CBD is like the new cool kid on the block, and everyone wants to be associated with it. From celebrities to companies and even regular people, everyone wants to get on the CBD train. If you don’t use CBD, the odds are that you know someone who uses CBD.
You might even be thinking about trying out some CBD products but have no idea where to start. If you are like most people, the odds are that your first CBD product will be CBD oil. First impressions are everything. In this case, we want to give you the best introduction possible into the world of CBD.
We have compiled a list of things we wish people had told us about CBD oil when we were starting on this journey. This guide should help you when you are shopping for your first CBD oil. If you are a regular CBD oil user stick around, you might learn something new about shopping for CBD oil.
1. Has the CBD Oil Undergone Third-Party Testing
If you are a regular CBD oil user, you might have seen that a lot of the products in the market claim to have been tested by a third party. You might be wondering why this is important. Before we explain why third-party testing is important, let’s begin by looking at what it is.
What is third party testing?
In most industries, when a company produces a new product, they give it to a person or group of people who have no ties to the company to review it. This “third party” is supposed to be free from bias and deliver their honest opinion of the product. If they have any conflict of interest, then their review of the product will be tainted with doubt.
In the world of CBD and other products that have a direct impact on a person’s health. Third-party testing takes on a whole new dimension. The third-party testing has to be carried out by a group of professionals most often working in a lab. These labs test the product and then provide a report on its effectiveness.
However, not all labs adhere to the same standards. This might muddy the waters when it comes to third-party testing. If you want to know that a lab is genuine, it has to be accredited by the ISO, International Organization for Standardization.
If a lab is accredited by this organization, you can trust the results of its third-party testing.
How to get the lab report
Once you’ve ascertained that the lab is properly accredited, the next thing you need to do is read the lab report. In some cases, the lab report may be readily available online, and this is a good sign. It shows that the company has nothing to hide and you can be sure that their CBD oil is good.
In other cases, it might be challenging to access the lab report. However, this doesn’t have to be a red flag. Some CBD companies will willingly hand out the lab report once you submit a formal request. Other companies will only give you their reports once you buy a product.
The companies that you should stay away from are the ones that do not mention third party testing at all. Also, avoid those that refuse to respond to inquiries about whether their products are tested.
2. Where was the Hemp Grown?
One of the most important things you’ll have to consider when buying CBD oil is where the hemp used to make the oil came from. Hemp is the key source from which CBD is extracted, and the quality of the hemp greatly affects the quality of the CBD oil.
Most CBD oil companies have their hemp farms, and in these cases, it’s pretty easy to trace where the hemp was grown. Others do not have their farms, and in these cases, we have to rely on a checklist. This checklist helps us ensure that the hemp has been obtained from safe sources. The list includes:
- The geographic location of the farm
- The farming practices used
- The sustainability of the farms
The geographic location
Companies can get their hemp from several different places, such as the US, China, and Europe. What determines the difference in the quality of hemp grown in these regions is the nutrient content of the soil.
The US has some of the most nutrient-rich soils in the world, which means that US hemp is of a higher standard than hemp from other countries.
The farming practices used
Despite the relative youth of the CBD oil industry, some farming techniques have already been identified as the gold standard of hemp cultivation.
Some of these growing techniques include:
- Avoiding the use of chemical pesticides
- Using hemp seeds obtained from approved sources
- Maintaining the proper pH balance of the soil
Ensuring that farmers use these techniques is vital because hemp is a bio-accumulator. This means that hemp indiscriminately absorbs substances in the area where it is growing. If the plant is exposed to dangerous chemicals, it will absorb them, and these might make their way to your CBD oil.
The sustainability of the farms
In 2015, Nielsen carried out a study to find out if consumers were willing to pay more for sustainably sourced goods. The study found that globally, 66% of the respondents were willing to pay more for sustainably sourced goods.
One of the most exciting findings from the study was that 73% of millennials were willing to pay more to ensure the sustainability of their products. These findings are essential for the CBD industry as millennials make up a large portion of their market.
CBD oil companies should make sure that their hemp is sustainably sourced, to not only appeal to a broader market but also to ensure the protection of the environment.
3. What is the Concentration of THC in CBD Oil?
One of the most important things you need to know before buying any CBD oil is the concentration of THC in the oil. It is important to understand the amount of THC in CBD oil because it has a significant impact on the legality and the effects of CBD oil.
Legality
For any CBD product to be legal under US federal law, the THC concentration must be lower than 0.3%. This means that if the concentration is higher than the recommended guideline, you might get arrested for using an illegal product.
The effects
Having a high concentration of THC in CBD oil can significantly alter the effects of the oil. While regular CBD oil won’t get you high, CBD with high concentrations of THC might. The potential side effects of an unwanted high include impaired cognitive functioning and motor skills.
4. What Ingredients Were Used to Make CBD Oil?
The ingredient list of any product is an important source of information, but how many people read it? According to research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, roughly 51.6% of people read the instructions. This means that nearly half of the people in the world do not pay attention to the ingredients used to make the products they consume.
When shopping for CBD oil, it is important to read the ingredient list so that you know what you are putting into your body. Reading the ingredient list also lets you know if there are any red flags.
One of the things you should check is whether all the ingredients of the CBD oil are listed. If you notice that there are ingredients that have not been listed, then you should avoid that CBD oil.
