Budslife – CBD Patches

The girls at The Amazing Blog are big fans of all things CBD and have finally persuaded me to try some. What harm can there be, I thought, only good things can come from the wonderous hemp plant. I think I would be right in saying that many of us have been feeling a little stressed with the possibility of yet another lockdown and the current uncertainty – so something to potentially ‘take the edge off’ was most welcome. I didn’t want to take any of the sublingual CBD (I’m not good at ingesting things that taste a bit strange!) So they found me the perfect solution with some rather innovative skin patches – yes, patches! They’re the newly launched CBD patches by Budslife which are scent-free, flavourless and easy to use – just unpeel and stick it onto clean skin – et voila!

Budslife founder Shaun Williams came up with the CBD patches concept at the time when his daughter was going to university. She was about to face new challenges all alone, and that’s when her stress and anxiety kicked in. Instead of taking pills and medications, Shaun came up with the idea to create these CBD patches, which helped her cope to feel more relaxed and focused; which is when he realised that many others could also benefit from these CBD patches. 

These CBD patches come in a box with two silver foil sachets (eight patches to the sachet). Budslife sources their Full-Spectrum and 0% THC CBD from Holland, which is then impregnated into the patches which are made up of pressure-sensitive medical glue and penetration enhancers (antioxidant, hydrocarbon C5 / C9 and copolymer). The patches have a slow release of over 8-10 hours with each patch being infused with 16g of CBD. They are designed to release safe and measured levels of CBD throughout the time of wearing. Conveniently this could be night or day (I preferred to stick my patch on at night) where they are absorbed trans-dermally. This is thought to be quicker to get than into the bloodstream than through sublingual application. I have to be honest and say the 16mg patch was not enough for me and so I was advised to double up with 2 x patches = 32mg. Which BTW is perfectly safe. I believe that Budslife is about to launch the next range with 32mg and a 64mg range of patches. Upping the CBD dose did make a difference to me, I would say not immediately but accumulatively; by night 3, I was feeling more relaxed despite having had a rather stressful day. So if like me, you dislike the taste of hemp, but are curious to try CBD, then these are definitely for you, a box of 16 patches is £14.99 here.

Douvall’s - Skin-High: Organic Hemp & Argan Oil and Cannabis & Argan Oil

We don’t know about you, but recently we seem to be plagued by dry skin. Maybe it’s caused by #stayhome #staysafe stress or perhaps the constantly fluctuating change in temperature. In our search for a solution, we’ve returned to one of our favourite and trusted brands Douvall’s, who recently launched two skincare products in their Skin High collection. In the past, some of you will have seen that we’ve written about one of their hero products the Organic Argan Oil Moisturiser here.  At The Amazing Blog what we like about argan oil is that it’s a one-stop ingredient for skin, hair and nails. Today we are exploring their products that combine their hero cold-pressed organic argan oil with both organic hemp and cannabidiol.

Douvalls are best known as a trailblazer with their cold-pressed organic argan oil skincare. Created by mother and daughter Alicia and Georgia Douvall, it’s an award-winning range that harnesses the benefits of organic argan oil either using it pure and combining with other ingredients for their skincare, makeup and more recently hair care too. This is a responsible and eco-conscious company that gives back to the planet. They are also natural, cruelty-free, vegan and contains no chemicals, toxins, artificial fragrance, sulphates, parabens or alcohol. They work closely with The Breast Cancer Haven charity and partner with women’s cooperatives in Morocco where their argan oil is sustainably harvested.

Let’s start with Skin-High Organic Hemp & Argan Oil but don’t get confused with this and their Skin-High Cannabis & Argan Oil. The difference between these two is the ingredients of either hemp or cannabidiol (CBD etc).  The hemp oil is made from seeds of the hemp plant whereas cannabidiol is made from leaves, flowers and stalks of the hemp plant. Both offer their own potent health benefits. Hemp oil is simply obtained by a basic cold pressing extraction; whereas cannabidiol (CBD etc) has to go through a complex and expensive extraction method (known as supercritical CO2 extraction). All ingredients for the Organic Hemp & Argan oil are 100% eco-certified and contain simply 50/50 of each and only that! This rich and powerful oil glides effortlessly onto the skin, rich in linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) and vitamin E. The combination of organic pressed argan and hemp oils here have many extra health-enhancing minerals, such as phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, calcium, iron and zinc. Rich and nutritious, a little goes a long way; it’s great to use by itself or a few drops mixed with your regular moisturiser for added benefit. And in case you are wondering, it’s CBD and THC free and only has the faintest natural hemp oil scent. This comes in two sizes 50ml at £48 see  here or 15ml at £18 see here.

