What’s the Easiest Way to Try Cannabis? CBD Topicals

• With no high and total discretion, CBD topicals are one of the easiest ways to try cannabis for the first time.
• Our experts detail how cannabis works when you apply it to your skin—both for symptom relief and for skincare.
• Scroll to the bottom for discounts on 2 of our fave cannabis topicals!

8-minute read

CBD Topicals Are a Great Way to Try Cannabis

CBD topicals are one of the easiest ways to reap the benefits of cannabis.  Remember: you’re not confined to taking an edible or smoking a joint. Don’t overlook your largest organ—your skin. It, too, holds the power of the endocannabinoid system. CBD topicals have a ton of potential benefits. Psychoactive? No. Addictive? Definitely not. Easy to use? Totally. Discreet? Very. We’re listening. And so should you. Whether it’s a balm, salve, cream, or oil, you can use them to calm issues like inflammation and pain. And they take minimal effort. Just massage them in and voila! Let’s break down exactly how CBD topicals work.

Cannabis Without the Stigma

Even in 2022, cannabis can come with a lot of stigma. We know. We’re rolling our eyes, too. But the truth is that, even for our most passionate plant allies, ingesting cannabis can expose you to judgment. But, with federal legalization in 2018, CBD topicals have gone completely mainstream in the US. So, think of them as the chill auntie to your typical OTC pain relief cream or gel. With them, you can experiment and explore with ultimate discretion and no judgment. Plus, since they can be great for things like arthritis, they’re the perfect way to show mom, dad, and grandma that they might like cannabis, too. CBD topicals can be a wonderful way to reframe cannabis as healing and not just highs.

CBD Topicals and How They Work

We’re all familiar with rubbing pain cream on our skin, right? Now, before you let the pungent fragrance of Bengay or your grandparents’ tiger balm kidnap your memory, let’s break down how CBD topicals work there, too. Our skin is semi-permeable. That means it absorbs certain things while ignoring others. When you apply CBD topically, it penetrates 2 out of 3 layers of the skin. First, the balm penetrates the dead skin cells of the outer layer—aka the epidermis. This is the layer that we continually shed as a part of our body’s normal process of regeneration. Then, after the CBD bypasses the outer layer, it penetrates the bottom layer. That’s the dermis. That’s also where CBD can get into the endocannabinoid system (ECS) via specialized receptors.

Can You Get High from Using Cannabis Topicals?

For those of us who are long-time cannabis fans, the answer to this question is obvious. But we hear it a LOT. The short answer is no. First, cannabinoids like CBD and CBG aren’t psychoactive. So they don’t affect your brain. But, the delivery system for topicals means that, even if they include THC, almost none will get you high. Joanna Friedlander of one of our fave CBD brands, Flora Sophia, broke it down for us. “As a rule, cannabis doesn’t penetrate into the bloodstream when applied topically, which means that it won’t have systemic effects. Because the psychoactive effects associated with the THC in cannabis can only occur when THC is delivered to the brain, cannabis topicals won’t cause intoxication. The exception is a transdermal patch, which works differently than a cream or a balm. Those do have the ability to deliver THC and other cannabinoids to the bloodstream.”

What Kind of Health Issues Are CBD Products Most Commonly Helpful For?

While we love our cannabis, due to prohibition, it hasn’t been studied enough for the FDA to allow definitive claims about its possible benefits. With that caveat, there’s a growing body of evidence that cannabis has anti-inflammatory effects. Joanna thinks this is its most important potential. “The skin, muscles, joints, and nerves in the immediate area where you apply a CBD topical could benefit from its anti-inflammatory effects. This makes it ideal for everything from eczema and acne, to a pulled muscle or pinched nerve.”

CBD Topicals vs. CBD Ingestibles

Different CBD products are best for different uses. CBD topicals, like balms or creams, offer different effects than CBD gummies or tinctures. The distinction is localized relief. A CBD ingestible impacts the entire body. It’s processed in the digestive system, enters the bloodstream, and activates the ECS systemically. That means all the CB1 and CB2 receptors—from your brain to your nervous system. Neat, huh? But sometimes that’s just not what you want. Joanna explains, “When CBD is applied topically, its effects are localized in the skin, tissues, and muscles where it’s applied. When a CBD topical is rubbed into the skin, it penetrates through the dermis and into fatty tissue and muscle below, but not into the blood vessels. The cannabinoids interact only with the receptors in this localized area, providing relief from sensitive nerves, muscle inflammation, and joint stiffness exactly where you put it.”

