A CBD pedicure is an ordinary pedicure with cannabinoid products swapped in at two steps: the foot soak and the massage. Everything else, the trimming, shaping, cuticle work and polish, is the same as any other pedicure. There is no cannabis in the polish, nothing gets absorbed into your bloodstream in a way that affects your head, and you will not leave intoxicated. What you get is a longer, more deliberate massage with a product that smells good and leaves your skin conditioned. That is the honest description, and it is also why it is easy to do at home.
What actually happens in one
A standard pedicure runs through roughly the same sequence everywhere: soak, exfoliate, nail and cuticle work, massage, polish. A CBD pedicure changes two of those five.
- The soak. Instead of plain water and salts, the basin gets a cannabinoid product dissolved into it. This is mostly about scent and the quality of the water rather than anything dramatic.
- The massage. This is the part people actually notice. A cannabinoid lotion or balm replaces the standard massage cream, usually one with menthol or similar in it, and the technician tends to spend longer on it because that is the selling point of the service.
That is genuinely it. Anyone describing a CBD pedicure as a fundamentally different treatment is overselling. It is a good pedicure with better products at two points in the process, and the extra attention on the massage is doing more of the work than the cannabinoid is.
So what was a Cannicure?
Our word, and worth explaining since people still search for it.
Cannicure was the name we gave a cannabinoid manicure and pedicure service we ran as a collaboration with the Bellacures salon group. The technicians used our sugar scrub and our Melt lotion through the treatment, and it covered hands as well as feet.
That collaboration has since ended, so there is no Cannicure to book. The method is easy to recreate at home, which is most of what follows.
One person's first time
When we ran the collaboration, writer JS Brunson tried it and wrote it up for us. She was not an easy sell. In her words she was a feet loathing novice, the sort of person who waited until her toes got bad enough that her boyfriend begged her to book something, and she was ticklish enough to have developed a genuine fear of kicking a technician in the face.
What won her over was not the cannabinoids specifically. It was the calf massage, and the fact that for forty minutes nothing was required of her. She described taking a deep breath and thanking the universe for the moment, then leaving feeling restored enough to put it into her monthly routine.
Which is a useful thing to notice. The sensory experience and the permission to stop are most of why any spa treatment works. Good products make it better rather than making it happen.
How to do a CBD pedicure at home
Set aside an hour and do not rush the massage, which is the part that matters.
- Soak, ten to fifteen minutes. Fill a basin with comfortably warm water and drop in a CBD bath bomb. A full size one is more than a basin needs, so break it in half and keep the rest for next time. The Relieve formula with rosemary is the obvious pick for feet that have been standing all week.
- Exfoliate. Use whatever foot scrub you already own. We are not currently making one, and we are not going to invent a reason for you to wait. Work over the heels and the balls of the feet, then rinse.
- Nails. Trim straight across rather than curved, which helps avoid ingrown nails. Push cuticles back gently with a wooden stick rather than cutting them. File in one direction.
- Massage, and take your time. This is the step worth buying a good product for, because it is the only one where anything stays on your skin. Melt CBD Lotion is the one used in the original Cannicure, with menthol for a cooling finish and capsicum and camphor for warmth underneath. Work up from the toes through the arches and into the calves, and give it a solid five minutes rather than thirty seconds. If you want the higher intensity version, Melt 1:1 THC and CBD Lotion combines both cannabinoids.
- Polish, if you want it. Wipe the lotion off the nail plate with a little remover first or the polish will not adhere. This is the one step where the lotion works against you.
What the cannabinoids are and are not doing
Worth being straight about, since the category rarely is.
A topical cannabinoid product sits on your skin. It is not going to intoxicate you, and a CBD pedicure will not show up on a drug test in any normal circumstance. Skin does have its own endocannabinoid system, which is a genuinely interesting area of research, but clinical evidence for topical CBD in humans is still limited and we are not going to claim more than that.
What we will stand behind is the formulation and the fact that it is tested. Every batch is checked by an independent lab and the results are published before you buy, at kushqueen.shop/pages/lab-tests. If your feet hurt in a way that is not just tiredness, see a podiatrist rather than a lotion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CBD pedicure?
An ordinary pedicure with cannabinoid products used at two steps, the foot soak and the massage. The trimming, shaping, cuticle work and polish are all the same as any other pedicure. There is no CBD in the polish.
What does CBD do in a pedicure?
It is in the soak and the massage lotion. Practically, it means a product that smells good and conditions the skin, applied during a longer massage than you would usually get. The extra time on the massage is doing a fair amount of the work.
Will a CBD pedicure get me high?
No. Topical cannabinoid products are not intoxicating, and a pedicure would not change that even if they were.
Can I do a CBD pedicure at home?
Easily. Soak with a bath bomb, exfoliate with any foot scrub, do your nails, then spend a proper five minutes massaging in a cannabinoid lotion. The full method is above.
What is a Cannicure?
It was our name for a cannabinoid manicure and pedicure service, run as a collaboration with the Bellacures salon group. That collaboration has ended, so it is not currently bookable, but the at home version above uses the same products and method.
What products do I need for a CBD pedicure?
A cannabinoid product for the soak, a foot scrub, and a cannabinoid lotion for the massage. We make the first and the last. Use whatever scrub you already have for the middle.
Worth an hour
The best argument for a pedicure, cannabinoid or otherwise, is the one Brunson landed on. It is an hour where nothing is being asked of you, and most of us do not schedule enough of those.