By Luke Sumpter


As one of the most versatile plants on the face of the planet, cannabis has a long list of uses. Among these, many people use the herb in preparations applied to the skin. But cannabis doesn’t just make the skin feel hydrated and smooth like other topical products. Constituents of the flowers work in a very specific way that might help to influence skin cells (researchers are still figuring this out). Although we’re all awaiting conclusive findings, people all over the world find that cannabis salve adds something special to their skincare routines.

Keep reading to discover what makes cannabis salve different from other herbal topicals, and how to make cannabis salve at home to keep your skin glowing and happy.

What Is Cannabis Salve?

Cannabis salves or balms are topical products made using beeswax. This gives the mixture a hard finish and a long shelf life.

These preparations vary in their ingredients and contain a host of other botanicals that are beneficial to skin health.

The process of making cannabis salve involves extracting cannabis phytochemicals into a fat source, meaning the end product contains a variety of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other molecules that might benefit our biological barrier.

Below, you’ll discover the benefits of topical cannabis. After that, we’ll compare the differences between salves and other popular topical preparations.

The Benefits of Topical Cannabis

Why do people choose to apply cannabis to their skin? Why not just smoke, eat, or vape it? Well, it all boils down to the intention behind the application. If you’re aiming to get high or want cannabinoids to enter systemic circulation, these methods of administration work just fine. But if you’re using cannabis for the sake of skin health, it makes perfect sense to put it exactly where you want it to work.

Topical cannabis delivers cannabinoids and other phytochemicals directly to the skin. But what does it do there? You’ve probably heard of people lathering their skin in shea butter and vitamin E—so why cannabis?

The herb contains myriad cannabinoids. Many of these molecules, including the psychotropic component THC, bind to cannabinoid receptors in our body. These sites make up the endocannabinoid system (ECS), alongside signalling molecules and metabolic enzymes.

To keep things simple, the ECS basically helps to keep our bodily systems in balance. It stops things from getting too sluggish or from going overboard. It fulfils this regulatory role almost everywhere, from the brain and gut to the skeleton and skin. The ECS facilitates a biological balancing act in the skin[1], and plays a role in cell growth, differentiation, hormone production, and controlled cell death.

Before you get any funky ideas, we should offer a word of warning. You won’t get high by lathering up your skin with high-THC cannabis salve. When applied to our protective barrier, only extremely tiny portions of cannabinoids make it through to the bloodstream. Instead, the vast majority of constituents perform local effects on skin cells.

How Does Cannabis Salve Differ From Lotions and Creams?

There are many different topical cannabis products. But what exactly makes salves different from lotions and creams? Let’s break it down:

  • Salves: Salves are a combination of oils and beeswax. These ingredients serve as the basic foundation to which crafters often add essential oils, nut butters, and vitamins. Salves contain no water, which gives them a hard consistency.
Salve
  • Creams: These preparations contain both oil and water. For this reason, creams have a lighter consistency than salves. Because water and oil naturally repel each other, the addition of an emulsifying agent keeps them incorporated. A water content of around 45% makes them easy to spread across the skin.
Creams
  • Lotions: These topicals contain an even higher water content than creams. They are easy to apply across a larger area of skin, weigh less, and are non-greasy because of the lower oil content.
Lotions

Cannabis Salve vs RSO

You’ve likely heard of Rick Simpson oil (RSO). This namesake of a famous Canadian cannabis activist is a potent crude extract of cannabis oil. During the process, extract makers mix cannabis with high-strength alcohol to pull out all of the cannabinoids, terpenes, and other desired constituents. After boiling off the booze, they are left with a viscous, tar-like substance.

Cannabis salve differs from RSO in numerous ways. For one, the former's extraction process uses fats, not alcohol. Salves are also more diluted, in that they feature cannabinoids and terpenes infused into a base and mixed with other components.

Differences Between Cannabis Salve and CBD Oil

Many CBD lovers report great results after adding CBD oil to their skincare regimen. Although primarily made for ingestion, CBD does feel nice on the skin. Products usually feature a carrier of either olive or hemp seed oil, which makes them quite runny.

In contrast, salves are much more solid. They are slightly easier to handle and less messy when applied to the skin, and they contain additional ingredients suited for external application.

THC Salve vs CBD Salve

The contents of cannabis salves depend on the material used to make them. High-CBD flowers will render a different product than THC-rich buds—so which one should you choose?

Ongoing studies are still exploring the skin-related benefits of both compounds. Each interacts with the ECS in unique ways. Whereas THC directly binds to ECS receptors, CBD takes an indirect, but equally intriguing, route. Still, we need more research to determine exactly how both work on human skin cells.

Organic Cannabis Salve Recipe: How To Make THC or CBD Salve at Home

Now that you’re aware of what constitutes a cannabis salve and why people use them, it’s time to get to our organic cannabis salve recipe. It’s easy, straightforward, and good for the skin. Gather the items listed below, and get to crafting!

Equipment & Ingredients

Grab the following equipment and ingredients to make your own organic cannabis salve at home.

Equipment
Double boiler (saucepan and Pyrex bowl) Cheesecloth
Mixing bowl Shallow storage jar
Baking tray Aluminium foil
Ingredients
7–10g cannabis buds of your choice ⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup beeswax 1½ cup coconut oil

⚠️ Disclaimer: you experiment at your own risk 

Directions

You have everything you need! Follow the simple steps below to whip up a batch of your own cannabis salve in no time.

Step 1: Decarb

First things first; you need to decarboxylate your cannabis flowers. This word sounds complex, but it simply refers to “activating” your buds through heat. Raw flowers contain cannabinoid acids in the form of THCA and CBDA. Decarbing knocks the “A” out of the equation using nothing but heat and time. Follow these steps to decarb your buds:

  • Grind up your bud and preheat your oven to 110°C.
  • Line the baking tray with aluminium foil.
  • Spread the ground bud evenly across the tray.
  • Place in the oven for 40 minutes.
  • Remove and let cool.
How To Make Organic Cannabis Salve

Step 2: Infuse Coconut Oil

Next, you’ll need to extract all of the goodness from your decarbed material. Cannabinoids are lipophilic (they absorb well into fat), so the coconut oil does a great job of extracting them.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Set up your double boiler. Place your saucepan on the hob and add a few inches of water. Slot your Pyrex bowl into the saucepan, making sure it sits above the water level (empty some water if it touches the bottom of the bowl).
  • Place your coconut oil into the bowl and mix in your decarbed bud.
  • Set the heat to low (55–65°C) and let it simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the oil from the heat and strain through the cheesecloth into a mixing bowl.

Step 3: Mix Everything

Now, clean your double boiler and set it up in the same way again to melt your beeswax over low heat. Add your infused oil and olive oil, and stir thoroughly to combine.

Step 4: Pour and Store

Once mixed, remove the mixture from the heat and pour into shallow storage jars to allow it to cool and harden. We recommend using shallow glass Mason jars or steel screw-top jars, as these allow you to easily apply the salve without having to reach down into a deeper container.

How To Use Cannabis Salve

Apply your cannabis salve wherever you like! You can use it on your hands, feet, lips, arms, or wherever you feel like your skin needs a bit of love and care. That said, it’s best to keep it to external use only. Enjoy!

External Resources:
  1. The endocannabinoid system of the skin in health and disease: novel perspectives and therapeutic opportunities https://www.sciencedirect.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: