The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
b-side
Thursday, October 11, 2018 — 3B

I don’t smoke weed. Few 
things terrify me more than the 
idea of ingesting a substance 
whose origins I know nothing 
about, and I know as much 
about marijuana as your friendly 
neighborhood Church Lady.
When I first heard about 
the emergence of cosmetics 
with cannabidiol, or CBD, I 
was perplexed. I knew the 
substance had something to do 
with cannabis. In my mind, that 
meant labs full of dermatologists 
grinding up the stuff my friends 
put in their bongs, only to 
sprinkle it into a lotion or lip 
balm.
Needless to say, I was wrong. 
The story of CBD is far more 
complex than I ever could have 
imagined. This is my journey 
with cannabidiol skin care, made 
possible by extensive research 
and a beauty brand called Hora.
The 
CBD 
Movement: 
A 
Timeline
Cannabidiol 
is 
one 
of 
several 
compounds 
found 
in 
cannabis. 
Along 
with 
tetrahydrocannabinol, 
the 
“high”-inducing 
compound 
THC, it makes up about 40 
percent of the plant’s extract. 
In western culture, CBD has 
been lauded for its therapeutic 
properties dating back to the 
19th century; it’s rumored that 
Queen 
Victoria 
used 
CBD-
rich cannabis to alleviate her 
menstrual cramps.
Cannabidiol 
wasn’t 
individually 
extracted 
until 
1940, when American chemist 
Roger 
Adams 
became 
the 
first person to separate the 
compound from the plant using 
a mixture of ethanol and “red 
oil.” Six years later, Dr. W.S. 
Loewe performed the first CBD 
tests on lab animals, through 
which he discovered ingestion 
of the compound does not 
produce an altered mental state. 
Scientific interest in CBD slowed 
in the following decades until 
its three-dimensional structure 
was identified, opening a field 
of research devoted to exploring 
CBD’s potential uses. Studies in 
the ’70s and ’80s cited CBD as 
reducing nausea and vomiting 
caused 
by 
chemotherapy, 
producing 
sedative 
effects 
and diminishing convulsions 
in epileptic individuals. From 
the ’90s into the first decade of 
the new millennium, CBD was 
found to hold anti-inflammatory 
and calming properties, even 
boasting the ability to ease 
chronic pains of neurological 
origin.
Today, CBD oil supplements 
made from hemp are permitted 
in all 50 states so long as 
they’re produced under the 
provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill. 
Four years after its technical 
legalization, the compound has 
garnered widespread use as 
a treatment for physical pain, 
anxiety and depression, but new 
developments have also seen its 
incorporation into the beauty 
industry. Enter Hora Skin Care, 
a Los Angeles-based company 
that secured its place on the CBD 
bandwagon from its inception 
in Jan. At present, its inventory 
consists of the Super Serum and 
the Overnight Exfoliating Mask, 

both of which contain CBD, 
along with facial rollers in rose 
quartz, clear quartz and jade.
“I 
actually 
have 
another 
company called Punch Edibles 
in the medical marijuana, now 
recreational marijuana, market 
here in Cali. I’ve been around 
THC and CBD for quite a long 
time,” 
Samantha 
Czubiak, 
founder and CEO of Hora, told 
The Daily regarding her choice 
to use CBD in her products. 
“It 
became 
introduced 
into 
my skin care because I had a 
ton of products on my counter 
and every day I would try to 
figure out, like, ‘OK, so now I 
need to worry about pimples,’ 
or ‘Today I need to worry 
about brightening,’ and all this 
different stuff. I was always 
concocting stuff in my hand, 
and I was like, ‘Why not create 
something all in one?’ While I 
was doing a lot of research on 
the active ingredients that I 
knew I already liked, I started 
looking into CBD as a benefit to 
anti-aging or extra antioxidants, 
as well as it’s an incredible anti-
inflammatory. So people are 
having a lot of success with it in 
acne.”
Czubiak’s 
claims 
didn’t 
come out of thin air. A 2014 
study from the Journal of 
Clinical 
Investigation 
found 
CBD behaves as an effective 
“sebostatic” 
and 
“lipostatic” 
agent, 
meaning 
it 
stifles 
secretion 
of 
acne-producing 
gunk in skin’s pores. The study 
also indicates CBD reduced 
inflammation 
when 
applied 
topically.
“I thought it was going to be 
a crucial ingredient in a really 
all-in-one product,” she said. 
Other ingredients in Hora’s 
Super Serum include rosehip 
oil and vitamin C, while the 
Exfoliating Mask contains the 
likes of salicylic acid and MCT 
oil, a supplement made from 
Medium-chain triglycerides fats 
thought to help fight Alzheimer’s 
disease. In addition to CBD, the 
products, which were conceived 
by Czubiak with guidance from 
a professional formulator, share 
vitamin A as another common 
ingredient.
The CBD Cynics
With every rising cosmetics 
trend comes a skeptic movement. 
Those who doubt CBD’s skincare 
benefits cite a lack of studies in 
the field. Meanwhile, existing 
research indicates less efficacy 
in CBD when it’s extracted from 
the greater cannabinoid system 
in isolation, a phenomenon that, 
according to The New York 
Times, has been dubbed the 
“entourage effect.”
Many CBD beauty brands, 
like Hora, employ this isolate, a 
decision that Czubiak defended.
“It’s the purest way to get 
it,” she explained. “There’s no 
other plant material in there 
or extra fats or lipids from the 
plant itself. You’re literally just 
getting the active ingredient 
that you want. It really is just a 
refined process, and then from 
there, it really just depends on 
what you’re using it for.”
The uncertainty doesn’t stop 
there. As The Times points out, 
there is more CBD in cannabis 
strains containing THC than 
in hemp, but only CBD derived 
from 
hemp 
can 
be 
legally 
distributed. This could result 