Next is the Skin-High Cannabis & Argan Oil made from cannabidiol and cold-pressed organic argan oil; the argan here contains a high concentration of antioxidants (including oleic acid and linoleic acid) which helps to fight ageing by neutralising free radicals which damage cells. Whereas the 200 milligrams of full-spectrum cannabidiol (CBD,CBDA,CBDV,CBC and CBG) offers this and so much more.  As cannabidiol is produced using the whole plant, it naturally contains very high levels of CBD as well as other organic compounds, known as phytocannabinoids and terpenes. It protects against oxidation and reduces sebum due to its anti-inflammatory properties. It nourishes and hydrates helping the skin to absorb vital nutrients with its high concentration in vitamins A, D and E together with a balance of essential fatty acids (omega 3, 6 and 9 in the same proportions). The cannabidiols also treat skin disorders like dry skin, psoriasis, and eczema. They say it is THC free but the packaging states that it’s full spectrum too (?) Douvall’s, we’re a little confused here… However, we loved the texture and were surprised by its divine delicate and slightly grape-like fragrance. I think out of the two ‘Skin-High’ products this was our favourite. We recommend this as a night oil, as it left skin feeling soft, boosted and revitalised in the morning. This also comes in two sizes, where you can purchase 50ml for £58 here or 15ml for £20 here.

HuGG - CBD Skincare Products

No weekend is complete without some pampering and indulgence. Here at The Amazing Blog we’ve been lucky enough to discover a new range of CBD skincare products that will enhance your ‘you time’ as well as make your body and skin as smooth as butter. We’d like to introduce to you HuGG.

The HuGG CBD products are a range of cannabis-based products from the research firm CiiTECH; a registered UK cannabis biotech company and collaborative partner with Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem – the epicentre of cannabis research and development. Using their knowledge and expertise of their CiiTECH researchers, the aim of The HuGG CBD is to discover, develop, and commercialise CBD products. Their collaborative efforts with leading Israeli cannabis research institutions – as well as local hemp suppliers here in the UK and EU – has allowed them to deliver market products based on a high level of quality and expertise. As you can discover from our recent feature on CBD (see here ) when it comes to your health, you need to choose CBD oil you can trust — in terms of quality, safety, and purity.  In a period where the fast-emerging CBD industry has been difficult to comprehend, not to mention overwhelmed with low-quality ‘snake oils’, it’s important to feel comfortable and confident with the CBD products you choose. The product development team at The HuGG collaborates and consults with leading researcher’s scientists to identify unique CBD formulas, plus innovative delivery systems, and advanced extraction techniques designed to create premium and leading products for every part of your mind and body. Plus HuGG recently swept the board with wins in the CBD categories for the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards.

We tried and tested a number of products. Let’s begin with the HuGG Coffee Body Scrub. It is antioxidant exfoliating facial scrub with 50mg CBD and when used, results in a youthful glow. Infused with essential oils and enriched with 50mg CBD, this ‘wake me up’ caffeine Inspired Scrub exfoliates, tightens pores as well as moisturises all in one. It smells so delicious, almost good enough to eat!  The CBD in this Scrub will aid your skin making it feel more radiant. Priced at £24.99 here we think that his CBD infused coffee scrub is an essential.

Next, we tried the HuGG CBD Massaging Oil.  We were sent a small 25ml bottle to try which sadly all went in one sitting so can’t confirm about the benefits here. Made with essential oils such as lavender, lemon and frankincense, in a base of sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil and apricot kernel oil as well as 50mg CBD amongst various others, they claim that this body oil will leave you feeling blissful and calm. Not only can it be used as a massage oil but also as a skin indulging moisturiser. This oil smells amazing and absorbs easily into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. Priced at an affordable £17.99 here.

Let’s move onto the HuGG CBD Cuticle Oil ideal for feeding the nail beds. Made with lavender, rosemary, and clary sage essential oils and Infused with 20mg CBD, this cuticle oil creates a skin-soothing remedy for nails, hands and feet. This mani-pedi style of nail care is all-natural to give you the best plant-based care all around. Furthermore, it also leaves no greasy residue, priced at £14.99 here .  

Further adding to their Cuticle Oil, we also tried the Hugg CBD Foot Soak Salts with 30mg CBD. Made with hemp extract, coconut oil, dead sea salts, Himalayan salts and other essential oils. These salts help your feet unwind after a long day or simply indulge in a nourishing pedicure foot soak with the essential oils and salts. The Foot Soak is also infused with eucalyptus for antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Priced at £6.99 here.

