So far this year there hasn’t been a week that I haven’t received an email about a cannabis-infused beauty launch. Soaps, cleansers, do-everything oils, muscle relievers, shampoos and now a new wave of CBD facials, this herb is having its heyday.

In case you’ve missed the memo, it’s the non-trippy cannabinoids that beauty is going bonkers about. That’s the CBD and hemp (not the same thing as they’re from different parts of the plant). They’re also very different to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the compound that creates cannabis’ infamous hallucinogenic effects and something you’ll never find in a pot of face cream (hopefully).

However the studies showing how invaluable both CBD and hemp are to our skin, especially when it comes to inflammation and irritation, are stacking up. That’s not only because these cannabinoids are antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, but also because our bodies produce similar cannabinoids and so respond to the plant-based versions especially well. Plus they’re completely non-comedogenic, so as well as being suitable for sensitive skin, they work for oily complexions too.

With so much chat around one ingredient, I decided the only way to make a call was to test it to the limits, so when Ho Karan’s Natural Power Deodorant was sent my way, it was destined to come home with me. If this wonder ingredient could clear up my underarm itch, I was in.

I’ve suffered from eczema on and off since school – in between my elbow creases and once I had a weird patch on my shin (random) but towards the end of last year, my armpits had become victim to the skin condition. I’m not sure what the trigger was, I wasn’t exercising more, it was less if anything as I’d broken my ankle. 

But something had to give, I’d stopped wearing sleeveless tops to yoga and the gym when I did go and I was super conscious that scratching my armpits made me look like an irritable monkey. Not cool. Not sexy. And definitely not on brand for a beauty journalist. I reverted to the steroid balm that I’d kept hold of since I’d been to the GP a few years before and while it worked, applying deodorant on top seemed to exacerbate the issue. Next, I tried Dioderm 0.1% hydrocortisone and again, for a couple of days the symptoms improved but as soon as I gave it up, the rash returned.

It’s then that I went back to my beauty kit and started slathering Embryolisse on my pits before bed. If the make-up artists and models swear by it, surely it would soothe my sore skin? Not a jot. I tried Bjork & Berries Rescue Cream which the Swedes rave about and let’s face it, their skin seems pretty perfect and when that didn’t work I reached for the Eucerin Aquaphor which I’d used to stave off patches of irritation in the past. You can’t beat a girl for trying but this eczema was beating me.

That’s when I decided to give the hemp-infused deodorant a whirl. It was rollerball and I was worried it might be too wet and sticky (which is one of the reasons I hadn’t switched things up in the underarm department for around 20 years!) but it wasn’t. The alum stone kicks any of that to the kerb. Then there’s the organic cannabis sativia seed oil and aloe vera extract – a soothing, cooling power couple of natural ingredients, it left my skin hydrated and I never found myself thinking twice about sweat.

Get this – within three days the redness was reduced and within 10 I’d say my eczema had pretty much disappeared. I haven’t used anything else since, the sleeveless tops are back and I’m literally aghast at how well it’s done its job. 

I’ve now rifled through my product backload and hunted out the eye cream in the hope it will be ‘the one’ to smooth out my fine lines and I’ve forced the face cream on my sister pleading with her to try it to sort out her hormonal spots. In conclusion, my sore, eczema-prone pits are now back to normal but I’m now a CBD dealer. Just don’t tell my parents.