in 
pain-relieving 
and 
anti-
inflammatory effects that are 
less magnitudinous than CBD 
superfans make them out to be.
Not only that, in addition, 
there is no evidence for what an 
effective dosage of CBD would be 
for treatment of skin conditions 
like acne. What scientists do 
know is a higher dosage seems 
to signal more potent results. An 
article from California nonprofit 
Project CBD reports, “Studies 
have established that synthetic, 
single-molecule CBD has a very 
narrow therapeutic window and 
requires precise, high doses for 
efficacy.”
The question then arises: 
What constitutes a high dose 
of CBD? A 2017 study from 
the Journal of the American 
Medical 
Association 
showed 
of 84 different CBD products 
analyzed, 
the 
average 
concentration 
for 
CBD 
products was 30.96 mg per 
mL. Compare that to the 250 
mg/oz of CBD in Hora’s Super 
Serum and 422 mg/50mL in 
the 
Overnight 
Exfoliating 
Mask. That said, Hora has very 
low concentrations of CBD in 
their products compared to the 
average.
All things considered, most 
mainstream 
dermatologists 
have yet to get onboard with the 
CBD push.
“There may be some promise 
for 
future 
use,” 
Jeffrey 
Orringer, chief of the cosmetic 
dermatology division at the 
University, 
said 
regarding 
the 
potential 
advantages 
of 
CBD skin care. “But it is too 
early to determine the safety 
and efficacy of many of these 
products 
because 
rigorous 
studies are generally lacking in 
this area.”
She Really Tried It
When Hora’s public relations 
coordinator 
reached 
out 
to 
me asking if I’d be interested 
in sampling their products, I 
immediately signed on: This 
would be my time to put CBD’s 
claims to the test. After receiving 
my samples in the mail, I got 
down to business, applying the 
Super Serum every morning and 
night for two weeks, swapping 
it out for the Exfoliating Mask 
a total of three times — the 
package notes it can be used up 
to four times a week.
Most days, I applied the 
products with my Hora-branded 
jade facial roller after cleansing 
with Cetaphil wash. The roller 
is said to promote absorption of 
the products, reduce under eye 
circles and stimulate collagen, 
the skin’s elasticity agent. This 
is not an article about jade 
rollers, so I will keep my praises 
to a minimum, but that little 
gadget was especially useful 
for massaging my sinuses when 
flu season came for my immune 
system.
The Super Serum has a thin 
consistency 
and 
comes 
out 
milky white. Though both dye- 
and fragrance-free, it emits a 
noticeable scent that I’ll call 
“earthy” for our purposes. The 
Exfoliating Mask is a similar 
color, though slightly runnier 
with a less discrete smell. Both 
were easy to apply, and I was 
left with no sticky residue after 
using the roller atop my product-
covered pores.
During this two-week period, 

