Sandra Hinchliffe - The Cannabis Spa at Home: How to Make Marijuana-Infused Lotions, Massage Oils, Ointments, Bath Salts, Spa Nosh, and More

Copyright 2015 by Sandra Hinchliffe

Photographs copyright by Sandra Hinchliffe

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Laura Klynstra

Cover photos by Sandra Hinchliffe

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-230-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0057-4

Printed in China

For spa lovers everywhere.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to my husband, Greg, for his l33t hacking, bugfixing, proofreading, and housecleaning. Thanks to my agent, Rita Rosenkranz of Rita Rosenkranz Literary Agency, for seeing this project through, and all of the personal guidance shes given to a first-time author. Thanks to my fabulous editor and champion of this book, Nicole Frail at Skyhorse Publishing.

Personal Thanks:

My friend Rebecca at Therapy in a Bottle (therapyinabottle.org) for her kind support; my friend Janet for her feedback on many of these recipes; my friend and sometimes coauthor at Hempista.com, Alisia, for her support and feedback. And thanks to all of the fans of this book and cannabis spa for your feedback and support!

PREFACE

This book is about the cannabis plant.

This book will demonstrate how to use cannabis to make you look and feel great, drawing from new and old traditions. Its a book about healing and elegance.

Because cannabis may be illegal in your location at the time of publication, some of the techniques and recipes in this book are only recommended for those in areas where cannabis is legal for general or medicinal purposes.

Please consult your local regulations or attorney for advice before trying the recipes and techniques described herein.

Also consult your personal doctor for health information and diagnosis. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness and is not intended for pregnant or nursing mothers.

Nothing in this book is approved by the FDA or any other government agency.

This book is intended for mature readers, twenty-one years of age and older.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Since 2011, I have been writing about cannabis spa and making my own cannabis spa formulations for refreshment, relaxation, and pain management. In 2013, I self-published a book about cannabis spa based on the very popular homemade cannabis lotions and spa potions featured on my website, hempista.com. Over the past two years, Ive received a lot of great feedback and completed additional work developing wholesome new formulationsranging from simple to lush and complexfor this expanded edition of The Cannabis Spa at Home .

I am thankful for the doctors and the medical science that saved my life when I was diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases; however, as an autoimmune patient, I feel there is one gigantic aspect of my illness that medical science failed to cure or even manage in a significant waychronic pain. Furthermore, the staggering amount of pharmaceutical drug dependence in the United States tells me that medical science has also failed to adequately manage chronic pain for many others. I know I am not alone.

This is why I am passionate about the practice of spaa centuries-old health practice across many culturesas a path to sustainable relief from chronic pain. Cannabis is a nontoxic and easily cultivated herb that will add new dimensions to your spa experience, including skin healing properties, mind/body/soul refreshment, soothing analgesia, and anti-inflammatory effects.

I was first introduced to topical-use cannabis products through a legal cannabis medical collective, and Ive been a huge fan ever since. One very attractive benefit of external cannabis products is their ability to provide cannabis medication without the high that you receive from vaporizing or ingesting cannabis orally. This was a lifesaver for work and drive time when getting high is not an option and is immediately beneficial as an effective adjunct to vaped or ingested cannabis when I needed more intensive pain management.

I use topical cannabis preparations daily, so I need a fresh product that is free of preservatives and allergens. As an anaphylactic allergy patient, I must carry an epinephrine pen in case of life-threatening allergic reactions, and quite often the commercially available external cannabis products did not meet my needs.

So I began making my own lotions, balms, baths, and everything in-between. In the process, I discovered that the cannabis herb has so many useful applications for wellnessbeyond the vaporizer or the brownie! My experiments with herbal spa formulations using the cannabis plant became the recipes that I would regularly rely on, share with others, and write about.

For those who are beginners, my recipes stick mostly to basic food-grade ingredients that are easy to find and work with. And for the advanced external preparations folks who would like to try out new techniques and materials for their existing repertoire, Ive included some techniques that are totally unique to this book and never before written about.

If you suffer from allergies or sensitivities, this book is for you! All the recipes in this book are free of major allergens such as eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, sesame, shellfish, yeast, mold, wheat, corn, latex, gluten, and dairy. (Please consult your doctor for allergy diagnosis and information on any of the ingredients if you are in doubt.)

Because this is a spa book, Ive also included some of my favorite recipes for hemp smoothies and cannabis-medicated beverages called bhang. I also enjoy cannabis aromatherapy, so Ive included recipes for beautiful essence waters and cannabis aromatherapy techniques.

There are many ways to enjoy the beautiful cannabis herb, and it is my hope that you find my recipes so useful that youll incorporate them into your wellness lifestyle.

AN INTRODUCTION TO CANNABIS

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family of Cannabaceae , which includes hops and the hackberry tree. Within the cannabis genus are three primary variations, cannabis sativa , cannabis indica , and cannabis ruderalis . Cannabis is native to regions of Asia and the first use of the plant for medicinal and general purposes is recorded there.