CBD oil rose to prominence as one of the most well-known and convenient ways to consume CBD. It has a wide range of health benefits that can help improve your overall quality of life and address various health needs.
But, do all CBD oils deliver their promises?
And how can you be sure that the things you’re buying are of high quality when you’re shopping online?
Follow along as we break down the most important factors to consider when choosing CBD oil.
How to Choose CBD Oil: Mapping Out Your Priorities
Before you hand out your hard-earned money on a bottle of CBD oil, make sure that you’ve ticked off every mark on the list below:
Set Your Goals with CBD
“Why” is the first question you should ask yourself when choosing CBD oil. Namely, why do you want to use it in the first place? CBD is known for a wide range of health benefits — but which is the one you want to reap the most?
Consider the Cannabinoid Spectrum
There are three types of CBD products: full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate.
Full-spectrum CBD oil contains all cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids from hemp, including trace amounts of THC (0.3% or less). This type of CBD is believed to be the most effective due to the synergy between these compounds, which is known as the entourage effect. According to this concept, cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids work together to amplify each other’s benefits while mitigating any unwanted reactions.
Broad-spectrum CBD is much like its full-spectrum counterpart except for the lack of THC. The intoxicating cannabinoid is removed during the later stage of extraction.
Isolate is the purest form of CBD; it contains the highest amount of CBD per serving; it’s also odorless and flavorless, which is why some people prefer it over full-spectrum CBD oil. However, since there are no other phytonutrients in CBD isolate, such products don’t evoke the entourage effect and are considered less effective than the above formats.
The choice between these three types of CBD boils down to your personal preferences and whether you’re willing to sacrifice some efficacy for the sake of comfort when you take CBD.
Choose the right CBD Potency
CBD oils come in various strengths. The more potent the product, the more CBD per serving it contains. The potency of your CBD oil may not necessarily determine its effectiveness, but it does affect its cost-efficacy.
If this is your first time with CBD products, you can start with a low-strength CBD oil to test different dosages. If your CBD oil lasts you for less than 30 days, we suggest that you choose a stronger product.
CBD brands usually include the potency of their products on their labels. Some products will state the amount of CBD in milligrams, such as 250mg, while others will specify the percentage, such as 10 % CBD.
The greater the number, the longer your CBD oil will last.
How to Choose CBD Oil When Shopping Online
Hemp Source
Hemp source is paramount for the quality of your CBD oil because hemp plants are dynamic bioaccumulators. In other words, they draw up every substance from the soil they grow in. Organically grown hemp will produce clean and high-CBD flowers, which make for the best source for full-spectrum CBD oil. On the other hand, mass-produced hemp may contain dangerous contaminants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, or mold.
Always choose CBD oils that are made from locally-grown, organic hemp plants.
Extraction Method
There are several ways to extract CBD from hemp, including CO2, ethanol, dry ice, and lipid extraction. CO2 is the industry’s golden standard because it doesn’t require adding extra heat or aggressive solvents to pull CBD from the plant matter. CO2 extraction yields clean CBD extracts with consistent potency levels throughout the batches.
Third-party Lab Testing
Third-party reports are the only way to check the credibility of your vendor.
If the product comes with such lab test results, it has been evaluated and tested by an entity that is not affiliated with the manufacturer. — meaning it delivers honest and dependable assessments on the contents, quality, and safety of CBD oil.
You can find these lab reports attached to the product’s packaging or displayed on the company’s website. Alternatively, your vendor should send them to you via email on request. If a company doesn’t publish lab reports for their products, they may have something to hide — which is a red flag.
Additional Ingredients
Carrier Oils are one of the supplementary substances used by CBD companies to improve the absorption rates of CBD.
The most common carrier oil for CBD extracts is MCT oil, but you can also find CBD products suspended in olive oil, hemp seed oil, grape seed oil, or avocado oil.
Some companies also include additional ingredients in their formulas to give their products’ effect profile a particular direction. For example, CBD oils for evening use come infused with melatonin, lavender, or a tranquilizing blend of terpenes, while CBD products for daytime use may contain ingredients like limonene, guarana, or caffeine.
Tips for Choosing the Right CBD Oil
Order from Reputable Brands
Companies with a long record of satisfied customers and a good reputation among CBD users are more likely to deliver top-quality CBD products than brands with no online presence whatsoever. While such products are usually more expensive than cheap CBD oils, they are sourced with better materials and tested in laboratories for purity — not to mention that reputable brands offer different ways to save money on their products, including gift cards, coupon codes, and reward programs.
Read User Reviews
When it comes to finding the best CBD oil for you, user reviews are also helpful. You can figure out what kind of effect it bought them based on their previous experiences.
Customer evaluations can also indicate the actual product taste, how much the goods will cost to ship, how long it will take to arrive, and how long the company has been in business.
Ask for Certificates of Analysis
This should be a no-brainer, but once again, make sure that your CBD oil has a relevant certificate of analysis (COA). The lab report should include the product’s CBD content, the entire phytochemical profile, and results for contaminants. Only purchase from companies that can provide relevant and up-to-date COAs for their CBD oils.
Final Thoughts
Finding the best CBD oil requires some experimentation, and before you find the best one for your needs, you’ll most likely go through a few different brands. When shopping for CBD oil online, make sure to tick off every quality criterion that we’ve mentioned throughout this guide — including the hemp source, extraction method, cannabinoid spectrum, and third-party testing.
Here at Royal CBD, we make our CBD oils from organic hemp that is grown here in California by our fellow farmers. Our plants are gently extracted using supercritical CO2 to ensure the highest purity and consistent potency of our full-spectrum extracts. All of Royal CBD’s products are tested in an ISO-certified laboratory for quality and safety to ensure the highest transparency standards in this unregulated industry.
Once you know your goals with CBD and learn your body’s reaction to cannabinoids and terpenes, you’ll be able to better gauge the type of CBD oil that offers the best value for your needs.
What’s your experience with searching for CBD oils? Did you find your go-to product with the first purchase, or did it take longer than expected? Share your stories in the comments.
