What Types of Essential Oils Should Be in CBD Products?

Naturally, whenever we talk about a CBD product, we’re focusing on the hemp in the product: how many milligrams of cannabidiol are in the formula, the specific hemp compounds used, and how the hemp plant material was grown.

But, it’s time to expand and look at other ingredients used on the CBD market, because many of these ingredients add even more value to the capabilities of the product. A common category of ingredients used by hemp-based manufacturers/companies is essential oils, which have been valued for thousands of years because of the properties that they contain.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the pure extracted oils taken from raw plant material. Produced using various methods including cold-pressing and steam distillation, their aim is to concentrate the active desirable compounds of the plant, which is the same goal when we make hemp extract.

What Do Essential Oils Bring to CBD Products?

Essential oils get their properties from the terpenes that they contain. Many people believe that terpenes are unique to the hemp plant, but terpenes are, in fact, compounds present in all plant life. Their aim in nature is to protect plants from disease and predators, and they provide plants with their flavor and aroma. When we extract them from the plants, we get to explore their value to the human body, as terpenes are rich in desirable properties – after all, there’s a reason why we prioritize the terpenes of the hemp plant.

Each terpene in an essential oil has its own distinctive properties. Some are great for inflammation, and others can offer some value to one’s mood. What this means is that different essential oils that are added to a CBD product can enhance the properties of the product in different ways. For instance, adding lavender to a CBD tincture can give us the properties of linalool, the leading terpene in lavender that’s known for its remarkable soothing effects.

It makes sense that essential oils are commonly added to hemp products – they offer the same holistic value to the body as CBD itself. Essential oils, like the hemp plant, are completely natural and gentle, offering systemic properties that can improve the way that we feel.

CBD Products That Contain Essential Oils

Not all CBD-based products contain essential oils, because essential oils can only be absorbed into the body through specific means. Some essential oils should never be inhaled into the body directly in the form of vapor or smoke, and some should never be orally consumed, like tea tree. That being said, the most common CBD products that contain essential oils are topicals and tinctures, which both allow for the essential oils to work their way into the bodily system in a gentle manner.

Most Commonly Used Essential Oils Used in Hemp Formulas

While companies can work with hundreds of different essential oils as they so choose, here are the ones that pop up the most on the hemp market, and for good reason.

Peppermint

Peppermint essential oil is an extremely valuable essential oil that provides all kinds of useful properties to the body, so it’s not surprising that you’ll often find it in CBD products. When added to topicals, it provides a cooling sensation with its analgesic properties, making it a clear favorite. Can also be used to flavor tinctures as its minty taste is irresistible.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is another essential oil you’ll often find in topicals. Many people compare it to peppermint, as it also provides a cooling analgesic effect when applied to the skin, which can permeate the deep tissue just like peppermint. It’s also known for being particularly invigorating to the senses and the mind.

Lemon

Lemon essential oil is rich in limonene, a terpene also prominent in the hemp plant. Lemon essential oil is known for its uplifting properties as well as its high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, while offering up anti-inflammatory properties.

Lavender

Lavender is an enormously useful essential oil that can offer all kinds of desirable effects. Aromatherapeutically, lavender essential oil is associated with a calming sensation that many people find particularly helpful at bedtime. This comes mainly from its dominant terpene linalool, which is also found in the hemp plant. Lavender essential oil is also a potent anti-inflammatory, making it quite useful in topicals.

Rosemary

Rosemary essential oil is known for its anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, meaning that it’s great in tinctures as well as in topicals for different reasons. Rosemary essential oil also enhances the herbal taste and aroma of hemp in a way that many people enjoy.

Clove

Clove essential oil can be a powerful analgesic when applied topically, due to its unique ability to provide a numbing sensation to the skin and deep tissue. Therefore, clove oil is commonly found in topicals, while adding an invigorating spicy note to formulas.

Lemongrass

Many people find that lemongrass essential oil is calming, but that’s not all that it can do. When added to CBD topicals, lemongrass essential oil can offer anti-inflammatory properties that sink deep into the muscles of the body.

Essential Oils and CBD: A Match Made in Blissful and Euphoric Heaven

Essential oils are yet another gift from mother nature, complementing the compounds of the hemp plant perfectly while adding additional useful terpenes to any CBD formula. So, the next time you are scoping out that CBD tincture or CBD topical solution, look to see if there are any essential oils in the product that can elevate its capabilities with their extremely valuable effects.