Beginners Guide to Buying CBD Oil Products
CBD capsules, hemp drops, full spectrum-hemp oil, and CBD oil. Where to begin when buying CBD oil can be confusing at first due to all the various terms, product types, and serving sizes. Determining which CBD product is actually quality vs a marketing gimmick can be difficult as well. We created our Beginners Guide to help you become more informed so you can be confident when buying CBD oil.
What is CBD?
To understand how to buy CBD oil, we will first need to understand what it is. CBD is short for cannabidiol, a natural constituent of the cannabis plant. CBD is known as what is called a cannabinoid. Another well-known cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the famous compound that induces a “high” or “stoned” feeling. CBD, on the other hand, does not produce an intoxicating effect. It is known to have more of a calming effect and therefore helps soothe both the body and the mind.
Cannabidiol is being studied for a number of benefits today including anxiety, depression, pain relief, inflammation, and more. While we at Third Coast believe in CBD and its benefits, you will never hear us say CBD is a “cure-all.”
One could not live an unhealthy lifestyle and simply take CBD oil and then magically be healthy again. There are many facets that go into healthy lifestyles from eating healthy (at least most of the time), drinking enough water, proper sleep, working out, and more.
We understand everyone wants to live a healthier lifestyle, and that some of us need a little help getting there. This is where we believe CBD oil [along with many other things] can help create a healthier lifestyle. This brings us to our next point. Now that we know what CBD is and can potentially help with, it’s time to start thinking about what brought us to look for CBD oil in the first place…
Why are You Interested in Buying CBD Oil?
The first thing to think about before buying CBD oil products is the reason you are interested in the first place. This is going to be the best place to start as the type of health issue you have and the type of relief you are looking for can help guide you in finding the perfect product.
Depending on if you are looking for more targeted relief or whole-body relief is a good place to begin. For example, you may have a specific joint like an elbow or a knee that is sore, this means you would be looking for “targeted relief” as you are wanting to soothe a specific area. You could also have it where all of your joints are sore. If that is the case, whole-body relief is more likely what you are looking for.
There are plenty of instances where a person may want both targeted relief as well as whole-body relief. Our goal with this post is to help you understand CBD product types and which are best for targeted relief compared to the whole body so you can make the best choice for you.
How Fast Do you Want CBD to Work?
Now we know the type of relief we want, the next thing is how quickly we want the effect. Meaning, if we are someone looking to take CBD due to being anxious. We know this anxiousness can come on quickly. So we will want a product to have an immediate effect.
A person looking for an immediate effect would not want to purchase an edible CBD product because CBD infused edibles take time to travel through our digestive system and therefore can take up to an hour before noticing a difference.
On the other hand, a CBD edible can be more helpful for a person looking to experience a “whole body” effect as it will be digested and interact with the Endocannabinoid System throughout the entire body.
Now that we’ve got you thinking about the issue you are wanting to resolve, as well as when you want the relief to kick in, it’s time to start talking product type.
Buying CBD Oil by Product Type
Buying CBD oil products can appear daunting at first, so we want to help you truly understand how each product type works. That way, you can make an informed decision on which will work best for you. The important thing to understand when first buying CBD oil is that there will be an experimentation phase. What works for one person, may not work for another. Each person’s body is different and therefore will respond differently depending on the product type.
Let’s start with the purest hemp-derived CBD product.
CBD Concentrates
CBD hemp oil concentrates are the purest form of CBD. They only have one ingredient, hemp oil. Since they only have one ingredient, they are true to their name of being “concentrated” and thus containing more CBD per serving size compared to other products.
Taste: Forewarning, these don’t taste very good. Concentrates have a very “earthy” taste similar to eating dirt and grass. Though these do not taste very good… they flat out work. The gold oil concentrate is our team’s favorite product. (The gold actually tastes the best out of the three concentrates we offer)
CBD concentrates are taken sublingually. Meaning you put the oil under your tongue. The serving size is about the size of a grain of rice. We will talk more about serving sizes later on in another section.
CBD Tinctures
Tinctures are similar to concentrates because they are also taken sublingually. Tinctures start out as concentrates, then carrier oils are added to dilute the concentrate as well as add flavor to mask the “hempy” taste.
CBD oil products can take many various forms, but the vast majority of the time a person is referring to “CBD oil” they are talking about a tincture. Tinctures are a common way people are introduced to cannabidiol.
CBD Edibles
Edibles are a simple and easy way to get a daily serving of CBD. They can come in the form of gummies, chocolates, candies, and more. It’s getting quite interesting to see the number of edible products coming out containing CBD these days.
It is possible to cook with CBD, but the proper products would need to be chosen if you wanted to make your own CBD edibles. CBD and other cannabinoids can burn easily and therefore should not be heated over a hot stove or in a microwave. It is also best to cook with raw CBD hemp oil. This way the CBDa (the precursor to CBD) can convert to CBD during the cooking process.
Capsules are also available in the CBD edible category. Capsules are not as enjoyable as a gummy or chocolate but work nonetheless.
When taking edibles, remember they need to process through the digestive system, and thus will take some time before the effect is noticed. Edibles can take up to an hour or longer for the effects to be felt.
After you have tried a few edible products, you’ll start to get a gauge of how long it takes to work for you. Once you know that you can perfectly time it!
