How do I choose CBD?

As the popularity of CBD continues to rise, we see an incredible increase in new people trying CBD for the first time. Researchers at BDS Analytics are forecasting the collective market for cannabidiol sales in the US to surpass $20 billion by 2024.

This is extremely exciting as we strongly believe that cannabidiol has the potential to improve our lives in dramatic ways.

We have to keep in mind however, that not everyone is familiar with CBD.

While almost everyone can easily purchase CBD online, most people still don’t know there are various spectrums. That’s not even talking about the other minor cannabinoids such as CBC, CBG and CBN.

This is the reason we wanted to devote this Blog to picking the right CBD.

This is an extremely important topic, especially for someone who has never tried hemp extract before. That is because there’s a lot more to CBD than meets the eye.

Pick the wrong type, brand or dosage and you might not experience all the benefits. Or even worse, you might get a bad reaction that will keep you from ever trying CBD again.

Use this as a step by step guide to discovering the right type of CBD for you. Once you do, you will be amazed at what his incredible natural compound can do.

 

There’s only one extremely important warning.

Do not EVER purchase your CBD on Amazon, Ebay or even through Groupon.

Up to this point, every single respectable and quality brand has forbidden any of their resellers to sell their products on these platforms. That’s for a couple of reasons.

They want their clients to be able to trust that what they get is what they pay for. Unfortunately, there are a lot of knockoffs in the market place. Since none of those platforms test any of these products, no one really knows what’s in the bottle.

You will still see products that claim to be CBD on these websites.

However, those are labeled as hemp oil, and that is exactly what you will get. Some good old fashioned hemp seed oil. Which is not even close to what a true cannabidiol extract is.

With the formalities out of the way, how do you choose the right CBD product for you?

We will do our best to break it down for you into four easy steps, so that when the time comes you can make the right choice.

1. CBD spectrum

2. CBD brand

3. CBD dosage

4. CBD consumption method

Let’s take this one step at a time.

CBD spectrum

What is CBD spectrum? CBD spectrum is the type of CBD extract from the hemp plant. There are currently three main spectrums in the market place.

1. Full spectrum CBD
2. Broad spectrum CBD
3. CBD isolate

Each one is a certain type of extract and is defined by what it contains and which cannabinoids it does not contain. If you want detailed information on each one, feel free to check out our CBD Spectrums Blog.

Full spectrum CBD contains all of the cannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenes of the hemp plant. This includes THC, up to 0.3%. Let’s remember the 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as a cannabis plant with THC content of 0.3% or less.

Full spectrum is the most complete extract, the least processed and offers you the benefit of entourage effect.

When choosing the right type of CBD, it is important to keep THC in mind. That’s because some people can have a bad reaction to THC or want to avoid potentially failing a drug test.

 

For those folks there’s broad spectrum CBD

Broad spectrum CBD is extremely similar to full spectrum in that it still contains all of the cannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenes of the hemp plant. However, it is processed one step further to remove the THC.

Seeing as it still contains over 99% percent of the same compounds as full spectrum, broad spectrum still has the benefit of the desired entourage effect.

We finally get to CBD isolate. While it is the purest form of CBD, it is also the one that has been the most processed. That’s because during the extraction processes every single compound, cannabinoid, terpene has been removed.

Except for CBD.

Therefore, CBD isolate is exactly what it sounds like. Pure CBD.

The spectrum selection is purely personal. Our recommendation is to start with CBD isolate or broad spectrum. If you know you won’t have a bad reaction to THC, and did not achieve the desired effects with the THC free options, give full spectrum a try.

CBD brand

Once you decide on the CBD spectrum you want to purchase online, choosing the right CBD brand is also a personal preference.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you need to find a reputable brand. One way to do that is to look for Third Party Lab results for the products you are interested in purchasing.

Every product/brand we carry on The CBD Haven, has a Third Party Certificate of Analysis here.

There are brands that specialize in certain types of spectrums only. For example if you’re looking for full spectrum CBD, Nuleaf Naturals and Plus CBD Oil can offer you just that.

Don’t want the THC? There are a few 100% THC free brands out there. You can try any product from Relive Everyday, Nanocraft CBD, or Social CBD and be certain that you will only get broad spectrum or CBD Isolate products.

Finally there are some that do mix it up. For example, Lazarus Naturals offers a large selection of Full Spectrum CBD products, as well as CBD isolate products that are 100% THC free. CBDistillery offers something from each spectrum.

The choice is entirely up to you.

CBD dosage

Our recommendation is to start low. You can always increase your dosage, but once ingested you cannot decrease.

So, start with a 500mg or 1000mg tincture. Or if you’re looking for the gummies, start with 10MG per gummy.

For maximum benefit, make sure you are consistent with your CBD routine. We recommend taking half of your daily dosage in the morning, followed by the second half in the evening. Roughly 12 hours later.

Keep a journal and take detailed notes on how you feel.  This way you can review in about 5 to 7 days and see if you have reached your desired benefit level. Adjust your dosage accordingly.

 

As an FYI, the average dosage of CBD per day is 30mg to 60mg. Most likely you will end up somewhere in the middle.

CBD consumption method

Besides vaping, what is the quickest way to experience CBD?

There are three main ways to ingest CBD.

CBD oil is exactly that. CBD tincture bottles that contain a dropper so you can easily measure the dosage. The recommended usage is sublingual which mean you deposit the oil under your tongue and hold for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing.

With the sublingual method of consumption, you should feel the effects of cannabidiol within the hour. That is because the oil is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

Some people create incredible edible products with CBD oil, or some add the dropper to their morning coffee or evening tea.

Next, we have CBD gummies. These offer an incredibly convenient, fully pre-measured dosage anytime you need it. The recommendation is still the same as with oil. Take one gummy in the morning, and one in the evening.

Because orally ingested CBD products have to go through our digestive tract, you will lose some of the bioavailability(absorption) of the cannabidiol. The liver will filter some of it out.

So while a 10mg to 15mg dose of oil might do the trick, you might need a stronger gummy to achieve the same desired effect.

With CBD gummies it can take up to two hours to get the full potential.

Finally, there are CBD softgels and capsules. These also come in all shapes, sizes and doses.

Similar to the CBD gummies, the absorption rate might be slightly smaller and it might take a little longer to feel the benefits. However, this method also offers the same discrete and accurate consumption method as did the gummies.

We hope this brief writeup will make your decision-making process a bit easier. As CBD will work differently in each of our bodies, what works for one person, might not necessarily work for another.

With this knowledge, we hope you will be well informed and find exactly what you’re looking for sooner, rather than later.