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Hemp seed oil is the cold-pressed plant oil from the seed of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, a crop grown for its seed and its fibre. On the label of our hemp seed oil the ingredient reads Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, cold-pressed and made in Canada, as a cosmetic oil for hair and skin; there is no second ingredient. It is a thin, green oil that absorbs fast, sold in a 30 ml and a 100 ml bottle with a pipette.
Many people search for 'hemp seed oil benefits' or search for 'hemp oil for skin'. We make no claim about what this oil does in or under the skin or to the hair: the label says nothing about that, and neither do we. What you can check yourself is what the label says, that the oil is green and thin and absorbs quickly, why it belongs in the fridge, and how to use it and in what amount. That is what this guide is about.
Hemp seed oil at a glance
- Label: Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, the only ingredient; cold-pressed; made in Canada.
- Plant: the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa; the oil comes from the seed, a small round nutlet with a hard shell, not from the flower or the leaf.
- Colour and smell: green to green-yellow, the oil's own colour; nutty with a note of grass or hay, mostly gone once absorbed.
- Texture: thin; absorbs fast and leaves little film.
- Character: a strongly unsaturated seed oil that ages quickly; keep it cool and dark, preferably in the fridge, and finish an opened bottle within a few months.
- Use: face, body, hands and lips, hair ends and scalp, and as a base for a massage oil; external use only.
- Bottle: 30 ml or 100 ml, dark glass with pipette.
The seed, not the flower
What the hemp plant is famous for is not in this bottle. CBD and THC sit in the flower and the leaf of the plant; hemp seed oil is pressed from the seed, and seed oil does not contain them. The label says exactly that: one ingredient, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, and nothing else. The seed itself is a small, round nutlet with a hard shell, harvested from hemp grown for seed and fibre. The label says the oil is made in Canada, one of the largest growers of hemp seed; where the seed was harvested, the label does not say, and we do not fill that in.
Why the oil is green
The green is the first thing you notice. It is the oil's own colour, nothing is added, and why hemp seed oil is green is not on the label, so we leave it there. In practice you see little of it: a few drops absorb without a trace, and only someone who spills a whole teaspoon on a white towel sees a green tinge, which washes out. In the bottle the oil is dark green; in a thin layer on the skin it is invisible.
Why it belongs in the fridge
Hemp seed oil is a strongly unsaturated oil, and that decides how it feels and how you store it. Strongly unsaturated oils are thin, absorb fast and do not feel greasy; the flip side is that they react with oxygen, light and warmth faster than a thick oil or a butter, so they age sooner. You can smell it: fresh hemp seed oil smells nutty and grassy, old oil smells sharp, like paint or putty. If you smell that, stop using it on the skin. Keep the bottle in the fridge, closed, and finish an opened bottle within a few months; the label gives no shelf life and we give none either. By comparison, jojoba oil, which is a liquid wax, keeps far longer and needs no fridge.
On the face
Two to three drops on lightly damp skin after cleansing, pressed in with the palms rather than rubbed, in the evening or under a day cream. The oil is thin enough not to shine and absorbs within a few minutes, so it works under make-up as well. Take the bottle out of the fridge a few minutes before you use it; cold, the oil is a little slower to spread.
On the body, the hands and the lips
After showering, about a teaspoon per arm or leg, rubbed into skin that is still damp; this is the use the 100 ml bottle is for. On the hands, one drop per hand, massaged in down to the cuticles. On the lips, a small amount on a fingertip. A thin oil spreads easily over a small area, so one drop goes a long way.
On the hair ends and the scalp
One drop rubbed between the palms and smoothed over the ends of dry hair; more than a drop weighs fine hair down. On the scalp, a teaspoon massaged in with the fingertips before washing, left for half an hour and washed out; a thin oil rinses out in one wash. Once a week is plenty.
As a base for a massage oil or a blend
On its own, hemp seed oil absorbs too fast for a massage: the hands stop gliding after a minute. Mix it with one to two parts of a heavier oil, such as jojoba oil or sweet almond oil, and it glides long enough. For a scented blend, at most one drop of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier. Make small amounts, because the hemp seed oil in the blend still ages quickly; other carrier oils are in the carrier oils collection.
How much you use and which bottle to choose
A drop from the pipette is roughly 0.05 ml. Two to three drops on the face once a day is 0.1 to 0.15 ml, so a 30 ml bottle lasts two to three hundred applications, more than six months. One drop per hand: three hundred evenings from 30 ml. On the body it goes faster: a teaspoon is 5 ml, so a 100 ml bottle is twenty arms or legs, or five whole bodies. A teaspoon on the scalp once a week: twenty applications from 100 ml. Choose 30 ml for the face, hands and hair ends, 100 ml for the body and the scalp, and do not buy more than you will finish in a few months; with this oil, a small bottle you use up beats a large one that goes old.
How to store it
Cool, dry, dark and tightly closed, preferably in the fridge, and finish an opened bottle within a few months. If the oil smells sharp, like paint or putty, instead of nutty and grassy, do not use it any more. A drop on white textile can leave a green tinge; it washes out.
What to watch out for
External use only: this is a cosmetic oil, so do not swallow it and do not use it in the kitchen. Hemp seed oil also exists as a food, next to the oils for the table; that is a different product, pressed, bottled and checked as food, and this bottle is not. Apply one drop to the inside of the wrist first and wait a day. Hemp seed is not on the European list of fourteen allergens and the label names no fragrance, but there is no analysis certificate for this batch, so we promise nothing about traces; if you react, stop. Avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with lukewarm water. Keep out of reach of children.
Frequently asked questions
Does hemp seed oil contain CBD or THC?
No. Those sit in the flower and the leaf; this oil is pressed from the seed, and the label names only Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil.
Is this the same as the hemp seed oil in the supermarket?
No. That is a food product; this bottle is a cosmetic oil for skin and hair and is not to be swallowed or cooked with.
Why is it green, and does it stain?
The green is the oil's own colour. A few drops leave no trace; a large spill on white textile can leave a green tinge that washes out.
How long does it keep?
In the fridge, closed, a few months after opening. If it smells sharp or like paint, it is past its best.