Last but not least, we have the HuGG CBD Roll Away with mint, lavender and 50mg CBD. This is our favourite and is a handbag essential that is cooling and relaxing giving you everything you need, just when you need it. It helps you take a small break from your busy lives and just breathe. The lavender and mint essential oils create an invigorating yet calming refresher to support tension throughout the day. Apply In circular motions, roll the gel onto your temples, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Repeat 3 times and continue on. The rollerball can also be used on other pressure points. Priced at £17.99 here this product will help to steal away all your stress and tensions in moments...ah Luxury!

Pura Vida Organic - CBD After Shave Moisturiser and the Shaving Gel & Wash

At The Amazing Blog we learned that Pura Vida is a phrase that originates from Costa Rica, and translates as ‘pure life’ or ‘simple life’. Today we’re talking about CBD infused grooming products from the Croatian skincare company Pure Vida Organic. As regular readers will know we are big fans of all things CBD (see here).

According to Pura Vida Organic founder Jennifer Deegan, ‘pure life’ is a philosophy that she encourages us to apply to our own lives, just as she applies it to the products that her company creates.  In a world where we have to address the issues of sustainability alongside those of our own consumption, here is a manufacturer proudly bringing us the purest natural alternatives to mainstream cosmetics, whilst also keeping the environmental impact as low as possible. Now of course as soon as one mentions CBD or Cannabidiol, there are going to be those who inevitably will flinch at the association with anything remotely cannabis-related (which we explain in our CBD feature here). However, it is worth noting that there’s some research now available on the benefits of CBD oil. With reports of good acne management, as well as relief from anxiety, neuroprotection and pain relief it opens up endless healing possibilities for the future.

The two products that we tried from Pura Vida Organics were the Shaving Gel & Wash, and the CBD After Shave Moisturiser. Apart from the obvious convenience of having a Shaving Gel & Wash in one handy bottle, the Budrovic Lavender from Hvar (Croatia) and peppermint water base gives a welcome refreshing boost to the morning ritual. It helps to set the skin up perfectly for an onslaught of a steel blade and includes aloe vera into the mix, which gives a gentle and soothing effect during cleansing. This continues unabated through to the completion of the shave, keeping irritation to a minimum.

However, should there be any stress or redness to the skin, then this is where the Pura Vida Organic’s CBD After Shave Moisturiser steps in with a defined calming sensation that comes through from the essential oils again of peppermint and lavender. These ingredients are also aligned with that of pine needles and the moisturising butter both providing immediate relief from irritation, with the 30ml – 620mg organic cannabis sativa seed extract (CBD) full-spectrum with 0.001% THC. Sustainability is also a priority for this brand, with all its packaging uniquely made from 25% grass. All products are vegan, Cosmos Organic approved, cruelty-free and handmade in Croatia. Pura Vida Organic’s Shaving Gel & Cleanser is 50ml, priced at €15.98 here, and the CBD After Shave Moisturiser is 30ml priced at €17.90 here. This is most certainly a brand to watch, and we can’t wait to try more from their skincare and body butters.

CBD of London – Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream

CBD of London is one of the UK’s first beauty and wellness brands to base their luxurious products on Cannabidiol (CBD) ingredients. For the uninitiated, Cannabidiol is found in the Cannabis and Hemp plant families and is non-psychoactive, and rich in nutrients. Follow this link to read more about CBD studies. You can imagine how excited we were at The Amazing Blog to discover these products.

CBD of London was formed by cousins who worked in the pharmaceutical industry and had the misfortune of witnessing a loved one be diagnosed with cancer. This devastating experience resulted in their research on the natural health benefits of CBD, despite the lack of accessibility in the UK. As explained by Samir Juneja, the company’s strategy director: “For too long, people have been focusing on the negative side of cannabis; but we're here to champion a natural product that not only has a health provenance dating back thousands of years but in today's labs, has proven benefits for the skin.” Samir reminds us just how historic the use of cannabis is, namely in Ancient Greece where the use of the leaves was commonplace to dress horses’ wounds.

We tried their Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream and liked the easy, smooth and light application. We found it to be fragrance-free and neutral, the cream is also chock-a-block full of antioxidants, vitamin C, E, A, and omega 3 fatty acids, thanks to the CBD ingredient. These are the key to younger-looking skin, as they help to defend against harsh UV rays, smoke, and environmental pollutants - let the battle commence!

The Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream’s star is vitamin A, which encourages the skin to repair itself and grow new cells. It also plays a significant role in inhibiting oil production and promoting skin cell differentiation. Their anti-ageing cream smoothes wrinkles and plumps the skin, and we certainly like that. CBD of London’s Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream 30ml can be purchased here for £69.99.