On the one hand, finding the perfect CBD product for you is as subjective as setting up a diet plan that meets all your individual needs and preferences, but on the other hand, there are certain universal standards of quality and safety that you just don’t mess with.
Here we will aim for a nice blend of both: tips for finding CBD products that work perfectly for you and hard-and-fast standards that every consumer should demand.
The volume level is continuing to rise in the CBD space with no FDA intervention in sight, which unfortunately has led to some widespread misconceptions, but this crash course in CBD shopping and our selection of CBD brand reviews will recalibrate your consumer mentality for a well-informed purchasing decision.
First and foremost, what’s the problem?
Clearly Assess Your Needs and Preferences
Buying something just to buy something does not a healthy purchasing decision make.
Why do you want CBD?
Are you tired, anxious, or in pain?
Are you undergoing treatment for a chronic pain or autoimmune disease?
You get the point—the first step is to clearly assess why you want to try CBD, because the second step is to seek out a targeted formulation that backs up its claims with supportive botanicals and other ingredients.
Learn How to Recognize Targeted Formulations
If you want to improve your sleep quality, a CBD tincture with valerian root and/or chamomile aims directly at that target. Consider purchasing CBD tincture from an online store like crystalcloud9.cc as they've products made from the best quality ingredients and are expertly formulated.
If you are looking to address post-exercise discomfort, a formulation with added turmeric may boost your results in this regard.
Other botanicals commonly included in CBD products include ashwagandha (sleep again), menthol (discomfort/soreness), argan oil (discomfort/soreness), and jojoba (immune support), among several others.
Next, it’s vital you understand the three types of hemp extracts.
Know Your Hemp Extract Types
In the CBD industry, the extract type refers to the wholeness of the end product; the compounds that accompany CBD after the manufacturer extracts their oil from the hemp plant.
CBD isolate products contain only CBD, broad-spectrum products contain CBD and other cannabinoids (like CBG/cannabigerol, CBN/cannabinol, and several others) but no THC, and full-spectrum products feature the whole-hog extract that contains CBD, neighboring cannabinoids, and THC.
Though CBD products are required by federal law to contain no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight, a full-spectrum product absolutely can flag a drug test if you consume enough.
In fact, some brands, like Five CBD, have such cannabinoid-dense extracts that a single serving of their CBD products can contain 5mg of THC.
That said, THC can significantly augment the calming, stress-reducing effects of CBD and neighboring compounds, which is why full-spectrum extracts are the most popular.
When CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids work together, the aggregate effect is more powerful than if you were to take each cannabinoid individually, a synergistic boost known as the “entourage effect.”
Learn CBD Product Types
Are you looking to provide deep, targeted relief to a specific area on your body?
If so, a CBD topical product (lotion, balm, salve, etc.) may be best, though it is harder to measure how much CBD you are using with these products.
If you’re looking to address stress, sleep issues, and/or more general and widespread discomfort, CBD oil tinctures are preferred because they have more systemic effects, and doses are much easier to measure with the included dropper lids.
CBD capsules deliver a no-nonsense, easily measured dose of CBD with little to no flavor for those that prefer this route.
The most popular CBD edible format by far is the CBD gummy, but more edibles are always hitting the scene, such as tablets and many candy-themed alternatives. You can buy the cbd gummies online by using Eliruby.com platform and explore the various flavors and ensure that you can choose the right type of edibles and candy that works for you.
People like edibles because they are fun and familiar, but that doesn’t mean they skimp on cannabinoid density or effectiveness.
It’s significantly less common than the “big four” (oil tinctures, topicals, capsules, edibles), but you can also smoke CBD products or take them intravenously.
Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each product type will help steer you towards a smarter purchase.
The Big Question Mark: Concentration
We’re not going to lie—next to safety, concentration is the most glaring issue the CBD industry is dealing with as the FDA continues to drag their feet.
CBD studies use anywhere from 50mg to 3000mg a day, and anecdotal accounts of CBD consumers cover a similar spread.
Other than the lack of regulation, the subtlety of CBD works against us here; it’s harder to tell when you have overdone it when there is such a low chance of experiencing obvious side effects like vomiting, lethargy, etc.
As for throwing out a number, it’s nearly impossible, but a standard recommendation for first-time users is to start around 15-20mg per dose, 1-2 doses per day, and closely monitor from there to make adjustments.
