How to Shop for CBD Products (7 Simple Questions to Avoid Buying the Wrong Product)

Published by Jared on

Shopping Online

If you’re new to the world of cannabidiol (CBD) products it can be overwhelming to try and figure out how to shop for it. Here is where I break down a series of questions to guide you through the process so you have the best chance of getting a high-quality product that will do the job you’re looking to get done.

How do you shop online for CBD products? Here are 7 questions to answer when shopping for CBD products:

Do you want THC in your product
Was the CBD organically grown
Was CO2 extraction used to harvest the CBD
What is the potency of CBD in the product
Is the product full-spectrum
Does the vendor provide 3rd party test results
Do you want a flavored or unflavored product

You can shop for CBD products online or possibly in a physical store depending on where you live. Either way you shop, these questions will be helpful in guiding your decision. I’ll break each of these down below so you have a little more context for each one. I even included a couple of bonus questions at the end.

Do you want THC in your product

If the answer is NO, then you should buy Hemp-derived CBD products.

If the answer is YES, then you should look for Marijuana-derived CBD (and you should visit a different blog to find help with that because I don’t recommend any marijuana-based products.)

This is a really important question. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound in marijuana that is responsible for getting you high. Actually, to take it a step further, THC is the only compound in any variety of Cannabis that is known to get you high. Hemp contains less than 0.3% THC which is well below the concentration needed to get you high or even register on a typical drug test your employer may administer. And THC is the only compound that a drug test looks for.

My recommendation is to avoid THC altogether unless your doctor specifically prescribes it for your particular condition. Here are a couple of things to consider when deciding between CBD with THC and CBD without THC. First, do you work in a drug-free workplace? If you do, and you get drug tested and you’ve been taking CBD with significant amounts of THC, you are probably going to test positive for marijuana. And even if you live in a state or country where recreational use of marijuana is legal, you’re employer may still not allow it for safety reasons. Always double check with your employer regardless of where you live if you are allowed to have THC in your system.

Also, where you live is another important factor. If you live in a state or country where marijuana is not legal you better stick with hemp-derived CBD. If you’re on vacation in a state or country where marijuana is legal and you go to a local dispensary to get some marijuana-derived CBD, be careful taking it home. You don’t want to take that product with you or you could end up in trouble.

Was the hemp organically grown

Whether you’re into the organic movement or not, this is actually pretty important when talking about hemp. Hemp is kind of like a sponge that absorbs harmful chemicals from the soil it’s grown in. If it is grown with harmful pesticides and herbicides, the hemp is likely to absorb those and they will wind up in the final CBD product. As long as the hemp was organically grown, and most is, you should have no problems with these chemicals being in the product you purchase. But always look, and ask for third-party test results which I’ll get into in just a minute.

Was the CBD extracted with CO2

In order to get CBD out of the hemp plant, the manufacturer has to perform what is called an extraction. Extracting CBD from hemp can be done in several ways. The most common, and the best way, is to use CO2 and pressure. This pulls the CBD, other cannabinoids, terpenes, and helpful essential fatty acids from the plant without altering them. It also leaves no harmful chemicals behind when the process is over.

Other extraction methods use solvents such as ethanol or butane. While solvent extraction methods are effective at obtaining CBD, they can also leave behind harmful chemicals in the product. They can also damage some of the beneficial compounds in hemp. For this reason, I only recommend buying products obtained with CO2 extraction

Is the product full spectrum

Most of the time you’re going to want to buy a product that is “full spectrum”. This means that it contains all the beneficial compounds that hemp contains. This includes other cannabinoids besides CBD, terpenes, and essential omega fatty acids. All of these, along with CBD provide what has come to be known as the “entourage effect”. CBD by itself is very beneficial, but when you combine it with all of the other helpful compounds in hemp they all come together to provide even more benefits. As I said, CBD by itself, in an isolate product, will certainly help you out, but my recommendation is a full spectrum CBD product.

Is the product 3rd party tested

Third party testing is becoming more and more standard as the CBD market matures, but not everyone does it. Everything I’ve mentioned above is really important to your CBD experience. But the only way to know if the product you’re buying really meets all of the above is to have it tested. Any product you purchase should be independently tested for:

THC content (must be below 0.3% if it’s from hemp and legal to be sold online)
Presence of pesticides and/or herbicides (if present then the product wasn’t grown organically)
Presence of harmful extraction chemicals (CO2 extraction won’t leave any chemicals behind)
Full spectrum (other cannabinoids besides CBD or THC should be present)

In addition to the above, most manufacturers also have their products tested for microbiological hazards such as E. coli and Salmonella. You don’t want to be getting sick from bacteria in your CBD product.

Whichever retailer you’re looking at buying product from should be more than willing to provide you with their most recent test results. If they try to tell you their products are safe but won’t back it up with actual test results then I wouldn’t think twice about going elsewhere. There are plenty of retailers that are happy to share their results with you. Like I said, it’s becoming pretty standard so this shouldn’t be difficult to find.

Do you want flavored oil

If you’re buying an edible product, like gummy bears or taffy then this is a non-issue. But if you’re buying an oil product that’s absorbed under your tongue you might want to think about whether you want a flavored oil or not. This is totally based on personal preference. Some people like the flavored oil while some people don’t. Typically, flavored oils are also sweetened with stevia.

I’m not a fan of the stevia aftertaste so I avoid flavored oils. I’d rather deal with the natural nutty flavor of hemp oil than the metallic aftertaste of stevia. Once the oil has absorbed under my tongue I just follow it down with a little juice and the flavor is gone. This is totally your call. Flavored vs. unflavored oil will have no impact on how effective the product is.

How much do you have to buy

The last question you really need to think about is how much product you have to buy in order to try the product. When you’re just starting out, I always recommend buying as little product as possible the first time. Not all products are the same and it’s hard to know if you’re going to like a new product. So it’s usually best to buy a small amount to try out and then increase the quantity on the next purchase.

This isn’t a total deal killer. It’s just nice if you can buy a smaller amount to start out. But if there’s lots of good reviews or a friend has recommended the product to you and you feel confident in it, then go for it. Just something to think about.

I have found one retailer who actually accepts product returns for up to 90 days even if it’s opened. You can visit there website HERE. Their name is CBDPure and I’ve actually linked to one of their products on my Recommended Products page. They don’t offer a lot of different products; only CBD tinctures and CBD capsules. But they have tremendous customer service and that includes a very generous return policy. Not a bad place to start for your first CBD product.

Bonus Questions

Should I worry about free shipping when buying CBD

Many people become obsessed with getting free shipping when shopping for items online. While it is always nice to get free shipping, my recommendation would be to not let free shipping get in the way of purchasing the product you really want to try. Typically, CBD products are not very heavy so shipping costs should be low.

If you really are stuck on free shipping, there is one website I’ve found (NuLeaf Naturals) that offers free shipping within the USA. They only offer CBD tinctures but it’s a pretty solid product.