Topical CBD and Sunburn

Getting the right amount of sun exposure daily is vital for our survival and a must have when it comes to our health. In a sense, we are just like plants growing because we need daily sun to be healthy and have a proper functioning immune system.

The truth is, sun exposure is vital because it helps the body to convert cholesterol into Vitamin D that we can then use to build strong bones and teeth, ensure a proper functioning nervous system, and boost our immune system to better fend off against bacteria and viruses.

Growing up in Florida I know just how bad sunburn can be and finding something to soothe it can be a lifesaver! This is where our CBD salve can come in for the win.

CBD has known anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, which makes our salve a great candidate for sunburn (1). The organic coconut oil and organic beeswax will act as a great skin moisturizer as well as a great skin protectant, but CBD can go even further than just providing pain relief and reducing inflammation…

CBD has known antioxidant properties that can neutralize free radicals, which is exactly what UV exposure causes within our skin cells when we are outside (3). A little here and there does no harm, but repeated excessive exposure can cause a buildup of free radicals within the skin and cause what is known as oxidative stress. These UV rays can literally burn our skin and cause damage to our skin cells.

Free radicals are basically the bad guys that are missing an electron in their outer shell, and they are looking to “steal from the good guys (healthy cells) and turn them bad too, which is how the formation of cancer can start (2).

This is what makes antioxidants so important not only for our skin, but in our diet too (fruits and veggies). They contain antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress and the negative impact oxidation can have on our cells.

In addition to providing pain and inflammation relief after getting sunburned, applying the CBD prior to sun exposure is a great way to take advantage of the antioxidant properties, which can help protect against the harmful UV rays when excessive sun exposure is expected.

Personally, I choose the CBD salve over sunscreen all day. Unless you are using a mineral sunblock like zinc, it is best to avoid sunscreen altogether. Typical sunscreen contains oxybenzone (hormone disruptor), Homosalate (hormone disruptor), Octinoxate (hormone & endocrine disruptor), and Avobenzone (another hormone disruptor).

The last thing we want to do is spray these chemicals onto your skin just to have the sun bake them on all day. We want to improve our skin when dealing with sun exposure, not make matters worse by spraying these harmful hormone and endocrine disruptors onto our skin. Our skin is an organ and we directly absorb whatever we spray onto it directly in the bloodstream. I am not trying to scare anyone, but rather give you more insight to what is going on behind the scenes.

Utilizing the CBD salve is not only a much safer option than sunscreen, but the antioxidant properties also make it a great candidate to address how we deal with oxidative damage caused from the sun's UV rays.

Cheers to this amazing plant with seemingly endless benefits!

Bee Well,

Brandon Farless

References

Atalay S, Jarocka-Karpowicz I, Skrzydlewska E. Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Dec 25;9(1):21. doi: 10.3390/antiox9010021. PMID: 31881765; PMCID: PMC7023045.
Reuter, S., Gupta, S. C., Chaturvedi, M. M., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2010). Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer: how are they linked?. Free radical biology & medicine, 49(11), 1603–1616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.09.006
Rachel. (2022, November 1). CBD: The Antioxidant. Voyager CBD. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://voyagercbd.com/cbd-antioxidant/#:~:text=Look%20for%20Vitamin%20C%2C%20Vitamin,and%20glowing%20throughout%20the%20years.