To provide more context, this author (6 feet tall, medium build) takes 75-100mg a day, which is the perfect amount to notice moderate improvements in stress and discomfort.
Remember to always factor in the THC and other supporting cannabinoid content, as these can often total as much as half of the CBD content or more.
Hold Brands and Products Accountable
This is where we shift from finding the best product for you to recognizing the most important quality standards across the industry that everyone should maintain as must-have items.
First off is the all-important issue of the CBD extraction method.
Safe Extraction Is a Must
In order to effectively “pull” the CBD and other cannabinoids from the raw hemp material, manufacturers need to use an extraction process.
Not all extraction processes are created equal, as some leave more amounts of residual solvent in the final product, which can be harmful if consumed.
For this crucial reason, The CBD Insider team strongly recommends only consuming CBD products that were extracted using either of the two industry gold standards: CO2 or ethanol extraction.
These gentle and efficient methods remove the cannabinoids without the mess, and thankfully, we have residual solvent data on lab testing reports to prove it.
CBD Lab Testing 101
Thankfully, CBD industry self-regulation has evolved to the point where anybody who wants to be taken seriously has to have third-party lab reports confirming the safety and potency of all their products.
Here’s how the process works: once the CBD brand is ready, they ship their product(s) to specialists at an independent laboratory, who perform a battery of tests to confirm levels of cannabinoids, residual solvents, pesticides, mycotoxins, and more.
Upstanding CBD brands not only complete this third-party testing for each product, but make it easy for consumers to find the original testing reports with QR codes on product packaging and/or links on their website.
If you don’t see a third-party lab report for a CBD product you’re considering, or if the report shows something other than a “non-detect” value for pesticides, toxins, etc., then do not buy the product.
Growing Operation and Supply Chain
This can get granular pretty fast, and if you’re interested in the finer points of supply chain logistics, then by all means have at it, but we’re generally looking to answer three important questions here:
Where is the hemp grown?
Where does it go after that?
How much of this chain (growing operation, processing, manufacturing, etc.) is directly owned and/or operated by the actual brand?
By no means do we expect brands to own the farm; in fact, it’s very rare.
However, we do want to see close oversight, which means holding their partner growers accountable to a rigorous checklist of quality control points.
As for the rest of the supply chain, it’s okay if the brand defers one link of the chain to professionals (like pharmacist formulator partners, for example), but once you get to two or more of these steps being outsourced, you’re basically looking at a white label brand.
In other words, we want to see direct oversight over both the growing operation and the rest of the supply chain, with preference to full ownership.
Product Support
Do you feel completely abandoned after that “buy” click, or can you come to the brand (and talk to a real human) after the fact with your questions?
Does the brand have live chat and/or phone services?
Can you return your defective or unwanted CBD product without a fifteen-email exchange?
You get the point: solid product support isn’t just about providing fancy amenities up until the point of purchase, but it’s about the brand responding well when things don’t go to plan.
If your CBD company drops the ball on this, then why give them your business again?
Pricing
Considering the amount of botanically enhanced CBD product formulations out there, variability of pricing is almost as large as the dosage issue, but we have much more context here to help guide you to a healthy range.
Generally, gummies and topicals are more expensive on a per-milligram (of CBD) basis, where tinctures are less expensive and capsules are the cheapest.
For CBD tinctures, anywhere between $0.02 and $0.08 per milligram is quite competitive, $0.09 to $0.14 per milligram is common for premium brands, and $0.15 or more is considered pretty darn expensive.
This definitely isn’t an exact science, but keep in mind that you can add a penny-per-milligram or two for each high-quality botanical or other supporting ingredient.
In other words, we consider a bare-bones CBD tincture at $0.05/mg to be roughly equal in value to an enhanced formulation (with 2 or 3 non-cannabinoid supporting ingredients) at $0.08/mg.
If the brand aces everything else on your list, and if you are really interested in the product, there’s nothing wrong with purchasing in the middle-upper price ranges, so long as you hold each brand accountable (a coupon code is helpful, too).
And that’s the theme of the day, if you haven’t noticed—the most important tip we can give is to demand high standards at all times.
If we as CBD consumers can hold that line, we’ll win the industry.