CBD Topicals vs. NSAIDs

CBD topicals can serve as an effective substitute for NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Those seemingly innocent bottles of pills in your medicine cabinet, like Advil and Aleve, are NSAIDs. They’re a quick and easy way to treat symptoms like inflammation, joint pain, or headaches. But NSAIDs aren’t good for daily use. Taking too many NSAIDs can really mess up your liver and kidneys. Yikes! Risking damage to your vital organs definitely isn’t worth the symptom relief. CBD topicals offer pain relief with no such side effects. That’s because they’re not traveling through your digestive system.

CBD Topicals and Joint Pain

We love CBD topicals for arthritic joints. We already know that CBD and inflammation go together like PB&J. CBD and CBG can activate the ECS to calm down joint pain and inflammation. Plus, you can use CBD without the negative side effects of other topicals like steroid creams. Flora Sophia makes our faves. Their Muscle, Joint, & Nerve Support Salve packs a whopping 1200mg of CBD. And their Soothe & Calm Skin Salve serves up both CBD and CBG. Bonus—both of these salves smell great, due to lovely proprietary herbal blends. If you suffer from chronic arthritis pain, you can also take your cannabinoids orally for more impact. Coupling orally ingested CBD and CBG  with topicals could offer you a double dose of pain relief. Hopefully, you’ll be hopping and skipping again in no time.

How Fast Do CBD Topicals Work?

Onset For Pain and Inflammation

When you need instant relief, popping pills can cost you precious time. In contrast, cannabis topicals start working more quickly on pain and inflammation because they don’t have to pass through your digestive system. Joanna gave us the deets: “There’s a metabolic process that occurs in skin cells, too. So, activation time can vary depending on the metabolism of the user. Factors like age and skin thickness can influence the time it takes to feel an effect. For instance, CBD topicals absorb more slowly into thicker-skinned areas like the palms, feet, and forearms. So can the form. For instance, water-based and fat-based products typically take different paths to penetrate the dermis. Generally, though, you can expect to feel the effects of a CBD topical within 15-30 minutes of application. CBD topicals may wear off more quickly than ingested CBD, but you can reapply them as often as needed.”

Onset in Skincare

Joan Sutton, skincare expert and founder of 707 Flora, breaks down the difference in how long it takes to see CBD working in your skin. “My skincare has a lot of active ingredients in it. So it’s high performance and you get an immediate result. But that immediacy isn’t necessarily the CBD, which generally has a more cumulative effect. With CBD, because it’s working on cells in the lower layers of the skin, you start to notice the bigger change in your skin after a few weeks. The difference is smooth, balanced, and happy skin. My sister is a great example. After starting CBD, her cheeks weren’t so dry and her T-zone wasn’t so oily.”

CBD Topicals and Skincare

The skin is our body’s largest organ. So it’s only fair that our skin can benefit from all the goodies in CBD topicals, too. Calmer skin makes a better life. Many people experience skin problems like eczema or acne at some point in their lives. CBD topicals can combat skin concerns by improving its condition at a cellular level.

CBD Topicals and Cellular Regulation

Everyone’s skin is different. Luckily, CBD topicals have a way of morphing to our skin’s needs and improving its long-term health. Joan touts CBD’s versatility. “CBD adapts to the body and acts on its needs through widespread CB1 and CB2 receptors. Skin cells are born in the basal layer, the bottommost layer of the epidermis and travel to the top layer of the skin about every 30 days. If you introduce CBD when the cell is born, it will upregulate or downregulate the cell, depending on what it needs. CBD upregulates dry skin by promoting the natural moisturization factor within the cells. For skin with inflammation, redness, or excess sebum production, CBD downregulates the cell to calm these concerns.”

Protecting Skin Structure With CBD Topicals

CBD topicals help tackle inflammation and its unpleasant sensations. Incorporating CBD topicals into your skin routine could also help protect it from irreversible damage due to repetitive inflammatory reactions. Joan clued us into how wide ranging the effects of inflammation can be.  “What many don’t realize is that, when your skin has an inflammatory response, that can break down its cellular matrix to negatively affect its collagen and elastin—which could cause wrinkles. Or, in younger people, inflammation can cause a hormonal response that causes breakouts. That’s why I designed my formulas to work on all types of skin. It’s just how you use them interactively. Everyone can use my serum and eye cream. If you’re dry, you can use my nighttime mask. Or, in oily spots, just my daily moisturizer.”

Are You Down to Try Cannabis Topicals?

Topicals are the easiest way to try cannabis for the first time. Its potential uses are abundant—from treating sore muscles to boosting radiant skin. And, other than transdermal products, there’s absolutely no risk of getting high. If you’re ready to see if cannabis topicals are right for you, we have a surprise. Both Flora Sophia and 707 Flora are offering a discount exclusively for our readers. Just use the code PUFF25 to get 25% off of some of our favorite CBD topicals!