Over the past few years, CBD products have become more accessible, of a higher quality and with a range of products that suit all types of customers, from beginners to people who know exactly how they want to take their CBD.
However, with greater interest in the novel food and a huge number of products on the market, from oils to balms, to makeup to CBD-infused drinks, gummies and vape juices, there is an overwhelming variety that you need to sort through to find the best products for you.
Thankfully, by following these simple steps and buying from reputable shops and stores, you can get the highest quality products that are best suited to you and your needs.
Do Your Due Diligence
As with any product on the market, check reviews, retailers and products that they are selling, to get an impression of the level of service you should expect and the quality of the products they provide.
What you are looking for in particular when looking at Trustpilot reviews, social media feedback, blog posts and reviews in specialist publications is an impression of the product you are looking at and what the experience of buying it entails.
Whilst you cannot expect everyone to be happy with every product, the key is to see if, on aggregate, people seem to be happy with the quality, price, delivery, effect, customer service and ultimate experience.
Check Dosage And Potency
When you look into different products, make sure to check on the potency of CBD in the product, as well as the expected dosage to ensure you are getting the most value for your money.
Dosages are measured in milligrams, which is displayed across all CBD products. However, this can often be a bit confusing, as the milligrams noted on the packet is per dose, and not necessarily per individual item.
For example, a CBD oil could claim on the packaging 300mg per dose, which it would then describe somewhere else on the packaging to be three drops. This would mean 100mg per drop, and so to compare like-for-like products you may need to do some division to get the actual amount.
On the plus side, this means that if you prefer lower doses but want the price saving that comes with buying higher potency products, you can buy a higher potency product and take a smaller dose.
Gummies are very useful in this regard, as they can easily be cut in half and deliver roughly half a dose.
If you are just starting out, however, start with lower potency products until you work out what your ideal dose is.
Know The Three Types Of CBD
CBD comes in three main types, sometimes known as spectrums and some of them have a different effect because they contain not just CBD but also other minor cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that work with the CBD and enhance it, with a phenomenon known as the entourage effect.
Many, if not most CBD-infused products will use CBD isolate, which through a manufacturing process has only cannabidiol and no other compounds, giving you only the benefit of the CBD.
After this, there is broad-spectrum CBD, which contains no THC, but does contain other compounds found in the plant, and full-spectrum which contains a very low amount of THC, which is nowhere near enough to produce the psychoactive effect associated with the classified drug cannabis.
Know What Product You Want
CBD in recent years has been added to pretty much every topical and edible product available on the market, albeit often in such low quantities that it provides little effect, so it is important to choose products that actually use CBD for more than marketing.
Typically, if you are looking for products that provide the strongest CBD effect, your best option is oils and capsules.
CBD oil is the most traditional way to take CBD and often involves dropping a few drops of oil under the tongue, where it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Capsules also work quickly for those who are uncomfortable with the sublingual dosage.
As well as this, vaporisers have become increasingly popular, as the superheated vapour means a quicker absorption of CBD.
Alternatively, if you want the benefits of CBD but without the sometimes bitter taste associated with it, one option is CBD gummies, which are edible sweets that have a precise dosage of CBD in them. This dose can be easily halved as well.
Teas, tinctures and infused drinks are also options.
Finally, there are topical products such as creams, balms and lotions that are designed to help moisturise skin.