When you hear about the myriad of health benefits offered by CBD oil, you may be super excited to get onboard. You’re ready to buy something, but what factors do you need to consider when purchasing CBD for the very first time? There’s so much information out there that it can be confusing for a first-time CBD buyer.
Let’s talk today about how to buy CBD oil and get what’s right for you. When you start shopping for CBD you’ll need to consider several things:
- How to vet CBD companies and select one you can trust. We’ll show you how to choose high-quality CBD companies that play by the rules of the US Food and Drug Administration.
- Understanding the cannabis plant, various cannabinoids, and how that affects your health benefits.
- Choosing between CBD and THC and whether a combination of both in a full spectrum CBD formula – or broad spectrum CBD alone – might be the better option for you.
- The best CBD oil options for beginners. We’ll show you, today, how to make your first product selections and get started with CBD.
Vetting CBD Companies to Get High Quality CBD Oils
Let’s talk about how to buy CBD oil from the best sources. This means finding CBD companies that are diligent in their formulations and who play by the rules. Because with CBD oil, there are rules – and in some states, more strict rules.
Quickly, here is some of what your CBD company has to do to keep you, the consumer, safe. These things help you determine how to buy CBD oil from the right sources.
- CBD companies cannot claim that their CBD products heal or cure you from any diseases or disorders. Until medical science has developed a wide base of studies that show clear, quotable evidence, CBD companies must be very cautious in the claims they are making. If you see a CBD company touting that their products will heal you from this or that…close out that browser tab and move on. Don’t get sucked into an unreputable source. If they break the rules with their marketing, they likely will also do so in the laboratory. And you don’t want that.
- CBD companies must provide you with ample information about their products. A reputable CBD company will not mind posting ingredient lists or test results right on their website.
- CBD companies must be diligent with their product development and production methods. Look for independent third-party testing. A third-party laboratory will be more objective and not skewed about test results. Look for words like “organically grown hemp plants” and read through ingredients lists to see exactly what’s going into your CBD. You might also want to check that the hemp plants are grown right here in the USA where growing standards are more strict.
- CBD companies follow the federal laws and you, the consumer, must adhere to your state’s laws for purchase and consumption. The 2018 Farm Bill made CBD oil products from hemp plants legal in all 50 states and regulates the amount of THC allowed in each product. The US Food and Drug Administration’s website provides helpful information as well. But you also need to check your state’s laws on CBD products. Some states, for example, have special regulations about certain types of THC.
Understanding the Cannabis Plant and Cannabinoids
To understand how to buy CBD oil, you first need to understand what you are buying. If a product is labeled full spectrum CBD, then it contains a small amount of the cannabinoid known as THC – yes, the same stuff that’s in very high quantities in marijuana. (For most CBD products, the cannabinoids are extracted from hemp plants, which naturally have lower levels of THC.)
At these small levels in CBD products, this same THC can provide amplified health benefits for users. This means more calm. This means better sleep. It also means you can take advantage of the entourage effect. Full spectrum CBD may mean a laundry list of health benefits for you, depending on how your body responds to the cannabinoids in the formulation of your product.
Please note that sometimes people can be sensitive to THC, so as a beginner, you may want to start with broad spectrum CBD, which has the same list of cannabinoids, but without THC in the formulation.
Broad spectrum CBD means that the CBD is the main target in the extraction. While the end result may contain other cannabinoids, the CBD is the star of the broad spectrum formulations. This provides the health benefits without the extra calming of the THC. It also benefits users who are not allowed by their employer or organization to use anything with THC in it.
Even without the added relaxation effects of the THC, many people find that broad spectrum options offer enough calming benefits for them.
CBD is often paired with other things like ashwagandha and melatonin to create sleep aid formulas. You can find these with or without the THC.
Side Effects of CBD and THC
When you’re learning how to buy CBD oil, you’ll note there are minimal discussions on CBD and THC side effects. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any – only that the side effects are typically quite minimal with most people. When you first start CBD oil products you may notice:
- Dry mouth
- Gastrointestinal upset
- Tiredness
- Changes in blood pressure
- Mental discomfort if you’re sensitive to THC
Talk with Your Doctor
If you’re not sure if you can take CBD oil products or if the THC is not advisable for you – we defer to your doctor’s advice on this. They know your health profile and can help you to shape your best health decisions.
Read Through the CBD Oil Reviews
By all means – read the CBD oil reviews on each product you consider. While CBD companies cannot say a whole lot about the exact way your body will respond, it might help to hear it from real people who are out there using the products. In fact, CBD is wildly popular because of reviews and anecdotal evidence.
