Body Products with Hemp Seed Oil

Refined hemp oil is clear with little flavour or nutrients. Its use is gaining wide acceptance in body care products. Antimicrobial properties make it ideal in soaps and shampoos. Hemp seed oil is one of the world's richest sources of polyunsaturated fats which make it an excellent natural emollient and moisturiser. When hemp seed oil is used in body care products it can reduce skin discomfort by soothing and restoring dry or damaged skin and increasing the natural moisture retention capacity of the skin. A major function of body care products is to enhance, preserve and restore the natural skin barrier.

One of the essential functions our skin performs is the control of moisture loss. Moisture retention is provided chiefly by the epidermis which is the outermost layer of the skin. The actual 'vapour barrier' is the very outside layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum. It is composed of, and continually rebuilt from, dying and dead cells that gradually flake from the epidermis. These cells are held together with lipids (fats). When this layer is stripped of its lipids, dry skin results, with its attendant problems, such as scaling, cracking, itching. The lipids are stripped from the stratum corneum, by sun exposure, dry air, excessive use of soaps and detergents, and organic solvents with a strong degreasing action.

Medical conditions such as diabetes and aging are another contributor. The slower metabolic rate, and slower growth of cells in the basal layer of the epidermis, associated with aging leads to dry skin because of a decline of ceramide (a substance made of Omega-6 that is critical for moisture retention) content. Both these processes contribute to the formation of skin lines and overall skin aging. Clinical studies have shown that cracked, scaly, dry skin can be reversed by skin care products containing Omega 6 fatty acids. The anti-inflammatory properties of essential fatty acids can further aid in the healing of minor skin abrasions and acne. A deficiency in Omega 6 fatty acids is also associated with eczema and psoriasis due to the regulation of water loss through the skin.

Oils that are high in the essential fatty acids such as hemp oil are becoming popular in massage therapy due to their ability to penetrate and be absorbed into the skin.