CBD is all the rage in cannabis culture these days. Praised mainly for its effects on pain management without having THC’s psychoactive effects, CBD is finding itself a favourable position amongst many marijuana users.
It can be challenging to find CBD-heavy strains for smoking, but it is undoubtedly getting easier and easier to buy CBD oil in Canada – as well as a variety of other products. CBD tinctures, teas, and edibles can be readily found at online dispensaries, making this miraculous medicine accessible for Canadians.
We know that introducing CBD into our bodies can have a profound effect, but what about its use in topical products? People have clued in to using CBD in products like salves and lip balm, and now it’s beginning to show up in one of the most obsessive bathroom routines: hair care.
While CBD doesn’t have to be applied directly to your scalp (say, in the form of shampoo) to lend its benefits, it is becoming a popular ingredient in hair care products – and for good reason!
A Quick Blurb About the Anatomy of Hair
Human hair is made of a protein called keratin. Each hair has a follicle at the bottom that anchors it in the skin. Beneath the skin’s surface, the follicle is surrounded by oil- and sweat-glands, after which it widens into a bulb. The very base of the hair bulb is connected to blood vessels that deliver nutrients and hormones to each individual hair.
Since every hair has its own oil glands and blood vessels, you can see how any change in homeostasis (balance) within your body will affect your scalp and hair health. Considering hormonal changes and stress are a regular part of life, your hair is bound to change over time. However, you don’t have to settle with any negative changes: CBD is here to help!
5 Ways CBD Benefits Your Hair and Scalp
Whether it be taken internally or applied topically, CBD can be an effective treatment for various hair problems.
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CBD Strengthens Your Hair
Our hair can take a bit of a beating from our bustling modern lives. Pollution and UV radiation from the environment can cause damage to the hairs from the outside, while an unbalanced diet can affect the way the hair grows. If you blow-dry or straighten your hair regularly, that will damage and weaken your hair over time.
Luckily for us Canadians, we can buy CBD oil in Canada to add to our hair care routine. CBD oil can bring your hair back to life by being an intense moisturizer: it smoothes the individual hairs to give them more lustre. It’s antioxidizing properties help reverse some of the effects of environmental damage and strengthen your hair’s resistance to further harm.
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CBD Can Help Prevent Hair Loss and Stimulate Growth
Non-genetic hair loss can be due to several factors: stress, inflammation, hormone fluctuation, or weak hair follicles. No matter the cause, nobody enjoys losing noticeable quantities of hair.
Fortunately, CBD can help all of the above conditions. A combination of direct application ( such as shampoo or pure oil treatments) and internal treatment (ingestion) of CBD will bring balance to your body. This can strengthen your hair follicles to help keep those hairs in place.
However, CBD cannot reverse genetic hair loss conditions such as male or female pattern baldness or alopecia.
It is also surmised that CBD increases blood flow to the scalp, which in turn feeds your hair (via the hair bulbs), giving it optimum nutrition for healthy and robust growth.
3. CBD and Scalp Health
It goes without saying that hair health and scalp health go hand in hand. While it may seem contrary to add oil to your scalp for beauty purposes, rest assured that CBD’s effects on your scalp will give you extra healthy hair.
Remember how each little hair has an oil gland? These glands release an oil called sebum, which is meant to maintain regular moisture on your scalp. Sometimes the glands can overproduce or under-produce. In the case of lack of oil, people often develop annoying conditions like dandruff, while too much oil just looks… oily.
When you use CBD products, they can affect oil production on your scalp by regulating the output of sebum. Sometimes oily hair or a dry scalp are caused by external factors, such as minor staph infections or residual hair products irritating the skin.
CBD has antimicrobial properties to help heal the skin directly if it is damaged and can help with the cleansing process of removing residue from conditioner or hair styling products.
4. CBD Reduces Stress
CBD doesn’t have to be directly applied to your head to deliver its benefits to your hair and scalp. Taken internally, be it by smoke or by edibles, CBD is known to reduce stress and anxiety. Both of these conditions are linked to hair loss, which can lead to more stress, which can lead to more hair loss… and so the cycle goes.
Helping your body reduce or eliminate stress by adding CBD to your self-care routine can save your head, inside and out!
5. CBD Reduces Inflammation
How does this relate to your hair, you may be wondering? There is a condition called folliculitis, which is an inflammation of the hair follicles. As we know, the follicles are what hold your hair to your head.
Folliculitis can occur anywhere on your body, but is obviously most detrimental to your appearance when it affects your scalp. CBD is known to act on receptors in the body that reduce inflammation. De facto, reduced inflammation in the case of folliculitis equals reduced hair loss.
Fun fact: acne is a form of folliculitis – so CBD can potentially help acne too!
Now You C….BD!
CBD has many benefits for your hair and scalp health. Though actual scientific studies are limited, people have been buying CBD oil in Canada to treat their hair with success.
Direct oil treatments are usually done in a spa or salon (as they can be a bit messy), but keep a lookout for shampoos and conditioners containing CBD.
Shop carefully: a cannabis leaf on the label may signify the presence of hemp oil, not CBD. While hemp oil has its own set of benefits for your hair, CBD is the product that really packs a punch to bring balance to your scalp and give your hair new life.