You’ve probably noticed that cannabis is having a bit of a moment. Not only is it being decriminalised across the globe (including in Canada, 26 states in the US, Austria, Chile and Italy to name a few places) for its medical uses as well as recreational enjoyment, but it’s also being widely incorporated into the beauty sphere, too.
In fact, it’s now being added to skincare serums, face creams and anti-ageing masks, and, as I found out on a recent trip to Los Angeles, bath bombs. To channel my inner Gwyneth Paltrow, I bought three of them, alongside some neat CBD (cannabinoid – a component of cannabis) oil, with the intention of immediately returning to my hotel to draw a long, hot (and, potentially, high) bath.
Glancing over the ingredients list, I concluded that the bath bomb was essentially Epsom salts, CBD oil and some aesthetic petals. Nothing alarming whatsoever; although CBD comes from cannabis, it’s not the component that makes you feel high – that’s THC. On the contrary, CBD is renowned for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its potential to alleviate serious medical conditions like epilepsy and chronic pain.
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Saturday’s call for Relieve 25mg CBD #kushqueen
A post shared by Kush Queen Shop(@kushqueenshop) on Sep 22, 2018 at 8:31am PDT
Right, back to my bath. I drew a steaming bath in my already dreamy hotel bathroom (think floor-to-ceiling marble, fluffy white towels and lots and lots of Le Labo) and plopped the bath bomb in, where it instantly started to fizz and effervesce, releasing a heavenly floral yet fresh aroma. I hopped in. Usually, I would have a glass of wine in tow when taking such an indulgent bath, but for the purpose of a reliable experiment, I kept my drug influence down to one to best assess the effects.
I feel like now may be the time to mention that I’m extremely susceptible to the placebo effect. My mum used to give me Smarties when I couldn’t sleep after which I would insist I was too tired to walk back up to bed and fell asleep on the stairs.
So, when I began to feel a wave of giddy tranquillity wash over me, I was hardly surprised. You could have put a biscuit in the bath for all I knew – I still would get high off it. But as much as I resisted, I couldn’t deny that I felt totally blissful. My sore neck subsided, the stress of the day melted away and my jet lag morphed into a lazy dreamlike daze. I didn’t feel high – I just felt very happy. And that can never be a bad thing.