I documented my skin care 
procedures each day, reporting 
significant 
changes 
in 
my 
skin. Below, I’ve rounded up 
some of my most noteworthy 
observations:
Night 1 - Sept. 22: Smell is 
subtle but a little funky and 
vaguely fungal, kind of like the 
high school biology classroom 
the day of the sheep brain 
dissection.*
Morning 4 - Sept. 26: When I 
woke up, my formerly giant lip 
zit no longer hurt, its whitehead 
was gone. Less large, but still 
red.
Morning 10 - Oct. 2: Chacne 
looks so much better!
I went on several skin-picking 
rampages while testing Hora’s 
products. 
Evidence 
of 
each 
almost completely faded over 
the course of a good night’s 
sleep.
“I’ve had tons of positive 
feedback from the product,” 
Czubiak said. “I think just 
statistically, people are always 
scared 
or 
the 
marijuana 
industry doesn’t get the credit 
it really does deserve. I think 
it’s just going to take a long 
time 
with 
THC 
and 
CBD 
products to really be recognized 
in 
mainstream 
beauty 
or 
mainstream pharmaceuticals. I 
mean, I just heard the other day 
that there was a CBD drug that’s 
the first FDA-approved drug out 
there, so I think we’re making 
waves, and we’ll start to hear 
more positive things coming out 
about CBD, especially. It really 
is a rockstar product, honestly.”
My foray into Hora’s CBD-
rich regimen has given me no 
reason to disagree. I’ve seen 
the texture of my skin improve 
in a remarkably short time. 
My cheeks, once covered in 
miniscule bumps, are now silky-
smooth aside from a few small 
areas of inflammation. Plus 
— and I’m fully aware of how 
silly this sounds — my face feels 
brighter now. I even received 
several compliments on my 
“natural glow” throughout my 
trial run.
In Conclusion
I 
love 
Hora’s 
products. 
Whether CBD is the reason 
they’re effective is beyond me, 
but frankly, I don’t really care.
In 
most 
CBD 
skin 
care 
products 
on 
the 
market, 
cannabidiol is one of several 
ingredients, 
most 
of 
which 
have benefits more generally 
accepted than CBD’s. Czubiak 
echoed these sentiments:
“I would say that we’ve 
created just a master formula, 
and CBD is just one of the 
ingredients, honestly. I started 
with, 
I 
was 
getting 
really 
obsessed with hyaluronic acid 
and argan oil … I feel like I was 
way more focused on making it a 
complete product and what else 
was going to go into before I was 
really like, ‘OK, CBD and just 
throw whatever else in there.’”
Czubiak is not a scientist, nor 
does she masquerade as one. 
That doesn’t change the fact that 
Hora’s products deliver exactly 
what they promise: a fast-acting, 
naturally-derived solution to 
acne and inflammation. They 
also just so happen to contain 
CBD. 
*In retrospect, this was a 
dramatic exaggeration. I stopped 
noticing the smell by day three.

TESS GARCIA
Daily Style Editor

COURTESY OF TESS GARCIA
Trust me, CBD cosmetics are much 
more than just smoke and mirrors

B-SIDE SECONDARY
My Pet Rocks: 
A journey with 
healing crystals

I’m sitting in the testing 
accommodation center, flicking 
my pencil and worrying about 
the exam I’m about to take. I 
open my glasses case, slide on 
my glasses and pick out my two 
stones — usually an emerald and 
a tiger’s eye.
I have severe anxiety, but 
luckily, I have my stones.
Since I can remember, I have 
lived around stones, crystals 
and rocks. My homeopathic, 
Buddhist dad raised me with 
this form of healing, and it’s a 
significant part of my identity 
and spiritual practice. An active 
stone-bracelet 
wearer 
and 
crystal-pocket carrier, he knew 
that my sister and I needed good 
energy, and that we needed a 
type of healing that strayed from 
modern medicine.
I had crystals everywhere: 
my nightstand, my backpack, 
my swim bag, my glasses case. 
I would rub them when I 
had stressful exams to take, I 
would play with them before 
my races. When I got serious 
about meditation practices, I 
began to meditate with them 
in my palms or right beside me. 
No one understood my unique 
rock collection or the energy it 
cultivated.
When I asked my 
dad to talk about 
his 
journey 
with 
healing crystals, he 
told me he was not 
necessarily the right 
person to speak with. 
A dear friend of his 
and an alternative, 
homeopathic healer, 
Carrie 
Hamilton, 
was 
indeed 
the 
expert. 
Launching 
her 
own 
practice 
and 
specializing 
in 
flowers, 
gem 
and light essences, 
chakra based healing 
and energy medicine, 
Hamilton’s journey 
with 
the 
natural 
world has led her to 
spread her powers 
with others.
“I 
remember 
playing with them 
when I was a kid. I 
was drawn to stones 
and rocks and nature. My mom 
was always into gemstones and 
she was an artist, so I was always 
around colors,” Hamilton said 
in an interview with The Daily. 
After dabbling with crystals 
and energy healing in college, 
Hamilton decided to pursue it 
further and more intensely after 
experiencing her own health 
issues.
“I started studying chakras 
and found out there are certain 
stones related to certain organ 
troubles … you can lay stones 
on your body for certain parts 
of 
your 
system,” 
she 
said. 
Many think the idea of healing 
crystals is a bunch of bologna, 
but Hamilton replied that the 
more she studied it, “the more 
(she) found out how ancient this 
practice is.”
One of the earliest records 
of crystal and stone uses can be 
traced back to Ancient Egypt, 
where they used them as a 
form of decorative wear and 
symbols of wealth. Over time, 
crystals and stones made their 
way through Europe and Asia, 
where communities began using 
them for medicinal and spiritual 
practices.
But it’s a different world for 
those of us who were raised 
with modern, Western medicine. 
Crystal healing doesn’t work as 
simply as taking a pill or getting 
a shot. As living, breathing 
creatures, crystals should be 
nurtured with our own energy 
and vice versa. They involve 
communication and care, as 
one would have with a pet or a 
plant. Hamilton mentioned that 
different “frequencies of a stones 
and densities of crystals” is what 
we can most resonate with. But 
it’s subjective.

