What’s the deal with hempseed oil?
Lately there’s been a lot of hempseed-hype out there in the beauty and nutrition scene, but is it justified? Is it just another fad? Why is everyone swearing by hempseed like it’s the secret to every bodily ailment known to humans?
Well, hempseed-hype aside, at Hark & Zander we’ve based every product around hempseed for some really good and sound reasons.
Hempseed gets confused a lot with its black-leather-jacket-wearing, motorbike-riding cousin whose name shall not be spoken. Industrial Hempseed is different: simply put, it doesn’t contain the psychoactive components.
However, it does contain up to 129 other amazing Cannabinoids that are rather special for our bodies. Among other claims to fame hempseed contains better omega’s than fish oil and as much protein as red meat. So, think of hempseed more as a surprisingly saintly do-gooder of the plant world!
At Hark and Zander we use the hempseed oil as a base for our skincare. Hempseed oil is pressed from the seed of the plant and it’s perfect for every skin type. ‘But how can that be?’ We’ve been sold differentiated products for dry skin/ combination skin/ oily skin for decades now and it’s usually necessary because of what these products strip from our skin or how they go about moisturising it.
But hempseed oil is truly different. It will moisturise dry skin, combination skin, oily skin to the same effect: a radiant glow! The reason it can do this and cut across the noise of recent decades telling us it can’t be done is largely, but not solely, down to its position in the lowest (zero) rating on the comedogenic levels. It’s a gamechanger for all skin types because this essentially means it’s an oil that won’t clog your pores. So… ‘break outs be gone!’ While it’s releasing all its nourishing goodness into your skin it is actually helping regulate oil production. It seems counterintuitive to use oil on oily skin but just like you can fight fire with fire, you can also fight oil with oil!
As for cleansing, oil cleansing has been around for a while now and as the more people try it, the more people swear by it. Gone are the days of stripping all the goodness from your skin to cleanse it and being left at the end with a tight crusty feeling hide.
This was my old routine: harsh cleanser > crusty tight face > slather with moisturiser > discover cleanser failed on the mascara-front > apply eye cleanser to erase panda rings > rub vigorously and repeatedly with washcloth > apply eye cream to settle eyes > inspect new crows’ feet appearing on profile! No more! Oil cleansing works.
Hempseed oil cleansing though is next level. Not only does it cleanse gently but it feels like you’re feeding your skin as you go. It’s jam-packed full of Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants in a combination that skin simply loves! It has calming properties to help reduce skin aggravation from all sorts of ailments like scaring, blemishes and dry scaly skin. So it protects and heals, and (bonus!) it also fights; its full of anti-aging amino acids to help keep your skin healthy and happy.
Here's my new routine: A few drops of oil > a little gentle massage > a nice warm washcloth > a quick, gentle wipe. And boom! Away it all goes… even the panda eyes... leaving cleansed, supple skin.
At Hark & Zander we only use organically grown, locally sourced (Whanganui) hempseed oil. Remember Kirsty (H&Z’s founder) began making healing balms for herself as she began to learn more about the properties of hempseed which she’d planted between the rows of the vines on three Marlborough vineyards where she was running trials for a research project on the effects the plant would have on the soil and vines.
Because hempseed oil will oxidise on your skin (and smell bad!) if you just use it on its own, we have spent 18 months working on the perfect balanced blend giving you all of the active factors your skin craves. For your skin’s benefit, we have included sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, evening primrose oil, squalane, grapeseed oil, grapefruit peel oil, sea buckthorn, vitamin E and ylang ylang. And they all work together in a rather glorious harmony. (For more about the goodness of each ingredient, read further on our ingredients page.)
Our testimonies have been pouring in, with people reporting "redness gone", "a five year age decrease" in the mirror, "irritated skin repaired"… all replaced with a luxurious glow. (Read them all on our testimonials page.)
This is a plant that actually rejuvenates. Yes, it rejuvenates the soil and it can also rejuvenate our bodies – including our largest organ, our skin. It's been used for centuries and we’re only rediscovering it now as the world wakes up to its goodness. All the current hempseed-hype is actually ancient news, it’s just that we only now have the science to see why it’s so amazing!
