for granted. Leaving the haven of your home became a stressful experience for many. This is still the case today, even with masks no longer mandatory in the UK. One such coping mechanism that it seems many have turned to is by using CBD in lockdown.
Estimates suggest that UK customers have spent over £150m on CBD products in 2020, with a 50% increase in CBD sales from 2019. Since lockdown began, around 8.5 million people have bought CBD products or were intending to buy CBD products soon. This increase in customers using CBD in lockdown has been primarily attributed to the stress, anxiety and insomnia that people have faced during the uncertainty of COVID:19. But can CBD help with the woes we continue to experience?
What Are The Effects of CBD?
While the medical benefits of CBD are somewhat of a grey area in the UK, there are a growing number of studies as to how the high-grade hemp extract can help ease a variety of symptoms from a variety of diseases. Studies suggest reasons for taking CBD during the pandemic included addressing issues of insomnia, attempts to relieve anxiety and managing pain inflammation, which can occur from reasons such as stress.
There are now countless products that are infused with CBD and the time it takes for you to feel the effect will differ depending on the product. Any effects your body experiences, whether positive or negative, will vary from person to person. Always consult your doctor before taking, starting on a lower dose and seeing how you feel.
Ultimately, the impact of using CBD may feel like a gentle wave of calm that travels through your body. If used topically, it may help ease any inflamed muscles or soothe any dry and cracked skin patches.
One thing that can be said is that the relationship cannabinoids such as CBD have with the body are complex, and continue to be researched for medical purposes. Be it its anti-inflammatory properties or its antioxidant qualities, CBD and hundreds of other cannabinoids are being studied to determine how they can help a variety of diseases and conditions, such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Sleep deprivation
- Increasing the appetite of those undergoing treatments for cancer
- Anorexia
- Crohn’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Heart disease
- PTSD
- General pain management
The pandemic has changed the way we feel and act as a society. Working from home has become second nature, wearing masks a familiar sight as well as keeping a distance from others. This level of social separation would of course lead to uncertainty, which in turn creates anxiety and added stress. Therefore, with the properties of CBD allegedly relieving these symptoms, it’s apparent that the food supplement with supposed multiple benefits physically and mentally are here to stay, whether we enter another lockdown or carry on as we are in society.
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Great Article!!! Love your website.