The Pros and Cons of CBD Salves

Topical salves are among the most popular CBD products. In fact, here at Tanasi, it’s one of our best-selling products: easy to apply, affordable, and with a long shelf life.  But, we also understand that you may have questions about this form of CBD. So, we’ve put together some information that can help you understand our CBD salves a bit better, including their pros and cons. Hopefully, this will help determine if this CBD delivery method is right for you. 

What Is a Salve?

A salve refers to any type of ointment applied to promote skin healing or protection. You may also hear this type of topical referred to as a balm or an ointment. Salves are often plant-infused mixtures that are applied as topical skin treatments. But you may be wondering, what’s the difference between a topical cream, lotion, and salve? The answer lies in the blend of ingredients. 

Here’s the story: salves blend plant material with carrier oils and beeswax. Lotions, on the other hand, are composed of water and oil, mixed with an emulsifying agent. with a water-to-oil ratio that’s 70% to 20%. Now, creams also include water, but they are typically heavier than lotions, composed of a 1:1 ratio of water to oil. And, like lotions, creams also contain an emulsifying agent. 

In a nutshell, the key difference between these three types of topicals is the amount of water in each product. CBD salves contain no water at all, creating a much thicker final product than creams and lotions. Also, because salves are water-free, they enjoy a much longer shelf life. 

What Is in a CBD Salve?

In comparison to creams and lotions, salves are easy to create. At Tanasi, our salves begin with a base that consists of a carrier oil – almond oil, as well as beeswax. The almond oil contains fatty acids that help to carry the cannabinoids across your skin cell membranes. The beeswax contributes as a natural preservative to the salve.

Next, we create the mixture containing our full spectrum patent-pending formula. This one-to-one ratio consists of our unique blend of CBDA and CBD. Our final key component is the proprietary blend of terpenes that gives our salve its uniquely pleasant aroma. 

How Do CBD Salves Work?

You may be wondering, what’s the difference between applying CBD topically and taking a CBD capsule or tincture? This is a question we hear a lot, so let’s get down to the explanations

As you might know, your skin is the largest organ in your body. It facilitates the absorption of various molecules directly into your bloodstream. So, when you apply CBD directly to your skin, you can absorb a significantly large percentage of its active ingredients. 

This is especially true in our high-concentration CBD salves, with 150 mg of CBD in every container. But that’s not all you’ll find in our CBD salves. After years of research, we’ve realized that, for optimal effects, it’s important to use a full-spectrum product that includes all the useful cannabinoids you find in the help plant. And, we’ve discovered that including CBD and its chemical predecessor improves your body’s ability to make use of our active ingredients. This is why we’ve created a patent-pending formula of CBD and CBDA full-spectrum hemp extract products, including our CBD salve.

But why specifically choose a CBD salve? The good news about using a topical is that you can directly target an area of discomfort. And, as your skin absorbs its active ingredients, you’ll enjoy the localized effects of the CBD.

Now that we understand what CBD salve is, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of CBD salves.

Benefits of CBD Salve

Early research as well as user reports suggest that any form of CBD oil will provide certain beneficial effects. But many people report that topical CBD application is best for their pain, skin conditions, and other localized problems, like muscle tears or athletic injuries. And, as an added bonus, topical CBD produces faster effects since it doesn’t have to go through your body’s digestive tract. 

So, if you’re dealing with arthritic joint pain, inflammation, and chronic skin conditions like psoriasis and dermatitis, a topical form of CBD, like a salve, may be your best choice. But orally ingested CBD types are more suited if you’re hoping to address symptoms of stress.

Pain Relief

Early evidence suggests that CBD could be a great source of natural pain relief. In a recent study from the University of Debrecen, lead researcher Dr. Brio illustrated how CBD applications provided pain relief and sometimes alleviated inflammation in arthritic joint pain. The study went on to suggest that applying CBD to your skin might ease the pain associated with arthritis.

Healing and Restorative Impacts

Extensive research has been conducted on the healing and restorative properties of CBD salves when it comes to skin-specific ailments such as psoriasis and dermatitis. Similarly, they appear to have beneficial impacts on rashes, skin infection, burns, wounds, and general muscle pain. 

No Psychoactive Effects

In addition to feeling fast effects, people love CBD topicals because you can’t overdose on applications. Since CBD has no psychoactive properties and is not habit-forming, you can apply a CBD salve several times throughout the day, without experiencing any disruptions to your routine.  

What Are the Side Effects of Using a CBD Salve?

It’s unlikely that you’d have a bad reaction to a CBD topical. Now, if you have extremely sensitive skin, you may react to some of the additional ingredients in the salve, most likely the beeswax. But, as long as you use your salve as directed, bad reactions are unlikely. 

The same is true of forms of CBD which you ingest. While still rare, some people who ingest CBD, especially at higher-than-recommended doses, experience symptoms such as: 

• A reduction in the liver’s capacity to process various pharmaceuticals
• Dry mouth

While dry mouth is unpleasant, changes in processing your medications is a huge concern. For example, if you’re taking heart pills, adding CBD to your regimen may negate their benefits. So, before you take any form of CBD, be sure, and consult your healthcare provider. Even applying CBD topically could be contraindicated with certain medications, so always provide a complete medical history when discussing your CBD use. 

Are CBD Salves What You Need?

As you’ve learned, there are several pros and cons to using CBD salves. Since they primarily consist of plant oils, they differ in color and may stain your clothes. Now, if you’re looking to target a particular area on the body, then CBD salves are a great choice. Furthermore, for those who have sore muscles after an intense workout and are hoping to recover faster, CBD salves may also help you get back in action a little bit faster.

In short, the best reason to choose a CBD salve is that it meets your specific goals. And, for those of you who are seeking fast, targeted effects, and hope to purchase a product that won’t go off anytime soon, then a CBD salve is a great place to start!