- Mar 31, 2020
- 5 min read

CBD For Sunburn

Updated: Jun 2, 2023

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, responsible for protecting us from the outside world. It purges our bodies of impurities through sweating and heals our surface layer through an inflammation process that sometimes involving peeling. Our skin is vulnerable to all kinds of damage. One, in particular, is sunburn.

It is crucial that you take care of burnt skin properly. Proper care will not only help keep you as comfortable as possible, but it will also ensure that your skin heals quickly and easily without complications like an infection.

With so many sunburn products available, you are left to figure out which one will work or be best for you. If you are looking for something that will not only relieve the minor symptoms but also can prevent complications that other OTCs pose, CBD would be a great natural option.

What is CBD?

CBD, also known as cannabinol, is one of over 100 different active compounds found in the cannabis plant family. While CBD and THC are the most known cannabinoids, there are many others. CBD however, does not produce any intoxicating effects and will not make a person feel high like its counterpart THC. CBD impacts our minds and bodies using cannabinoid receptors. These are part of the endocannabinoid system inside the body, which affects a number of different physiological processes. These receptors are found primarily in the immune system and the nervous system and are what CBD interacts with to produce the effects it gives.

What is Sunburn?

A sunburn is a form of radiation that affects the skin. it results from overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and is your skin's response to the extreme UV damage. Some of the symptoms are reddish skin that is hot to touch or painful, blistering skin, peeling, and itching. The redness and heat given off from the burn is caused by the concentration of blood in capillaries, in the healing process.

Inflammation

The Endocannabinoid System works to regulate cell proliferation, survival, and immune competence of skin cells. The disruption of any of these factors is connected to certain skin ailments which include, but are not limited to, itchiness and discomfort, sore flakey skin, and even sunburns. Across the board, people use CBD products to ease these conditions. This makes sense since these conditions are the result of a local response to cellular injury like UV radiation from the sun, irritants, toxins, or pathogens. A fun fact is that even though a sunburn affects the skin, the immune system is involved.

CBD taken orally and applied topically works to reduce cellular damage both locally and generally. This is accomplished through actions on different cell types as well as effects on the immune system. Research suggests that the effects and benefits of CBD are diverse and affect cellular injury not only in the outer layer of the skin but the internal layers as well. To further explain the discomfort relief effect that CBD has on sunburns, CBD weakens cortisol secretion and decreases blood levels in the damaged tissue area. It is therefore able to soothe the skin as well as relieve irritation associated with the sunburn.

Additionally, the terpene Linalool, found in CBD, sheds light on why CBD is so effective at soothing sunburns. Linalool is known for its cooling effect and discomfort relief.

Antibacterial

While some of the bacteria in our body are necessary and important, others can present complications and diseases. In instances where bacteria isn't welcomed, like sunburn, people often turn to over the counter (OTC) synthetic products to manage bacteria and seek relief. Yet, while synthetic products seem significant, they often times come with consequences that can be avoided with a more natural option like CBD oil.

When caring for a sunburn, it is important that the damaged area is kept clean. Doing so will prevent bacteria from getting in and spreading through the damaged skin cells causing an infection. Using CBD oil has its benefits as CBD oil has antibacterial properties that can prevent infection in the weakened skin(sunburn). In the event of an infection, antibiotics are usually prescribed to destroy the bacteria, but antibiotics too can come with consequences. Overuse of antibiotics can cause bacteria to become resistant. CBD oil can win this battle because of its antibacterial properties. It is highly effective in killing bacteria, preventing and fighting infection in the weakened skin, without the resistance commonly encountered with OTC's and antibiotics.

Antioxidant Properties

As you care for your sunburn using CBD oil, the benefits do not stop at fighting and preventing infection, and reducing discomfort and cellular injury. CBD is loaded with fatty acids, which make it a great antioxidant.

Free radicals are created as a response to harmful bacteria and can cause great damage. Antioxidants bind free radicals thus neutralizing them and putting an end to damage (1).

For years and years Vitamin A, C, and E were said to be some of the strongest antioxidants. But as more research is done on CBD oil, CBD oil could be the richest source of antioxidants known. How? CBD's structure contains a free oxygen atom (2). This is the atom that neutralizes free radicals. And it is this free oxygen atom that gives CBD the antioxidant properties that make it "an assassin" when it comes to free radicals.

Why You Should Use CBD For Your Sunburn

Your skin is a complex ecosystem. Therefore, when caring for a sunburn, we recommend that you consider a high-quality CBD product because it is natural, simple, and gentle, and will support the skin's natural renewing process, like its bacteria balance, its natural oil balance, and its antioxidant activities, versus a synthetic product that will strip the skin of these things and disrupt the healing process.

With all of the information available about the benefits and effect of CBD, it is safe to conclude that CBD has properties which can help with the discomfort associated with sunburn, antibacterial properties to prevent infection on the burned skin, and also antioxidant properties to fight free radicals. Remember, cannabinoid receptors (CB2) are found throughout the cells in our skin. It is distributed evenly throughout the body. Therefore using CBD oil on your sunburn could prove best as CB2 receptors respond to CBD, thus activating them at the sunburn and aid them to do what they do best, heal.

Here at GoGreen Hemp we highly recommend using our topical CBD products for sunburns. We recommend either our CBD stick or unscented CBD balm salve.

If you wanted to view our entire CBD product line please visit our CBD collection page.

We hope this article has been useful, but if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out as our team will be more than happy to respond. You can reach us via phone at 954-533-0089 or via email at info@gogreenhemp.com

If you are a business owner or store and would like to get in contact with our sales team send us an email at wholesale@gogreenhemp.com or visit our wholesale cbd page.

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