CBD Oil Buying Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know

Over the past few years, CBD oil has quickly become one of the most popular and effective health supplements found on the planet. Have you started hearing some rumblings about this new health craze sweeping the nation and started to feel as if you might need to get a taste for yourself? Well, it is always a good idea to get at least a little background information on something this cutting edge before you start to buy it. Do you know what to look for when buying CBD oil? Here is a collection of 10 tips that will help you with your search in this new industry.

Top 10 Things You Should Know When Buying CBD Oil

1. Does CBD oil work?

Anyone who has tried CBD oil will quickly tell you the answer to this question: YES! Research studies on CBD have confirmed it to be quite beneficial for the body. Some of the potential benefits cannabidiol provides may include:

• Reducing inflammation
• Reducing sensations of pain
• Helping establish internal homeostasis by re-balancing hormones
• Alleviating stomach unease and nausea
• Inducing physical and mental relaxation

At first glance, it can seem unlikely that just one innocent substance may help with a variety of profound health benefits. But go ahead, try CBD for yourself, and come to your own conclusions!

2. How does CBD oil interact with the body?

Our bodies produce endogenous compounds known as endocannabinoids. These chemicals are highly significant because they are the primary directors of an important biological regulatory body known as the endocannabinoid system (which is often referred to as the ECS). 

Endocannabinoids tell the ECS what to do by interacting with cannabinoid receptors found throughout the body. The endocannabinoid system itself is responsible for modulating the secretion of hormones that control a vast amount of biological processes involved with reproductive function, mood control, stress response, appetite regulation, memory, and sleep.

Cannabinoids such as CBD go to work within the body in a similar fashion to endocannabinoids. So, if the body is not producing enough of certain types of endocannabinoids by itself, regularly using CBD supplements can help alleviate this problem and rebalance the body back to a comfortable, properly functioning homeostatic state.

3. How is CBD extracted?

CBD is extracted through three primary processes. They are:

• Solvent Extraction

This type of extraction is probably the most commonly used one within the industry. This process uses a solvent chemical to effectively pull out the CBD and other desired compounds from the initial hemp plant material. The most common solvents are butane, ethanol, or low-grade alcohol. 

The solvent extraction technique is actually quite simple; the chosen solvent is poured onto the hemp matter and the solution is allowed to sit until the desired cannabinoids and terpenes are leeched from the plant. Once this time has passed, the hemp material is filtered out and the liquid solution is heated in order to evaporate the solvent off. What is left is high-quality, terpene-rich cannabidiol oil.

• CO2 Extraction

During this process, the initial hemp material is cooled down and exposed to pressurized carbon dioxide to produce CBD oil. CO2 extractions are becoming increasingly popular due to the safety of the overall method and the purity of the resulting concentrate. Believe it or not, some CO2 oil extracts can be more than 99% CBD! However, these types of cannabidiol oils require expensive and cumbersome machinery to produce, so only the most serious of cannabidiol supplement manufacturers utilize this process.

• Olive Oil Extraction

This technique is often used by people who want to make their own CBD oil at home. It involves an initial decarboxylation step that is conducted by heating up ground-up hemp material to 248 degrees Fahrenheit. Once this step is done, the plant matter is then mixed into olive oil and then reheated again to about 212 degrees. Afterward, the hemp matter is strained from the solution and you are left with a CBD-rich oil!

4. Does CBD oil have THC in it?

THC (which is often called by its proper scientific name tetrahydrocannabinol) is the key cannabinoid found in marijuana plants that is responsible for causing infamous psychoactive, euphoric “high”. But since CBD oil doesn’t cause you to get high, it must not have THC in it at all right? Well, that is not exactly true; there is actually some tetrahydrocannabinol found in most CBD oils. ReThink’s CBD is THC Free.

5. How much THC is in CBD oil?

To be honest, there isn’t very much at all. All hemp-based CBD oil products that are federally legal in all 50 US states are required to have a THC concentration of 0.03 percent or less. So, while there is a small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol found in almost all legal cannabidiol products, it is extremely unlikely to get you high. If you see a product that has a higher THC percentage than 0.03, you should probably avoid it. They are illegal for you to use except in states where you are covered by either a medical or recreational marijuana program! ReThink CBD products are Full-Spectrum with ZERO THC.

6. Can CBD oil make you fail a drug test?

CBD, by itself, is rarely tested for in drug tests conducted for occupational and legal reasons; it is known as a compound that doesn’t cause a psychoactive effect. This is why cannabidiol isn’t classified as a drug even though it is found in abundance in cannabis plants. However, as most of us know, its cousin THC doesn’t get quite the same treatment.

Since so many CBD supplements have trace amounts of THC found in them, it is possible to fail a drug test if a person uses cannabidiol products very regularly since the THC levels within someone’s system could incidentally build up to testable levels with chronic use. However, cases of failing drugs tests when only using CBD oil are very rare. But it should be noted that it is a thing to keep an eye out for with heavy use.

7. What is full spectrum CBD oil?

Full spectrum refers to CBD products that contain other cannabinoids and terpenes on top of cannabidiol. These type of oils are often thought to be the most therapeutic due to the fact that different cannabinoids work in a synergistic fashion and provide an enhanced effect when used in conjunction with each other. CBD concentrates that are pure CBD don’t fall in the “full-spectrum” category. 

8. Is CBD oil and hemp sees oil the same thing?

While both of these oils are made from the hemp plant, they are actually not the same! CBD oil is a cannabidiol-rich extract that is extracted from hemp leaves, flowers, and stalks. It is used to interact with the endocannabinoid system to improve overall health. In comparison, hemp seed oil is a cooking oil that is pressed from hemp seed. While hemp seed oil provides a variety of health benefits as well, it does not affect the endocannabinoid system.

9. Is CBD safe for pets to take?

CBD is actually quite safe to give to your pets. If you ask around, it won’t be hard to find friends and acquaintances who already use cannabidiol supplements for their cats and dogs. Just make sure you don’t give them too much! Our pets are far more sensitive to cannabinoids than we are and can get either too anxious, relaxed, or have bowel movement issues if they take too much. Luckily, we offer our own line of pet-specific CBD products at CBD ReThink to help you avoid any of these unwanted side effects!

10. How can I ensure that my CBD oil is high-quality?

Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t yet set quality standards for CBD oil, it can be confusing to know how to verify that you are using a safe, high-quality product. 

Just make sure you never buy CBD supplements that are not tested by an accredited third-party testing facility! They will have reports that verify if a certain product is free of pesticides, bacteria, fungus, heavy metals, foreign particulate, and any leftover solvents.

Now that you know what to look for in CBD oil, perhaps you are feeling ready to buy some for you and your loved ones. If that is the case, you won’t find a better place to find your cannabidiol goodies than CBD ReThink! CBD ReThink manufactures and supplies some of the best hemp-extracted cannabidiol merchandise found in the world. We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently produce the best oils and extracts in the CBD industry while also selling them at an extremely reasonable price! Make your first order on our website today!