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CBD Bath Products – Do They Really Work?

CBD is all the rage right now and you’ve probably noticed it slowly seeping into every form of product out there, from patches to nasal sprays. There’s a little bit of something for everyone out there, like CBD bath products, including CBD bath bombs, CBD shampoos, and body washes. If you don’t like one way of using CBD, chances are there’s something else to try that you will like.

CBD bath products are hitting the shelves and it’s no surprise that they’re gaining a lot of interest. CBD shampoos, body washes, bath bombs, and even bath salts are making a rise in popularity.

But do these CBD bath products work? Are these products beneficial? Or is it just another hyped-up product that will result in you flushing money down the drain? Let’s talk about it.

How Does CBD Work?

To understand how these products may be beneficial, you first need to understand how cannabinoids work.

Each and every one of us has something called the endocannabinoid system. This complex system is comprised of many things, but the most well-known are the CB1 and CB2 receptors located all throughout the body, including the skin. Cannabinoids, including CBD bath products, interact with this endocannabinoid system. Some bind to the CB1 and CB2 receptors directly, while others work indirectly through other mechanisms.

Endocannabinoid System of the Skin
Endocannabinoid System of the Skin/ Source: https://tinyurl.com/y76dw5yy

CBD is one of those cannabinoids that works indirectly. Each time you use CBD, whether it’s internally or topically, it is interacting in some way with your endocannabinoid system.

This endocannabinoid system regulates and modulates various other systems in your body, which explains why cannabis products can be so beneficial. In simpler terms, the endocannabinoid systems promotes homeostasis within the body.

How Do CBD Bath Products Work?

The key with most CBD products is prolonged use. For products used topically, like CBD bath products, that means it needs consistent contact with the skin and time to “sink in”, so to speak.

For CBD bath products such as creams, salves and balms, this is easily achieved. The CBD products are rubbed or massaged into the skin and the CBD stays there without being washed off. It’s absorbed into the first few layers of the skin, and from there it goes to work.

You typically don’t get that prolonged contact with other CBD bath products, such as body washes and shampoos. Most individuals have their shampoo on their scalp for very short amounts of time, only to quickly wash it out. With body washes, the time frame is generally the same.

If you’re using CBD bath products like shampoo, and immediately wash it out, you may be washing money down the drain. Instead, try leaving it on your scalp for at least 5 minutes to let the CBD have a chance to absorb into the skin.

Typically though, we find body washes and shampoos with CBD to be significantly more expensive than just buying a scalp-friendly CBD oil tincture. Using regular CBD oil drops instead of a CBD shampoo could allow you to do overnight scalp treatments. This not only saves you money, but also guarantees you aren’t washing money (literally) down the drain.

What about Bath Bombs and Bath Salts?

CBD bath bombs and bath salts are probably even more popular than other CBD bath products like shampoos and body washes. But is it the CBD in the bath bomb actually working? Or is it just the hot, relaxing bath? It’s difficult to tell without any actual research studies.

Generally, feedback on bath bombs and bath salts has been positive. Often, the pricing for a CBD bath bomb isn’t that far off from “indie” bath bomb brands sans CBD. So if you’re already into bath bombs, we say give it a shot. There are just a few things to be aware of before you do.

CBD is not water-soluble, it’s fat-soluble. Dropping CBD itself into a tub of water won’t do you much good, as the CBD won’t dissolve. You need emulsifiers or other ingredients to help out. Double-check the ingredients of your CBD bath products, bath bombs or bath salts, and make sure they contain these things. If they don’t, you’re not totally out of luck.

You may notice a lot of bath bombs create a sheen of oil on the surface of the water. Make sure to scoop up over the surface of the water continuously to try to transfer the oil to your skin. Otherwise, you’ll just be sitting in a tub of water with the CBD collecting on the surface doing no good. If your skin is oily after the bath, dont wash it off. Instead, leave it and rub it into your skin.

And lastly, check the potency. We often come across bath bombs with extremely low concentrations of CBD in the entire product. If you think about how much water versus CBD there is, you’ll realize why you want something with more CBD in it.

Summary of CBD Bath Products

To really get the benefits of CBD, you typically need consistent and prolonged application. This is something that’s often lacking with things such as CBD shampoos and body washes.

Furthermore, the affordability (expressed in terms of price per milligram of CBD) and potency (expressed in terms of milligrams of CBD per milliliter) of these CBD bath products often leaves much to be desired. These products aren’t worthless, but there may be better options out there.

If you’re using these CBD bath products, chances are that you’re after CBD’s beneficial properties for skin conditions (such as a scalp condition) or for pain. These conditions may benefit more from CBD topical creams, lotions, and salves.

These can be used as needed throughout the day and don’t require the use of a time-consuming shower. Just don’t expect topical use to work for internal conditions. For those, we recommend sticking with the traditional sublingual CBD oil drops.

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