It's official: Cannabidiol (CBD) is the It Ingredient of 2019. You'd be hard-pressed to go anywhere these days without hearing someone rave about CBD or shopping at a store that sells it. (For a while, there was even a CBD cocktail bar near my apartment.)
Just to be clear, CBD — the second-most common compound in cannabis behind tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — won't get you high. Instead, proponents say it has the ability to calm stress, relieve pain, and even, when applied topically, ease acne and irritation. As a beauty and health writer, I naturally wanted to see if CBD is really all it's cracked up to be. So, for two weeks, I put the coolest CBD oils, both edible and topical, to the test. Here, I've rounded up my favorites.
At the start of my CBD oil experiment, I knew I had to try this product from Lord Jones, the trendy brand that every beauty editor I follow on Instagram has raved about all over their feeds. And after adding this oil to my morning skin care routine, I understood why so many people love this brand. This silky-smooth formula, containing broad-spectrum CBD and grape seed oil, calmed my acne-prone skin and made my face feel so soft that my makeup glided on effortlessly after application.
After a particularly stressful day, I took a dropper full of this refreshing peppermint-flavored CBD and placed it under my tongue for 60 seconds, then swallowed. What I really like about this CBD oil is that the dropper is marked, so I knew exactly how much I was consuming. Within 20 minutes I felt calmer, kind of like I had just come from a yoga class (without having to do any of the work).
One of my all-time fave skin care products is Josie Maran's classic argan oil. So of course I had to try this version, which is souped-up with 100 mg of CBD. And it definitely delivered. The combo of 100 percent pure argan oil and CBD provides lightweight hydration, antioxidant protection, and soothing effects. I used this at night, skipping moisturizer afterward and woke up with clear, glowing skin.
For my second go-around with an ingestible CBD oil, I chose this one, also THC-free, which is made from hemp grown on ethical farms in Colorado. This dropper is also clearly marked, which makes dosing so easy. The subtle orange flavor was truly delish, so in addition to using this as a tincture under the tongue, I also added it to my nightly seltzer for a citrus kick. Within 20 minutes, I felt calmer. Those deadlines I had approaching didn't feel so daunting anymore.
