Cannabidiol (CBD) has grown in popularity the last several years after the passing of the US Farm Bill and interest continues to grow due to increased awareness and growing research into its potential benefits. Consumers are looking to purchase these products for a variety of reasons, with a focus on both emotional ailments (like stress and sleep) and physical ailments (like pain and inflammation).
First-time users are often faced with conflicting information and a bevy of potential product options. If you are a newbie, then you might be worried about making the wrong choice, that’s why we put together this mini-guide regarding the 5 main things to look for when buying CBD oil products.
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Why Are People Turning To CBD Products?
CBD products have become popular amongst users because of their ability to provide a natural source of relief for a variety of ailments such as everyday stress and chronic pain. CBD can help promote balance in the body, which in turn will enable you to live a more balanced life. A reduction in stress and anxiety can be particularly beneficial and is a major focus for consumers – stress is often the root cause of poor sleep, lower productivity, and anxious relationships.
That is not to say CBD is some form of miracle cure, but early evidence suggests that by being effective in helping alleviate stress, CBD can help promote a healthier and more productive overall life. Over 25% of all customers use CBD daily, which helps validate its effectiveness in treating certain underlying ailments.
What To Look For When Buying Cbd Products For The First Time
The industry has evolved immensely the last few years – gone are the days of worrying about product testing, extraction methods and CBD content accuracy – these things have become commonplace (in a good way). And we will avoid getting too technical – there are plenty of resources available if you wanted to learn more about the science behind CBD. Instead we focus our suggestions on delivery and product quality:
1. Go Organic
To extract all the worries and stress from your life, you should look for organic hemp-derived CBD products. Organic cannabidiol oil products are derived or extracted from hemp plants. Due to regulations around organic certification, it can be rare to find companies that are truly certified organic – the industry is simply so new, there just haven’t been a lot of hemp farmers who have been able to formally make this change yet.
And while there are many companies out there who claim to be organic, be careful as they aren’t always being 100% honest. But that’s ok – just like buying fruit at a farmers market from an organic farmer who might not have the resources to get certified, buying CBD oil from a company claiming to use organic farming techniques is often the same.
Ask them about their farms – where they source from? do they farm organically? and are they certified? Over the coming years more and more farms will get certified, but for the time being, following organic farming practices for hemp oil is more than enough.
2. Bioavailability
Bioavailability is another crucial factor that you should pay attention to when purchasing CBD oils. We suggest looking for a product with maximum bioavailability. By this, you can gain an idea about the amount of CBD that can be absorbed by your body. You can take CBD products oil or softgel/pill form. Most products these days have been designed for optimal bioavailability, but we recommend looking for any that use a nano-emulsified CBD oil. It tends to be the best.
3. Full-Plant CBD Product
Full-plant CBD products provide the benefits of CBD and the other amazing active ingredients found within the hemp plant. Pairing these together is often referred to as the entourage effect. Full plant extracts are available in two distinct forms – Broad Spectrum, which removes the THC entirely; and Full-spectrum, which includes THC. A full-spectrum CBD oil contains active compounds that help boost the effectiveness of the product.
Avoid isolate products. And when it comes to full plant products, be wary of any that show massive spikes in some of the lower% ingredients like CBN – this can often mean it started as an isolate and the other compounds were added back to make it look like a full-plant product.
4. Check The Lab Results
That gets us to our next point. Yes, most companies these days run 3rd party testing, but you should absolutely still check these out! Going through a Certificate of Authentication (COA) can help ensure the product lives up to its billing. Just ask the company for their COA’s or third-party testing results and they are often happy to share. If not, that’s a major red flag.
5. Reviews
Before purchasing any CBD product, you should check customer reviews. Take some time, do research, and read the comments of customers or their experience. This can help better inform you buying decision. Not sure if you should be going for a CBD oil or CBD softgel? Reviews can help. With so many customers taking CBD daily, and limited long-term research, reviews and testimonials can be a great source of information.
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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