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By Brianna Wheeler
Instead of focusing on monolithic ideas of what is or is not pretty—mental health, spiritual wellness and humanist vibes are this summer’s hot new beauty demands. I enjoy performing gender as much as the next swishy be-wiggled femme, but when the pressure of performance is off, the only standards I want to appease are my own—I just want to feel supple in my own skin.
Cannabinoids in skin care may be old news, but that doesn’t make contemporary cannabis lotions, potions, serums, and essences any less exciting. Summertime heat events, years of ambient wildfire smoke, and life under late-stage capitalism may be taking their toll on our faces, but we can still indulge in these ultra-effective CBD skin care formulations to protect our vulnerable countenances.
Your results may vary, but considering the climate, I feel positively springy.
Blunt Skincare Moonrock Renewal Face Oil
I don’t necessarily have problem skin, but as a 42-year-old mom looking to vanquish inquiries about her dull, tired-looking face, I cannot get enough of this honey-hued, full-spectrum potion. Made with a blend of oils including avocado, rosehip and prickly pear, the mild perfume is simultaneously bright and unctuous, and the feel is both substantial and sheer. This oil’s efficacy is written all over my face; after a few weeks of post-shower applications, friends of similar ages were suddenly showering me with all manner of compliments on my skin’s even tone, bouncy vibrance, and healthy glow.
A few drops of Moonrock Glow Oil after a shower keeps my face comfortably moisturized all day. And as part of a more complex makeup regimen, it layers well, protecting skin from heavier products. Blunt also produces a hydrating and balancing variety of hemp CBD face oils. Get it from: bluntskincare.com
Make & MaryFace & Body Serum
Yvonne Perez Emerson has been deeply involved with the city’s arts and crafts scene for nearly a decade. Make & Mary’s skin care line is the offshoot of its popular cannabis wildcrafting workshop. It has since blossomed into a brand (and brick-and-mortar space) entirely of its own. Perez Emerson’s heritage techniques are on full display in Make & Mary’s Face & Body Serum, which features a base of rose hip, jojoba, and hemp seed oil and essences of rose geranium, carrot seed, clary sage, lavender and frankincense, most of which Perez Emerson produces in house.
Bonus: Visit Make & Mary’s shop in person for not just a comprehensive breakdown of the traditional herbs and techniques that make its CBD skin care products so compelling, but also a full slate of community events, both creative and care-based, organized by Perez Emerson. Get it from: Make & Mary, 2506 NE Sandy Blvd.,503-444-7608, makeandmary.com.
Kana Skincare Purple Rice Sleeping Mask
For those curious about cannabis skin care but averse to daily routines, Kana Skincare’s Purple Rice Sleeping Mask is a great low-stakes introduction to the potential of cannabinoid dermal care. When applied before bed, this mask can calm inflammation, diminish enlarged pores and even out skin texture. If anti-aging is a concern, frequent use can also potentially reduce fine lines.
If you’re embracing every nook and well-earned cranny, however, a more infrequent application of this mask can be an opulent, special occasion luxury that can leave skin refreshed, hydrated and glowy. Some of us laughed too hard to erase these lines—now we just want to pamper them. Get it from: kanaskincare.com
Honey Pot Cocoa &Mint CBD Hand & Body Wash
The Honey Pot x Laganja Estranja suite of CBD products crossed our desk earlier this year, and we found that the hand and body wash stood out as a product worthy of permanent boudoir status. Revisiting the line and discovering the cocoa and mint variety however, cemented the sentiment. I’ve used this wash on my tender bits, my stinky pits, and even as a shampoo for my notoriously pampered natural hair, and I will continue to keep this wash in rotation. I always feel like a creamy bar of holiday chocolate after I shower with this, but for those who’d rather not smell straight-up drinkable, the Laganja collab’s bright, limonene-forward perfume feels just as luscious and relaxing on the skin and is just as multipurpose. Get it from: honeypotcbd.com
Frigg Wellness Attuning Face Potion
Frigg’s Attuning Face Potion is formulated with sea buckthorn, meadowfoam, and blue chamomile extracts blended with squalane, an emollient that mimics the skin’s natural oils, acts as an antioxidant, has anti-tumor properties, and can protect your skin from carcinogens. This potion is also outfitted with not just 300 mg of CBD, but also 100 mg of CBG, another minor cannabinoid known for its effective treatment of inflammatory skin issues.
For those fighting the effects of time, this oil touts anti-aging properties as well as hyperpigmentation fading and plumping of fine lines. For those less bothered by gravity’s inescapability, this potion balances oil production and calms redness, leaving behind only a healthy glow. Get it from: getfrigg.com
Undefined Glow Elixir
Undefined’s brand leans at bit more preventative than restorative, which is to say, this brand is decidedly youth-y. Its glow elixir, for example, addresses acne as well as fledgling fine lines in a citrusy serum that looks like it would be as at home on a shelf at Sephora as it would behind the counter of a new-bohemian boutique. The Glow Elixir’s formulation includes, among other familiar botanicals, moringa and kalahari melon extracts. The firming and detoxifying properties in these extracts support the serum’s 250 mg of rejuvenating, anti-inflammatory CBD extract, resulting in a serum that works as well for youthful skin as it does for aging skin. When stoners make the beauty standards, all skin types are worthy of pampering. Get it from: undefinedco.com