I’ve Used CBD Cream For 10+ Years: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

I’ve used CBD cream for well over a decade now and in that time I reckon I’ve tried pretty much every major brand. From high-end, boutique stuff right down to cheap-ass slop from Walmart and Amazon.

Off the top of my head, I’ve tested out creams from the following brands:

• cbdMD
• CBDFx
• Charlotte’s Web
• Medterra
• Sunmed

They’re all decent. I use CBD cream, mostly, on my legs after a long run, after the gym, or when I’ve got one of those little aches that seems to be just part of life once you get past 40 years old.

• I rub it into sore spots
• I just it as a moisturizer
• I even use it on my hands to help with calluses from playing guitar and lifting weights

You can pay a little or a lot for CBD cream, and my advice as always is to aim for somewhere in the middle: you don’t want dirt-cheap rubbish from China but there’s also very little point paying way over the odds for it either.

You also don’t have to use cream either: there’s CBD gummies and tinctures formats to consider as well, if you don’t like to moisturize.

The CBD cream I’ve been using for the past six or seven months

I came across the CBD creams from Quiet Monk by chance. Someone on X was talking about how good they were, so I had a look and ended up trying them. That was six or seven months ago, and I’m still using them. I think they’re really good.

Quiet Monk sells different formulas and strengths; it’s not just one size (or formula) fits all. If someone says they loved the cooling effect, I want the name of the exact cream they used. Otherwise I could order something from the same brand and get a completely different experience.

Me? I like the Cooling CBD Cream; it’s 5000mg in strength and it works wonders on my legs after some of the brutal long runs I like to do a couple of times a week.

Does CBD cream actually help with recovery?

Whether my muscles recover faster because of the CBD is a harder question, but researchers, of course, have tried to answer it. As always, links and sources are at the end.

In one small trial, 28 people did a lower-body workout and were assigned CBD cream, a placebo cream or rest. The researchers looked at soreness, strength and jump performance.

They found no clear recovery benefit from the CBD cream.

A 2026 pilot study put a CBD gel and a placebo gel to the test after repeated drop jumps. It also found no convincing improvement in soreness or muscle function.

There’s a more encouraging result from a small trial in 18 people with arthritis at the base of the thumb.

Participants reported better pain and disability scores with a CBD-and-shea-butter cream than with shea butter alone.

That was one formula tested for a specific type of joint pain. My legs after a run are a different situation.

The same goes for the glow I mentioned. I can see how my skin looks after applying the cream. How much of that comes from the CBD, and how much comes from the moisturizing base, is anybody’s guess from using the finished product.

What I look for in a CBD cream

The ones I finish tend to have a few things in common.

• They rub in quickly,
• they feel good on sore spots after a run or a gym session,
• and I can get dressed afterwards without my jeans sticking to my legs.

It needs to rub in without leaving me greasy

This is the first thing I notice. After a run, I’ll usually put some on my calves. After the gym, it might be my shoulders.

Either way, I want it to spread easily and sink in while I’m getting dressed.

I like a cream that leaves my skin looking a bit fresher and gives it a slight glow. There’s a point where that turns into looking like I’ve rubbed cooking oil on my shins.

That’s usually when the jar starts gathering dust.

I want to know what’s giving it that cooling kick

Some creams feel cold almost as soon as you rub them in. If there’s menthol in the ingredients, that’s where the cooling sensation comes from. I like a bit of that after a hard run, but I’d go for something milder if I’m using it most days.

Same goes for the scent.

I’m happy with a little mint. I don’t want to smell like it an hour later.

I check the CBD strength against the size of the jar

A big number on the front is easy to get excited about.

• But 1,000 mg of CBD in a 50 g jar works out to 20 mg per gram.
• In a 100 g jar, it’s 10 mg per gram.

I check that the number refers to CBD, since some labels give you the amount of hemp extract instead. I also look for a lab report that matches the batch on the jar so I can see how much CBD was actually measured.

I don’t automatically go for the strongest one. If a cream feels good on my calves, rubs in well and leaves my skin the way I like it, a bigger number on the next jar gives me very little reason to switch.

What I’d buy if I were starting again

I’d buy a small jar of a light cream with a mild scent, a clear CBD amount and a batch report I can check.

Then I’d see how much I actually reach for it after a run or a gym session.

The last thing I want is a massive tub of something that feels great for five minutes and leaves my legs sticky for the rest of the evening.