Best ‘Starter’ CBD Product Options
To buy your first CBD product, consider the most widely applicable foundation for your CBD oil journey to begin. This is the broad spectrum CBD oil in a tincture form. Because of its versatility, you can start small for your first few weeks, then gradually increase each week thereafter until you get to a full serving size – at the hash mark of half a dropper.
If you start with a smaller amount, you can let your body gradually adjust to the new oils in your system. This may cut down on any unwanted side effects and give you time to observe how your body responds.
Don’t get too upset if it takes a while before you notice the benefits. This is normal for most people. It takes some time to get used to the product and notice how it is affecting you. At first, it may be hard to tell. For others, the effects of CBD oil may be life changing and really fast. It just depends on your body, your system, your metabolism – so many things. Each body is different, so be patient.
Also, CBD oil takes some time to build up and level out within your body. This is why you should take it morning and night at generally the same times, each and every day. The longer you use it, the more you will be able to tell the difference and make adjustments to your CBD concentrations or servings.
Begin with These Broad Spectrum Options
To choose the right broad spectrum CBD formula, you’ll have to weigh a few factors:
- How substantial is your need for CBD health benefits?
- How big is your body?
- How fast is your metabolism?
- How sensitive to or tuned in to your body’s changes are you?
Use these answers to make the best choice you can as to whether you need to start on the lowest concentration, or the next one up, when you are buying CBD for the first time.
Buying Broad Spectrum CBD Oil for the First Time
- Set up a cbdMD account for shopping on cbdMD’s website.
- Choose the cbdMD CBD oil tincture strength based on your self-assessment. The options are listed in a drop down box labeled “Strength.”
- Choose the flavor you want: Orange, Berry, Mint, or unflavored Natural.
- Order one bottle or set yourself up for automatic shipments to make buying CBD easier for you. You can save up to 30 percent by using autoship and you can edit the strengths or flavors by signing into your account on cbdMD.
Take a Full Month to Analyze Your Body’s Response
Begin by taking a quarter of a dropper both morning and night. Some people experience nausea or other effects during the first few days. If it’s especially bothersome, reduce the amount you are taking slightly, and allow your body time to adjust.
You’ll need to stay on this smaller amount for at least a week before you can take the half dropper (which is a full serving). Once you’re on a half dropper, morning and night, stay on this amount for one full month.
It’s very important that you observe a few things during this month – and observe these frequently, like every several days. Self-assess the following:
- Have you noticed positive changes in your cognitive performance or mood?
- Have you noticed any unwanted effects?
- How does your body feel?
- How are you sleeping? Are you waking up feeling refreshed?
- How is your appetite?
- How are you feeling, generally?
Make some notations in a notebook if it helps. After a full month has passed and there are no concerns, you can then reassess and make decisions – stay on this same concentration and amount, go up to the next concentration, switch to full spectrum CBD, or keep everything the same and add in CBD gummies to target specific needs.
Some options that may help specific needs:
- Switching to full spectrum CBD may help give more calm feelings and help with sleep for some people who need the extra support.
- Topical CBD solutions are perfect for athletes or anyone who needs help for target areas. Some of these contain added ingredients to help with your aches and pains.
- CBD gummies offer a wide variety of benefits for a wide variety of needs. They are empowered with other botanical extracts that help with things like sleep, calm, immunity, and digestion.
- And the CBD broad spectrum tinctures have a PM version if you want to stick with the regular one during the day and get added melatonin at night for sleep.
Remember to make small changes and give time for your body to adjust, then self-assess.
Calculate How Much CBD per Serving.
- Look on the bottle for how many mg of CBD there are per serving. On the 300 mg tinctures, for example, you are getting 10 mg per serving.
- If you are taking half serving sizes though, you are essentially taking 5 mg of CBD per serving.
- Do this for each new product you take as well, in case the strengths are different, so you take a consistent amount of CBD per serving, regardless of the CBD product or combination of products you are using. It’s OK to take some extra after you know how your body responds to CBD. This takes time to learn.
How to Buy CBD Oil: Made Easy
Knowing how to buy CBD oil is much more simple when you have a general understanding of the product. Learning all you can about CBD oil will improve your CBD journey and help you make the wisest choices for your body and mind. Many people start on the broad spectrum CBD oil options and then apply other products that target their personal needs. It’s easier to make these choices when you understand how to buy CBD oil for your specific needs.
Here at cbdMD, we realize many people are trying CBD oil for the first time, so we provide several things to make it easier. When you visit our website, scroll over the tabs at the top to the one that says “Learn.” This gives you a drop-down box that provides a wealth of information on how to buy CBD oil, how to understand how CBD works within your body and many topics that help you with your CBD journey.
