Three teenage girls have launched a health and beauty brand based on cannabis oil, aiming to raise awareness among their peers. The startup, Hoop Beauty, was founded by 16-year-old Kristin Price, her 17-year-old sister Kasey, and their best friend Sarah Baker.
Kristin, who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EHS), a rare autoimmune disease, says she tried numerous treatments including chemotherapy and anti-malarial drugs without success. After her mother, who works for a PR firm representing marijuana industry clients, gave her a non-psychoactive form of cannabidiol (CBD), Kristin claims her pain was relieved and her hair began to grow back.
Kristin stopped all other medications in December and now only takes CBD gel capsules, which are legal in all US states as they are derived from hemp. She says her hair, which had fallen out due to alopecia areata, started regrowing after two months of using CBD.
The teenagers are adamant they have never used illegal marijuana, which is prohibited for both medical and recreational use in North Carolina. Instead, they promote hemp-derived CBD oil, which they say has helped Kristin manage her symptoms without the side effects of prescription drugs.
Kristin faced scepticism from a teacher who told her class that CBD's effects were merely a placebo. However, she remains determined to educate others about the potential benefits of the oil, which she believes has transformed her health.
