How to Choose the Right CBD Product

There are so many CBD products on the market that choosing one that fits your lifestyle may seem overwhelming. CBD products come in many different forms and doses that are all meant to achieve different goals. When seeking out a CBD product, there are a few key factors that can help determine what the best CBD product is for you. Before choosing a product, it is important to consider your past experience with CBD, your goals, and the type of products you not only like, but are willing to incorporate into your daily routine. Keep in mind that everybody is different and everyone will have a different CBD journey. This guide will help give you confidence in knowing the differences in products and provide insight to your CBD journey.

What is your reason for using CBD?

When trying to figure out what product is right for you, it is important to know your intention for seeking a path to wellness and what your goals are for finding relief. CBD and other hemp products are used for a variety of conditions, including but not limited to: stress relief, relaxation, anxiety relief, pain relief, and symptom alleviation. Since CBD affects your immune system, endocrine system, and nervous system, all the different areas that CBD can augment are still being discovered and researched. Different intake methods, products, and doses will vary depending on the type of relief you are seeking. Are you looking to manage stress, relieve anxiety, manage pain, or find other ways to bring your body back to homeostasis? These goals are important to determine in order to support your journey in finding the right product.

Have you tried CBD before? If so, what was your experience?

It is important to discuss the products you have tried in the past, that way you have some sort of baseline as to what products you might like, what dosage worked for you, and what experiences it gave you. If it didn’t work, there can be many reasons why: the dosage could have been too low, the product information might have been misleading, or you could possibly need a different type of product. Narrowing down these specific aspects will allow you to find a product that will help you reach your wellness goals. If you’ve never tried CBD before, find a product you can see yourself using over a period of time and always start with a low dose, increasing as needed. A journal can be very helpful in documenting your experience with different CBD products and doses.

What’s your preferred method of consumption?

When choosing the right product, it is important to find a method of consumption you like and are willing to use. A method of consumption is the way you will be using the product for your specific goals. There are many different ways to consume hemp products. Everyone is different from body weight, to chemistry, to specific needs and preferences. The different methods of consumption include inhalation, ingestion, sublingual, and topical. It is important to understand how these consumption methods differ in onset, duration, and bioavailability. These factors work together in determining the overall experience that may be ideal for different conditions and doses.

Onset The time it takes for the cannabinoids to absorb and take effect.

Duration How long the effects from the cannabinoids last.

Bioavailability The percentage of a substance that gets fully absorbed by the body.

Inhalation

Inhaled hemp products like flower, concentrates, and aerosols pass through the lungs. Cannabinoids in the vapor and smoke flow through the lungs where it is able to directly enter the bloodstream up to the brain. This creates a very quick onset. Effects are felt almost immediately but the duration is shorter because the metabolic process is quicker for inhalable products compared to consumable or sublingual.

Onset 2min–15min
Duration 1hr–3hrs
Bioavailability 30%–60%

Ingestible

Ingestible hemp products like edibles, capsules, and beverages pass through the digestive system. Consumed orally, cannabinoids are circulated through the liver where they are processed. This way of metabolizing results in a prolonged amount of time before feeling the effects, but the effects are stronger and long-lasting compared to other forms of consumption.

Onset 30min–2hrs
Duration 4hrs–8hrs
Bioavailability 4%–20%

Sublingual

Sublingual hemp products like oils, strips, or tablets are absorbed by membranes under the tongue. Cannabinoids are absorbed straight into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver and digestive system, allowing for a quicker absorption than edibles. This method of intake creates more efficient absorption and longer-lasting, drawn-out effects.

Onset 10min–45min
Duration 3hrs–6hrs
Bioavailability 12%–35%

Topical

Topical and transdermal cannabis products like creams, oils, bath products, and patches are absorbed directly through the skin. For topical products, cannabinoids are absorbed and applied locally on the skin and are non-intoxicating because they do not enter the bloodstream; instead effects are localized to the area. Transdermal products, however, are made to enter the bloodstream allowing for a more full body effect.

Onset 15min–30min
Duration 2hrs–6hrs
Bioavailability 5%–45%

It is best to start with a product you are willing to try and that fits your lifestyle. A lot of these products can be combined in order to create more unique and curated effects for specific needs.

How much CBD do you need and how frequent do you need it?

CBD is still currently unregulated and in need of much research about the specific doses, effects, and combinations that are necessary for certain conditions. As time goes on, we will start to see more and more credible, peer-reviewed research released for this amazing plant. Everyone reacts to CBD differently depending on your metabolism and chemistry, which is why there is no one-size-fits-all solution for proper dosing.

Titration is the best way to achieve the optimum efficacy by slowly increasing the dosage amount over a period of time until the desired effects have been reached. An important consideration is the difference between dosage and titration; whereas dosage is the exact amount of CBD you are consuming normally expressed in milligrams, titration allows you to experience a wide spectrum of CBD benefits on your own. CBD is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and as such, your relationship with CBD titration will grow over time. Taking too little CBD will prevent you from finding the proper relief while taking too much can lead to wasted product.

CBD can be taken multiple times a day consistently or as needed depending on what you think is best for your goals. Anyone with sensitivities to natural supplements or medications should start lower than recommended and work their way up to the desired effect. Full Spectrum products(containing low amounts of other cannabinoids including THC) are generally considered to be more effective than Broad Spectrum products(containing no THC). The experience of Full Spectrum CBD products is influenced by the synergy between cannabinoids working together to enhance one another.

Since the efficacy of CBD products vary person to person, there is no single “right” product to immediately choose; you have to see what is best for you and what fits in your lifestyle. There are so many products available, so there are plenty to choose from. Figuring out your goals for using CBD, finding a product that you like and starting your slow-dosing titration journey will help you to find the best product and formula to suit your needs.