Essential Oils & CBD | Strategic Living

Homemade CBD Salve that Really Works

For almost six months, I have been trying to formulate a topical version of CBD that can be used to mitigate the toughest forms of pain and inflammation. With my understanding of how the endocannabinoid system works, I was convinced that a topical CBD salve would provide relief from both chronic and incidental muscle and joint pain.

It seemed simple enough since all I thought I needed to do is add some CBD oil to a base carrier, similar to what I do when making an essential oil salve. As it turned out, it was not so simple.

Most of my attempts became expensive and messy failures as batch after batch was either too greasy, too firm, or simply too messy to use. I finally resorted to purchasing a pre-made CBD salve and it was perfect in all ways except for cost.

I did not give up, however. About six weeks ago I went back to the drawing board, this time using a CBD concentrate in powdered form. Within days, my resident tester (husband Shelly) told me that not only was this DIY version better than the purchased salve, but when layered with essential oils, it was “unbelievable”. His words, not mine.

So here you go. I am thrilled to share with you a homemade CBD salve that is perfect for back pain, sore knees, wrenched shoulders, sprains, pinched nerves and more.

What I Learned Using CBD Oil

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I am on a mission to learn and understand more about CBD oil. Is CBD oil a modern day equivalent of snake oil? Based on my experience this past month, I think not.

As I have previously written, my original intent when embarking on this journey was to see if CBD oil would work for my husband’s chronic back pain. I also wanted to see if by taking it myself, I felt anything at all, good bad or indifferent given I did not think I had any specific ailments to address.

To that end, those of you that follow me on Facebook know that I have been providing weekly FB updates relative to my personal use of CBD oil. It has been an interesting experience, filled with unexpected surprises.

In this article, I share what I have learned so far while using CBD oil in my own household. As you read this, however, be aware that CBD works differently on different people and that what is working for my husband, Shelly, and myself, may be different for you.

What You Need to Know About CBD Oil

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Jump on any wellness-related website and you will find glowing accolades for CBD Oil. Along with the accolades, you will find references to various studies that attempt to prove the point and further entice you to make a purchase. The issue, at least for me, is that there is a lot of technical mumbo jumbo in these articles and that many of the studies cited are not what I would call scientific let alone peer-reviewed.

A study with 24 test subjects and no control group is not a study. Neither is a study where the test group consisted of a group of 50 rats. A study of how a handful of subjects deal with anxiety while using social media is simply not relevant.
I wish I could say these are extreme examples but they are not. They are everywhere.

So what is the big deal about CBD Oil? Is it the real deal when it comes to dealing with anxiety, depression, insomnia, aches, pains, and cancer? (The emphasis is mine.) Or is it 21st-century snake oil?

In this article, I hope to summarize, in plain English, what I have learned, so far, about CBD oil.

It is important to note a few things from the onset. First of all, I am not a healthcare professional although I have received input from my own physicians regarding CBD oil. Second, although I have immersed myself in learning about CBD, I am not an expert and will continue to research CBD and update this article as I feel necessary. Finally, I will do my best to speak in layman’s terms, without the using highly scientific and technical terms that for me, at least, make the discussion of CBD oil confusing.

Homemade Arthritis, Muscle and Joint Pain Salve

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There is not an active person I know of who has not suffered at one time or another from sore muscles. Couple those sore muscles with tender, inflamed joints and you have a recipe for misery.

I know this first hand because, being of a certain age, my joints hurt more often than not.I am here to tell you that you do not need to suffer needlessly nor do you have to spend a fortune on pharmaceuticals or overpriced over the counter remedies concocted from ingredients you are unable to pronounce. Instead, you can make up a batch of homemade muscle and joint rub using a base salve or other carrier oil and a single essential oil: wintergreen.

Why wintergreen essential oil? It is inexpensive, readily available, and potent. A little goes a long way. Ready to learn more?

Rise and Shine Sunshine Diffuser Blend

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One of the easiest ways to glean benefits from essential oils is to use them in a diffuser. Although this can be accomplished with single oils, something magical happens when two or more oils are blended. This is called an essential oil synergy. In simplistic terms, it means that the combination of two or more essential oils results in a blend that is more effective than the single oils used alone.

I love to create my own synergies and for this article, I share the recipe for what I call “Rise and Shine Sunshine”. This is a diffuser blend. Yeah, I know it is not very original but heck, it is what it is. I call it this because I find it uplifting, giving me the motivation to get my arse in gear and face the day head-on.