You’re probably reading a lot of articles lately that are either extremely doom and gloomy (viral apocalypse, impending economic collapse, even our cats can catch coronavirus now?, etc.) or overly and desperately trying to stay positive.

This article isn’t like either of those. We decided to write about something everyone can get behind. Hand washing and CBD and skin care. Specifically, why hand washing is good, and how CBD may be able to help combat the dry skin that will typically result from it.

Sound okay? Cool, let’s do it.

Clean Hands, Everywhere

If you’re like a lot of people then you’ve probably been washing your hands more than you ever have in your life over the past few weeks. COVID-19 has everyone trying to scrub every last piece of microbe off of their hands in an attempt to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and safe from the virus. And it’s a good idea to be doing so.

According to the CDC (and, more or less, common sense), the best way to prevent illness from COVID-19 is to avoid exposure to the virus. One of the best ways to avoid contact with the virus is to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly. On their website they say to wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after each time in a public place (or any place where others have been), or after each time you blow your nose, cough, or sneeze.

Although most of us are social distancing and staying home as much as possible, it’s hard for us to completely sever contact with the outside world. We need groceries, exercise and recreation, might come into contact with a neighbor, “essential” workers are still going to work, and many of us are maybe bending the rules a bit to see non-vulnerable friends or family (I won’t tell if you don’t).

What does this mean? That we are still potentially coming into contact with the Coronavirus. What’s more is that, because we all seem to love touching our eyes, noses, and mouths so much (3-5 times per minute according to the movie Contagion, which, like millions of others, I recently watched again once COVID-19 ramped up to beef up on my Hollywood virus knowledge), hand washing is critical to staying healthy and stemming the tide of the pandemic.

Dry Skin Is No Fun

Hand washing is great, but doing so every time you cough, sneeze, blow your nose, touch a doorknob, or leave your home is not without its own consequences. These are namely in the form of dry and cracked skin. On top of hand washing, many people are also using alcohol-based hand sanitizer more than they normally do, which also makes the skin on your hands even drier.

Although not usually serious, dry skin, especially dry hands, can become pretty uncomfortable. If your hands are consistently dry then they can peel, crack, and even break open into cuts that bleed. This is especially annoying because you use your hands for just about everything, and it’s no fun when grabbing or touching things causes you pain (although touching fewer things would help you prevent the spread of the virus).

There are several factors that can affect or cause dry skin. One of those factors is how much oil our skin produces. The less oil, or the more we wash away the oil through constant cleaning, the drier our skin will become.

This is where CBD is thought to play a part in improving the situation.

CBD and Dry Skin

Due to the fact that we are all washing our hands many many times a day; to avoid overly dry skin, it would be a good idea to carry some with you. And if you want a powerhouse lotion, it would be a good idea to carry one that contains CBD. If this sounds like a good idea to you, then you’re in luck! CBD’s use in skin care products has exploded recently.

When it comes to skin, the possible benefits are reported to include everything from wrinkles to acne to rashes to your everyday (or COVID-19 induced) dry skin. When it comes to dry skin specifically, CBD has been found to have a positive impact on the regulation and production of oil in our epidermis. This study found that CBD acts as an effective sebostatic agent. That’s important because the sebaceous glands are responsible for oil production in the skin.

Although the mechanism is not 100% understood or known yet, it is thought that CBD will induce your sebaceous glands to produce more oil when necessary and less oil when they are producing too much.

How does it do this? Well, through our body’s amazing endocannabinoid system, of course.

Endocannabinoid System and Our Skin

As we lay out in a different article of ours, scientists have recently discovered that the skin produces two types of endocannabinoids, known as anandamide (AEA) and 2-AG. These molecules are synthesized by different cells in the epidermis, hair follicles, and sebaceous (oil) glands. Additionally, CB1 and CB2 receptors are present in nearly every type of skin cell, which means that endocannabinoids and cannabinoids can bind with them and affect changes.

Basically, when the CB1 and CB2 receptors are activated, they modify the normal function of your skin cells. These modifications help to regulate the skin’s immune and inflammatory systems by creating anti-inflammatory effects and suppressing the activation of the immune system when it is not really needed.

This function helps mitigate and improve rashes, redness, hives, and other conditions that result from an immune system inflammatory response. Endocannabinoids and their receptors also may help keep oil production in the proper balance. As a corollary of that, because [external] cannabinoids can interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors in a similar way as [endo] cannabinoids, substances like CBD are thought to have a similar moderating effect.

Here’s Some Additional Research on CBD and Skin Care

In addition to some of the sources we linked to above, here is some further evidence about CBD’s effect on our skin:

• This study, found in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, concluded that CBD might be effective at fighting acne because it activates the receptors in the sebaceous glands, limiting their production of sebum. Sebum is the oily or waxy material that lubricates our hair and skin, however its overproduction is one of the causes of acne.
• Additional research published in PubMed found that CBD might be effective at treating eczema and psoriasis as well. CBD is thought to help by reducing the inflammation caused by the psoriasis and, possibly, acting through the endocannabinoid system to reduce the rate of skin cell division itself.
• Several animal studies also found that, through ointments and skin cream, CBD may be transdermal, meaning it enters the bloodstream through the skin, and be useful at reducing arthritis related joint pain and inflammation

Conclusion

That’s it! Just a quick article about CBD and skin care to give you a leg up as you keep your hands as clean as possible and weather the Coronavirus storm. Give one of our CBD topical products a try today and see if it works for you!

CBD Body Butter  A natural pain-relieving topical infused with pure hemp-derived CBD that will leave your skin feeling smooth and nourished.   Click here to give CBD Body Butter a try for your dry hands.