How to Work Hemp Into Your Skincare Routine: A Beginner’s Guide
Hemp skincare can feel a little intimidating if you've never used it before. Good news: it's completely safe to use (and no, it won't get you high), and it has genuinely useful benefits for skin. Here's a beginner's guide to working hemp-based products into your routine.
- Understand What It Actually Does
Before adding anything new, it helps to understand what hemp seed oil actually does for skin — hydration, barrier support, and calming reactive skin are the main benefits. Read our full guide to hemp oil for skin for the detail on how it works and who it suits.
- Consider the Product
Once you understand the benefits, it's time to think about which products make sense for your routine.
Different formats suit different areas — face oils and serums with hemp seed oil work well on facial skin, while heavier balms and lotions may suit body use better.
Hemp seed oil itself is non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores, which makes it suitable for most skin types. Still worth checking the rest of a formula's ingredient list for anything else that might not suit your skin.
- Do a Patch Test
With any new skincare ingredient, it's worth doing a patch test before regular use.
Hemp seed oil is considered safe when applied topically and unlikely to cause a reaction, but a patch test is still good practice. If nothing happens after 24-48 hours, you're good to go.
- Stay Consistent
Like most skincare ingredients, hemp seed oil works best with consistent use rather than occasional application.
How often depends on the product and your skin's sensitivity. Cleansers can typically be used twice daily, while facial oils and serums are usually once a day, or a few times a week if your skin runs more sensitive.
If you have particularly reactive skin, it's worth easing in — once or twice a week for the first few weeks, building up gradually from there.
