How Does CBD Balm Work?

When you buy CBD online it’s important to know everything you can- and we’re here to help! For our third entry in a growing series of answers to our customers’ most frequently asked questions, we’re going to answer two at once by turning our attention to CBD’s topical application.

The first question, “Does CBD balm work?” is actually fairly easy to answer: absolutely! In many cases, they may even be the best CBD products for the job. The mechanics are a little more complicated though. If you’ve been wondering how products like CBD balms work, you’re not the only one!

The Delivery

Here’s a fun fact: our skin is considered the largest organ in our bodies. And here’s another: the skin contains some of the highest concentrations of cannabinoid receptors we’ve got! These crucial parts of the endocannabinoid system- which we’ve covered extensively in other articles- have been shown to help regulate local inflammation and alter our perception of pain.

The Impact

Unlike other methods of delivery, the use of CBD balms won’t introduce their contents to the bloodstream. This leads to localized effects in the tissues of the areas that receive applications. When the CBD found in topicals is absorbed by the skin it binds to these receptors, desensitizing and triggering them into action.

The results are often noticeable within the first fifteen to sixty minutes after use, but can last upwards of a couple hours. The majority of users report a measurable decline in the severity of their pain and stiffness in the parts of the body they’ve treated, making balms and other topicals the best CBD products for local, physical pains and those post-workout sore spots.

The Grain of Salt

When you buy CBD online, pay close attention to how transparent the vendor is with their statements. Not every seller out there will openly advertise this caveat, but we feel like it’s definitely worth knowing.

While CBD’s effects on inflammation and pain management are being increasingly studied and documented, there hasn’t really been much laboratory research into human use in topical forms. This is largely due to the fact that industrial hemp and CBD were only legalized on the federal level back in 2018. Research into topical applications is especially infantile at this time, so we can’t guarantee any specific results until we know more.

What we do know is that a growing number of Americans have turned to CBD topicals. So far, the consensus has been overwhelmingly positive and seemingly suggests some uniform benefits. However, this is little more than anecdotal at this time. It’s certainly promising though!