If you’ve ever eaten hemp seeds, worn a hemp bracelet, or used body care products with hemp as an ingredient, you might find it hard to believe that cannabis’s non-intoxicating cousin wasn’t legal in the U.S. until 2018.
What is hemp soap?
Hemp soap is exactly what it sounds like: a cleansing agent, typically found in either liquid or bar form, that contains hemp seed oil as one of its primary ingredients. But not all hemp soaps are created equal. Soap in general is made by mixing fat and oil with a base. Ingredient labels are required to list ingredients in descending order, so the ingredient with the highest concentration will be listed first, and those with lesser ingredients follow down the line. If hemp is toward the bottom of that list, there probably isn’t enough hemp seed oil in the soap to provide any of its myriad benefits. Other ingredients often in hemp soap typically include moisturizing oils like jojoba or coconut, and essential oils such as peppermint or lavender to sweeten the smell.
Both hemp and soap have been used by humans for thousands of years. The first known formula for the making of soap-like materials — water, alkali, and cassia oil — was found on a Babylonian clay tablet that dates back to approximately 2800 BCE. It is not known for certain whether prehistoric people used hemp for food but it is assumed, and we know for sure that pieces of hemp cloth have been dated to 8000 BCE.
Keep in mind that hemp soap and CBD soap are not the same. CBD is the non-intoxicating cannabinoid sometimes added to body care products, often at an inflated cost to consumers. Make sure to read the label to ensure that the product a company is selling as CBD is not actually hemp seed oil.
What is hemp soap good for?
Arguably the most well-known hemp soap on the market, Dr. Bronner’s All-One! Hemp Soap was founded in 1948 by Dr. Emanuel Bronner — who wasn’t actually a doctor.
Though Dr. Bronner’s didn’t add hemp seed oil to their famous castile soap until 1998, according to their website, their hemp soap can be used for anything and everything. Other hemp suggested uses are for laundry, washing the dishes, giving your dog a bath, and even brushing your teeth.
Is hemp oil good for the skin?
Using hemp seed oil can help even out skin’s oil production. It’s also full of omega-6 essential fatty acids which can be a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Many people with conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and acne find some relief when using hemp soap. It may also be beneficial for those who do not have those conditions but need some relief from sensitive or very dry skin.
In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, hemp seed oil is an excellent moisturizing agent because of compounds like linoleic acid and oleic acid, which are not produced by the body. By using hemp seed oil topically, it may help reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging such as redness or dark spots. Hemp seed oil is also ultra-moisturizing and will not pull moisture from your skin, unlike products that contain chemical compounds found in soap-like triclosan.
Can hemp soap cause a false positive on a THC test?
Nope — hemp seed oil is made from pressing non-psychoactive seeds from the hemp plant into oil. In addition, cannabis topicals such as hemp soap are designed to be used at an actual application site — in this case, the face or the body — and not internally.
The dermis is an excellent barrier to keeping out any cannabinoids that could show up on a drug panel.