“I learned how to work 
with colors and stones with 
corresponding 
challenges,” 
Hamilton said. These challenges 
can vary from person to person. 
For example, if one feels sadness 
or an overwhelming heartbreak, 
rose quartz can help lighten that 
emotional 
weight. 
Carnelian 
serves as an energy booster and 
can help find the strength within 
ourselves. Depending on what 
people need, crystals provide 
an energy to heal our chakra or 
emotional imbalances.
One of the most important 
aspects to crystal healing is 
finding ones that work best for 
you. Each person is drawn to 
certain stones for various reasons, 
including the stones’ color, shape, 
texture and radiating energy. 
Hamilton emphasized trusting 
that luring instinct because there 
is something in the subconscious 
mind that needs a certain crystal 
for a certain purpose. Regardless 
of our internal or external 
healing needs, crystals can show 
immense changes to our mind, 
body and soul.
“I encourage people that, 
if they’re traveling, to pick up 
a rock or stone, even from the 
ocean of the side of the road,” she 
said. “I’m always fascinated to 
see the different types of stones 
that you could find.”
After my dad introduced me to 
crystals, I gradually found myself 
instinctually 
picking 
up 
sea 
glass 
from 
the ocean or shiny 
rocks on hiking trails. 
Despite 
knowing 
their potential power, 
I’m drawn to certain 
stones 
for 
specific 
reasons, 
quickly 
adding them to my 
spiritual rock family.
If 
the 
concept 
of 
“using” 
healing 
crystals 
still 
feels 
funky, Hamilton also 
makes mala jewelry: 
a string of different 
stones, crystals and 
rocks that is used in 
spiritual 
practices, 
similar to the use of a 
rosary. Just by having 
the mala beads around 
your wrist and sharing 
your energy with it, 
these beads can have a 
positive effect on your 
thoughts 
and 
your 
aura.
I’ll 
hold 
my 
citrine 
in 
meditation, play around with 
larimar in my pocket before 
an interview and I’ll sit with 
my quartz in the bathtub. Just 
like medicine, crystals serve 
different functions in a method 
that feels so natural, so ineffable. 
Here, I can feel a change in their 
temperatures, the vibrational 
pull and push they have in my 
hands. My crystals make me feel 
more grounded and connected to 
the natural world.
“When you realize the core 
of the Earth is made of (rocks) 
and is affecting it, how could 
we also not be affected by these 
crystals?” she asked.
After 
the 
interview 
with 
Hamilton, I look to my crystals 
sitting on a clear plate near my 
bedroom window. I close my eyes 
and try to embrace the energy 
that is currently circulating 
in my very own room. “People 
forget that (crystals) are like 
plants. They are growing and 
shifting. It’s just a much slower 
process than we are used to 
seeing,” Hamilton said.
I face challenges each day 
knowing that I am growing with 
each mistake or stressful event 
that comes my way. Yet, there 
are my crystals, in their dish, 
bathing in sunlight. They’ve 
always been there, sharing their 
energy, healing me and growing 
alongside me.
“Be playful. Enjoy it. Get back 
to that childhood state of really 
connecting without judgment. 
They (stones) absolutely respond 
to our affection, our conversation, 
and our connection with them … 
It’s that living energy that we are 
part of it and helps us feel that 
oneness again.”

ERIKA SHEVCHEK
Daily Arts Writer

PROFILE

One of 
the most 
important 
aspects 
to crystal 
healing is 
finding ones 
that work 
best for you