If you’re new to the vast world of CBD, the online shopping process can prove to be challenging at times. More specifically, how do you know you’re buying the right product? Furthermore, how do you know you’re buying real CBD?
There are a few things you should know and look for when you get ready to shop for CBD online. If you’re new to CBD, or you feel you need a refresher, check out these five helpful ways to make sure you get the real thing!
1. Educational Resources
Most reputable companies want consumers to be able to purchase with confidence. The best way to ensure this happens is to provide educational resources as often as possible.
Companies that provide these resources often highlight various aspects of the farming and manufacturing process that consumers find helpful and informative.
Companies creating 100% real CBD products work hard to solidify their place in the industry, so you’ll see plenty of literature on their site that explains their farming practices (which should be organic) and the extraction process.
The latter is actually just as important as the farming process itself, since poor extraction methods muddy the CBD oil with chemicals and toxins.
2. Third-Party Lab Reports
You’ve probably heard a lot about third-party lab reports, but do you know how to read one? It’s not as complicated as some people think.
When you look at the lab report, you’ll see a list of cannabinoids. In this report, also known as a certificate of analysis, you can see the exact percentage of each cannabinoid. You should also see the total percentage of CBD, or cannabinoids, somewhere at the top of the middle of the page in bigger font.
Third-party lab reports are essential because they give the consumer an unbiased snapshot of everything in the product, especially if it’s batch-level testing.
3. Steer Clear of Amazon
Okay, I know we all think Amazon is the holy grail for finding just about anything, but not when it comes to CBD. Amazon has a strict policy prohibiting the sale of CBD-related products.
We know, now you’re wondering why you see pages of “CBD products” there. Well, it’s simple — they’re fake products! We would love to say all companies operate with the same moral compass, but this isn’t the case.
They know CBD knowledge is murky for some people, so they play off this weakness, labeling their products as “CBD products” when they contain hemp seed oil instead of CBD oil. Hemp seed oil comes from hemp seeds only, but CBD oil comes from the flowers, leaves, and stalks, where the cannabinoid content lies. Hemp seed oil is great for skin irritations, but it doesn’t have all the wellness or “chill” benefits of CBD oil.
Next time you’re on Amazon, look up a “CBD product” for fun. You’ll see no lab reports or any supporting literature to assert that it’s real CBD. Some of them say hemp seed oil on the label, so now you know that means FAKE CBD.
4. Go With a Trusted, Reputable Brand
There are plenty of ways to confirm the validity of a CBD company. With a heavy increase in sub-par companies — some creating and selling fake CBD — you want to make sure you know how to identify a trusted, reputable brand.
The first thing you should look for is what we spoke of earlier, the third-party lab tests. We won’t go back into great detail why, but it’s one of the main ways to spot quality companies that care.
You also want to make sure you can find contact information that puts you in touch with a live human. It’s become commonplace for some companies to only be reachable through email, but this is a red flag in the CBD industry.
Plenty of CBD companies understand CBD knowledge varies from person to person. To provide the best level of customer service, they need to be there to answer questions and concerns.
Another way to reference a company’s reputation and the effectiveness of the products is by checking consumer reviews. Some companies make it easy and have those reviews right on the product pages. In some other cases, you may have to look around a bit to find them yourself.
Checking reviews is almost second nature these days. Many of us won’t eat at a restaurant or make a purchase without checking out the reviews first. Treat CBD with the same care.
5. Sourcing Matters
When you’re shopping around for CBD, look to see where the company sources their CBD from — where is the farm, how is it grown?
Hemp sourcing matters more than most people realize. When the farming process lacks organic methods, pesticides and other chemicals seep into the hemp plant. This process is known as bioaccumulation. The hemp plant soaks up everything in the surrounding soil — good and bad.
So, the moral of the story is to look for hemp organically sourced in the United States. Here at CBDfx, our crops are organically grown in the heart of Kentucky, pesticide-free, and non-GMO to ensure your CBD doesn’t contain any harmful pesticides or chemicals.
Parting Thoughts
When you purchase CBD, you want to make sure you’re buying the real thing. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an ineffective product and a little (or a lot) less money in your bank account.
These are a few tips to keep handy the next time you purchase CBD. Besides, once you have the real deal, you’ll know what to look for and expect moving forward.
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