Hemp has become a popular ingredient in skincare, but often comes surrounded by vague claims and hype. The key reason for its inclusion in Truffords products is simply this: Your skin loves hemp oil. But why?
What Exactly Is Hemp Oil?
Let’s start by stating exactly what we’re talking about. Hemp is a crop, not a single product. Different parts of the plant (Latin name Cannabis sativa L.) are used to produce a wide variety of products. Hemp seeds are pressed to produce hemp seed oil and used in foods such as protein powders and hulled hemp seeds. The stalks are used to make fibres for clothing, rope and paper. The woody core can be used in building materials. Other parts of the plant are used to produce extracts containing cannabinoids such as CBD and THC. Some cannabinoid-containing products are tightly regulated or prohibited in certain countries because THC is intoxicating and many governments restrict substances that may impair judgement.
At Truffords, whenever we talk about hemp oil we are referring specifically to hemp seed oil, pressed from the seeds of the plant. Hemp seed oil contains neither THC nor CBD in any meaningful amounts and has no intoxicating effects.
We use hemp seed oil because it performs exceptionally well as a skincare ingredient for a very straightforward reason: Hemp seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids that help support the skin’s natural protective barrier and maintain moisture.
Why Is Hemp Oil Good For Shaving?
Before foams and gels existed, men used oils for shaving. In ancient Rome, olive oil was part of everyday grooming. It was used to soften hair, condition the skin and generally keep everything in good working order.
However, while olive oil is good for many things, its use as a shaving lubricant has significant drawbacks. For cosmetic purposes such as shaving, olive oil is classed as a heavy oil. As such, it takes hours to be absorbed by hair, so it can’t sufficiently soften hair in the time it takes to shave. After the shave, olive oil is difficult to rinse off, and it feels unpleasant left on the skin. (This isn’t a problem unique to olive oil. Anyone who has tried shaving with other oils will have likely experienced similar results.)
This is one reason hemp seed oil feels different from other oils. As well as softening hair, giving glide and minimising razor drag, hemp seed oil is readily absorbed by the skin, replacing lost protection and helping to reduce moisture loss. The result is skin that feels conditioned, rather than coated.
During a shave, your razor removes a very thin layer of skin. So the better supported the skin’s natural protective barrier is, the more comfortable the skin will feel during and after the shave. Hemp seed oil doesn’t defy the chemistry of shaving: Its rapid absorption and protective qualities help the skin cope with it more effectively.
What Makes Hemp Oil Special?
Hemp oil is particularly good for skin because it is rich in the same types of essential fatty acids that the skin uses to build and maintain its natural protective barrier.
Think of it as your body’s weatherproof coating. When the barrier is in good shape, skin feels smooth, comfortable and resilient. When it’s damaged – through washing or shaving with soap, for example – moisture escapes more easily and dirt can get in, leaving your skin feeling dry, tight and irritated. The hair has trouble pushing through the surface of the skin as it grows back, causing painful ingrown hairs and comedones. (The technical term for spots.)
Hemp seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids that help support this barrier. It contains some of the same types of oils your skin naturally relies on to keep itself in good working order. Not only is hemp seed oil rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6, these essential fatty acids are present in a ratio very similar to the natural balance of your skin.
And this is why we include hemp oil as an ingredient in many Truffords products.
Is Hemp Oil Good For Hair?
The same fatty acids that help support the skin barrier can also help maintain a healthier scalp environment. That’s one reason hemp appears in products designed for both skin and hair care.
Hair and skin have much in common. The hair itself is made from protein, but the condition of the hair depends heavily on oils (sebum) and moisture secreted naturally from the scalp. Regular washing removes these oils and can leave hair dry and malnourished, creating frizz.
Used alongside other ingredients, hemp seed oil helps to form a light protective coating similar to that of natural sebum, which helps reduce moisture loss and maintain flexibility. Hair that retains moisture is generally less prone to looking dry, brittle or rough.
So Is Hemp Oil Good For… Everything?
Let’s be clear that this is science, not magic, and despite much of the hype surrounding hemp, we do not claim that hemp oil is any kind of panacea.
Hemp seed oil is great for the skin and hair because it’s rich in essential fatty acids, present in a concentration and ratio that closely resemble your skin’s natural makeup. So it makes logical sense that these can help support the skin’s natural protective barrier. This makes hemp oil particularly well suited to shaving products, where lubrication, comfort and post-shave skin condition matter just as much as efficiently removing hair.
Hemp seed oil has become a popular ingredient in skincare and haircare products. But at Truffords, we don’t chase gimmicks, follow fads or push agendas, so we never include any unnecessary ingredients in our formulas. We use hemp seed oil in our shaving oils for the very good reason that it excels at supporting the skin during the shave, immediately afterwards and over the days that follow. It’s also great for helping to maintain the condition of the scalp and hair, as well as skin in other sensitive areas such as the lips and hands. Throughout these applications, the guiding principle remains the same: Healthy skin feels better.
