We're at a major turning point in the United States when it comes to cannabis. With states like California legalizing recreational use, and moves being made to correct the damage the War on Drugs has done to communities of color, cannabis is finally starting to lose some of the stigma impressed on it by previous generations. And we're seeing it pop up everywhere — in supplements, in makeup, and yes, even in skincare.
The plant has a lot of other uses that don't include getting high and eating a bunch of snacks. Actually, not all cannabis-derived products have psychoactive effects, nor are they created for that purpose. CBD, a cannabinoid chemical, typically comes from hemp plants (the sister of the THC-filled marijuana plant) and does not give you that euphoric (or paranoid, or hungry) feeling that THC does. "Hemp seed oil is a natural oil derived from the hemp plant. Despite what many think, it is different from true marijuana and does not provide any psychoactive effects," says New York City dermatologist Joshua Zeichner. While for stoners, that may sound like a bit of a buzzkill, for your skin, it's a boon, as Zeichner mentions that hemp seed oil has high levels of CBD, which help to calm the skin. Cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson also attests to its inflammation-reducing abilities.
And some spas are starting to take advantage of the CBD boom, by offering services that include hemp seed and CBD oils. One of these spas is the Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic, which hit me up to see if I would be interested in experiencing their new cannabis facial. The hour-long treatment is designed to calm, brighten, and moisturize your skin, leaving you with the kind of dewy glow that would even make a girl in a Glossier ad envious.
I headed over to the Skin & Laser Clinic on a Friday morning, with nothing but moisturizer on my face, ready and excited to see what a little CBD oil and pampering could do to this mug. The treatment started with a gentle green tea cleanse, followed by some light exfoliation and a shungite water mist. Shungite is an old school, carbon-based mineral that's been used in medicine since time immemorial. It too has skin-calming effects, and, as Zeichner notes, can be used as a cleanser for those with sensitive skin, due to its gentle nature. It's also got "antioxidant and wound-healing" properties, says Wilson, "thanks to the many minerals found in the rock." After the mist came a cannabis sativa hemp-derived CBD oil lymphatic massage, in which my arms, neck, and feet were shown some love.
Then on to the good stuff. A manuka honey mask followed, and this one was packed with a blend of herbs, essential oils, and crushed pearls. "Crushed pearls contain minerals like calcium that can help energize the skin to make it look more radiant," says Wilson. The mask was left on for a few minutes before being wiped off and followed by a hemp-derived CBD facial serum. Then, the facialist put a shungite-soaked cloth over my eyes and gave me a little time to bask in all the pampering. One thing I enjoyed about Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic is that inside each room, the "chill spa music" was just jazzy covers of pop songs. Some might call it elevator music, but an instrumental version of Robin Thicke's "Lost Without You" is far more appealing to my ear than weird ambient whale sounds.
When it was all over, my skin did feel quite moisturized and glowy. I don't have an issue with redness, but I could tell my skin did feel calmer. After leaving Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic, and arriving at the office, I did a quick mirror check and decided to say F it to any makeup that day. My skin was just looking so good, I didn't want to cover up a single thing.
Every step of the treatment is mixed in-house by the spa owner, Seven Brown. While the exact formulation is kept under wraps like your grandma's secret mac and cheese recipe, if my skin has anything to say about it, this facial is the bomb. I did get two teeny tiny whiteheads two days after the treatment — one on my forehead and one on my chin, but I scratched them off. (I know, I'm naughty, and you shouldn't really pop pimples yourself.) They were not the red, sore, pimples that hurt when you touch them. But besides two inconsequential barely-there blemishes that didn't leave a mark, my skin looked super dewy and with Kira Kira app-level glowiness.
The cannabis facial will typically set you back $250 but until April 30, you can nab it for a smooth $50 for Spa Week. Book your appointment at the Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic website.
More skin stories:
- The 10 Best-Selling Eye Creams on Amazon
- CVS Just Launched a Completely Unretouched Beauty Campaign
- Why Reef Safe Sunscreen Is Important in the Age of Global Warming
Now, find out how this YouTuber gets her glowy skin:
