ThisNext Blog

Time for all of us to get over the notion that hemp belongs only in the necklaces of hacky-sack-playing, university-quad-dwelling, patchouli-smelling pseudo-hippies. Very much unlike the stuff of pot brownies, hemp can deliver lots of heart-healthy essential fatty acids when consumed in oil and seed form. And when used in paper or as a fabric, hemp makes for a renewable, fast-growing alternative to less sustainable materials. Which must be why Dianne Lawrence asks, “Why aren’t hemp products everywhere?” in her shopcast for The Great Book of Hemp, Rowan Robinson’s guide to environmental, commercial, and medicinal uses for the “world’s most extraordinary plant.” And while it’s true that hemp products are not quite everywhere yet, they’ve been slowly but surely popping up with items like the Body Shop’s Hemp Chanvre Foot Protector Cream, a favorite skin care solution for Sally King: “When the mercury hits -20, this cream is the best petroleum-free foot balm I’ve tried. (And I’ve tried them ALL.),” says Sally. Hemp’s skin-smoothing powers can also be attainted through The Body Shop’s Hemp Lip Care Stick, a new feature on Chaptastic. With a “smooth, non-oily, comfortable” glide, the “mostly all natural” balm has “a coconut/olive oil + beeswax base and natural flavors and fragrances,” according to Chaptastic blogger Javajive.

That balm bears the same earthy, nutty flavor found in hemp food products such as Living Harvest Organic Hemp Oil. Recently spotlighted by Green Fertility, the antioxidant-rich oil “contains the highest amount of essential fatty acids of any vegetable oil,” according to blogger Marie Myung-Ok Lee (who suggests that you “drizzle it on veggies, rice, use as a dipping oil if you’re still eating bread”). To get your hemp in shake form, green LA girl recommends Nutiva’s Chocolate HempShake (“The chocolate therein is fair trade,” notes blogger Siel). And if you really want to indulge your chocoholic side, pick up a Vosges Haut-Chocolat Woolloomooloo Exotic Candy Bar - it’s got lots of hemp seeds, along with roasted & salted macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut, and dark chocolate, and I’m pretty sure it probably tastes like heaven.

Not just for being eaten up or spread on the skin, the very versatile hemp can also make for a durable-yet-comfy natural fiber. Alison Gannett, for instance, has a pair of Patagonia’s Women’s High Wire Hemp Jean in every color and loves their “great fit on athletic bodies, comfort and fashion.” Alison’s shopcast also gives us a little lesson on eco-conscious consuming: “Cotton is one of the highest users of pesticides around the world,” she says, “so Patagonia only uses organic cotton and hemp, and its goal is to have all products enviro friendly by 2010.” Romi Lassally, meanwhile, loves her Organic European Hemp Backpack from Rawganique (“Made from certified organic hemp that is processed without chemicals or pesticides of any kind (in Romania) — and great looking, too!” she shopcasts). And as for David Lurey, sweet dreams come much easier with Rawganique’s hemp sheets: “Makes my bed like it’s own Casbah tent with these natural sheets in natural color…super cozy for sleeping in,” he swoons.