CBD Vape Oil
CBD vapes are an excellent choice for taking CBD as well. They are simple, easy to use, and are fast-acting. When vaping CBD, inhaling the CBD allows for it to go directly into the bloodstream and begin working its magic. So vapes are fast-acting, plus they travel well which makes them the ideal item to carry in a pocket or purse in case an anxious situation pops up.
CBD Cream and CBD Salve
CBD creams and salves are some of our Third Coast team’s favorite products. Our team is full of people who love playing sports, working out, and being active. Naturally, anyone living that lifestyle is going to have bumps and bruises and therefore regularly buying CBD oil balms.
CBD salves are perfect for these situations as they are able to target the sore spot directly. Simply massage it into the sore spot and give it a few minutes to work! We enjoy using CBD topical products before and after workouts.
For a fun test, do a really hard workout, one you know you’ll be sore after. When you feel that soreness the next day, rub some CBD salve into it and tell us how you feel.
CBD Patch Products
CBD patches are best known for their long-lasting benefits as they can last even up to 96 hours! Patches are able to be a bit more targeted similar to topical products as you can place them near the sore area.
Patches are ideal for people dealing with health issues which are noticed all the time, as they are able to get a steady serving size throughout the time they are wearing it, even when sleeping! If you are someone who doesn’t remember to take supplements or would like extended relief from symptoms, a CBD patch would be a perfect place to begin.
CBD Dosage and Serving Size
Figuring out your CBD serving size is important, as it will help you determine the type of effect you would like when taking it. When starting out, stick with the serving size suggested on the product you choose. For the first 2 weeks, take the recommended serving size, then evaluate. If it worked for you, great, if not, double the serving size for the next 2 weeks and evaluate again.
Repeat this process until you find your perfect serving.
Buying CBD Marketing Gimmicks and Bad Products
Some companies will make all of the claims about CBD saying it can “cure anything.” At Third Coast, we believe discipline and consistency are the keys to living a healthy lifestyle. CBD can be a part of this healthy lifestyle, but not the entire cause of it. Look out for suspicious CBD companies telling you CBD will “fix everything.”
Another factor to be aware of is companies marketing hemp seed oil as CBD hemp oil. When buying CBD oil, consumers are shocked to find out the product they thought they were buying on prime big online stores… contains zero CBD!
When buying CBD online, finding CBD hemp oil vs hemp seed oil can be tricky as hemp seed oil does not contain any CBD. Hemp seed oil is very beneficial as it contains amino acids and other healthy properties but won’t offer the same effects as CBD.
Overly Cheap CBD Products
Be skeptical of overly cheap CBD products. Products containing 1000mg of CBD or more will typically not cost less than $100 (depending on product type, CBD form, and other ingredients). Although CBD oil is not new, there is a growing demand for it and the supply is still needing to catch up to the demand. Therefore, there is only so much CBD oil to go around thus keeping the cost where it is now.
We suspect this cost will come down in the coming years, especially with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. If you see a CBD product that looks abnormally inexpensive, it probably is for a reason. Abnormally cheap hemp products are typically sourced from China. We aren’t against buying things from China as we do it all the time, but hemp is not one of them.
In a nutshell, when buying CBD products, you get what you pay for.
If you are unsure, ask the company to provide a Certificate of Analysis or COA. If they don’t have one… RUN!
Full Spectrum CBD vs CBD Isolate
Understanding how to buy CBD also means understanding the form of CBD you are getting in the product. Some CBD products are known as “full-spectrum” and others are known as “isolate.”
Full Spectrum CBD
Calling a product “full-spectrum” means it is coming from the “whole plant,” therefore it not only contains CBD but also all other cannabinoids which are naturally occurring in the plant. The full spectrum also contains beneficial plant phytonutrients and compounds. The term full spectrum is known as the “Entourage Effect.”
The Entourage Effect means it is more effective to take CBD along with all other cannabinoids and plant parts instead of individually. This is similar to wanting to get vitamin C and instead of taking a vitamin C only tablet, eating an orange which contains vitamin C, along with many other natural compounds that help make the vitamin C work more efficiently.
CBD Isolate
CBD isolate is the opposite of full-spectrum, and it is solely cannabidiol. After the CBD is extracted from the hemp plant, it is refined all the way down to its purest form. CBD isolate looks like a white powdery substance and is roughly 96-99% pure CBD. CBD isolate can be beneficial, especially for those looking for THC free CBD products. It still offers the same effects as full-spectrum CBD products, only without the extra plant parts. Therefore, CBD isolate may require a higher serving size to notice effects.
Other Ingredients
A final factor in beginning to buy CBD is the ingredient deck. Consumers wanting the healthiest supplements need to be aware of artificial ingredients and sweeteners. The best CBD products are flavored with organic and natural flavors, stevia (or monk fruit), and terpenes.
Higher quality products may also incorporate additional relieving herbs, oils, and other popular supplement ingredients. Google anything you are unsure of.
Conclusion
At Third Coast, we believe an educated consumer is an empowered consumer. An educated consumer saves more money over time and experiences all the outstanding benefits their chosen product has to offer.
We are confident this guide will give you the necessary information to buy CBD. We want you to feel confident in your decision. That said, taking CBD and finding which product is best for you is still an experimental process. If you do still have questions you can contact us anytime and one of our helpful team members will follow up.
Now you’ve learned all about buying CBD oil, its time to shop!