You should also check whether the CBD oil contains organic and all-natural ingredients. Some companies also add premium ingredients to their CBD oil to make some of the effects stronger. Some of the premium ingredients include Melatonin to help people sleep better and Vitamin B12 to help people manage pain.
Be sure to also check out “Main Differences Between CBD Oil & Hemp Oil You Should Know” to see differences between these two oils.
5. What Type of CBD is Used To Make the Oil?
When making CBD oil, CBD companies have to decide which type of CBD they are going to use. This is one of the hardest decisions that the companies have to make because each type of CBD has its benefits and side effects.
Let’s look at each type of CBD and what they bring to the table in the making of CBD oil.
CBD Isolate
This is probably the purest type of CBD available on the market. To get CBD isolate, the CBD is extracted from the plant and then purified to remove every other cannabinoid. Using CBD isolate to make CBD oil ensures that the oil you get will have a high concentration of CBD.
While such oils might be good for managing some conditions such as back pain they aren’t effective in managing conditions such as sleep apnea and nausea. This is because managing these conditions effectively requires the entourage effect. This is a phenomenon where different cannabinoids work together to bring about the desired result.
Make sure you also check out “Everything You Need To Know About CBD Distillate” to see another similar extract of CBD.
Full-spectrum CBD
Full-spectrum CBD is the complete opposite of CBD isolate. This is CBD that has been extracted from the hemp plant together with all other cannabinoids found in the plant, including THC. The concentration of the cannabinoids depends on the strain of the hemp plant used.
Making CBD oil from full-spectrum CBD has several advantages such as it fully allows your body to enjoy the entourage effect. This means that you can use this type of CBD oil to manage more conditions than CBD oil made from CBD Isolate.
The most significant disadvantage of using CBD oil made from full-spectrum CBD is that the THC might exceed the recommended amounts. Apart from the potential adverse side effects, this could also affect the legality of your CBD oil.
Broad-spectrum CBD
The simplest way to describe broad-spectrum CBD is to say that it’s full-spectrum CBD minus THC. Broad-spectrum CBD is one of the most popular types of CBD because it allows a user to experience the entourage effect without worrying about the concentration of THC. This is why broad-spectrum CBD is the most popular choice when it comes to making CBD oil.
The main disadvantage of using full-spectrum CBD to make CBD oil is that the consumer loses out on the benefits of THC. Research has shown that using CBD and THC together can help a person manage several conditions such as cramps, migraines, and spinal injuries. CBD oil made from broad-spectrum CBD might not be effective in dealing with these conditions.
6. The Cost of the CBD Oil
When shopping for any product, not just CBD oil, it is important to consider the price. Before deciding which CBD oil you’ll use, here’s what you need to keep in mind in regards to the price:
- The price of similar CBD oils
- Is the price equal to the value of the CBD oil
- Does the company offer any incentives?
The price of similar CBD products
There’s a feeling among some consumers that a higher price is synonymous with higher quality. While this might be true for some products, it’s not true for all products. When shopping for CBD oil, make sure you find the best bargain possible by comparing the prices of products that are similar to what you want to purchase. You may find CBD oils of the same quality as what you want to buy at a significantly lower price.
Does the company offer any incentive?
Several companies offer consumers incentives to make their products more attractive than their competitors’ products. Some of the incentives that companies offer include free shipping, discounts, and coupons.
When shopping for CBD oil, you might be discouraged by the price of some products. However, if you know how to make use of the incentives that companies offer, you can get great value for your money. You may find that by taking advantage of coupons, free shipping and discounts you can reduce the price of a CBD oil by almost 20%.
Is the price equal to the value?
This is probably the most important consideration someone makes when shopping for CBD oil. If a company is charging a high price for its CBD oil, how can you tell if the price is worth it? This is where everything we’ve mentioned so far comes into play. You can check if it’s been third-party tested and if the company has included any extra ingredients to improve the effectiveness of the CBD oil. If the company has gone out of its way to deliver a high-quality CBD oil, then you are sure that you’ll be getting bang for your buck.
7. The Legality of CBD in Your Area
Before you purchase any CBD product, please make sure to check what the law says about CBD in your area. In some regions, CBD is illegal, and having CBD oil could be considered a crime. If you live in such areas, please consider moving to an area where CBD is legal before you begin shopping for CBD oil.
In other areas, all types of CBD are legal, and if you live in these areas, you can comfortably shop for CBD oil without any worry. Lastly, in some areas, the law only permits the use of certain CBD oils. If you live in these areas, then you have to make sure that any CBD oil you purchase meets all the requirements set by the law.
Ignorance of the law is no defense, and you need to know what the law says before you start shopping for CBD oil.
There are so many things that you should consider when shopping for CBD oil, and our list is in no way definitive. This list is meant to give you an idea of how to properly shop for CBD oil.
Make sure to share this list with your friends so that they too can learn the secrets of shopping for CBD oil. Join the conversation on Facebook and hop on over to our Instagram or Pinterest for more from the medical cannabis world.
Check out similar content to enhance your CBD knowledge from articles like “How Long Until Your CBD Oil Goes Bad” to “CBD Beer Will Be Your New Favorite Drink“. Check them out at EveryCBDthing.
