When the 2018 Farm Bill passed, it not only legalized the commercial cultivation of hemp, but it also threw open the doors to hundreds of new companies, each trying to get a slice of the CBD pie. And while this has provided healthy competition in the marketplace, it has also let some unscrupulous businesses into the industry, selling products with poor quality and shoddy customer service. With so many of these unsavory characters peddling their wares, it begs the question: “What should I look for in a CBD brand?
Organically Grown
Always begin your search for CBD with quality in mind. The hemp plant, from which CBD is processed, is what is known as a bioaccumulator. That means, it sucks up pretty much anything that’s there in the soil. Remember Chernobyl? That huge nuclear disaster a few decades back? Guess what they’re using to clean up the soil around the reactor: hemp!
So, what does that mean for your CBD? Well, if the source of your hemp product uses pesticides in their fields, or the soil holds other toxic chemicals, that means all of that junk is going into your CBD product — and into you!
So, find a CBD company that grows their hemp organically. A good first step is to find one that sources their product in the U.S., where standards are much higher than in many other countries which export hemp. At CBDfx, we grow our pure, organic hemp in the state of Kentucky, so you know it’s a quality product.
Furthermore, we only use CO2 extraction, so no chemicals are added to your hemp as it is processed into oil. And yes, there are companies that do that. (Do you really want to be consuming butane?)
Lab-Tested for Purity
So, knowing that you want pure, organic CBD is one thing, but being able to identify it is another. An important step in finding the right CBD brand is seeing if their products are lab tested by a third party. All reputable CBD companies conduct third-party testing of their products and make those tests available to consumers.
If you’re considering a company that does not provide these test results, just move along. You could be getting a product rife with pesticides, heavy metals and other toxins. You also might not be getting the amount of CBD you think you’re getting. A good lab test will break down exactly how much of each cannabinoid — CBD, THC, CBN, CBG, and more — is in your product, as well as other ingredients. And as mentioned, it will also tell you exactly how much it has of what is not supposed to be in it.
Customer Service
This applies to all businesses, doesn’t it? Whenever you order online, you want to be able to trust that you’re going to get exactly what you paid for in the time window you have been promised. Unfortunately, there are several fly-by-night CBD companies that are happy to take your order — and your credit card — but don’t follow through on their end.
It’s always smart to look at customer reviews to see what others have experienced when dealing with a particular company. If the reviews (recent ones, especially!) say the products have arrived on time and were of good quality, then great! Or even if something happened with an order, but the reviewer says the customer service representative was super-helpful, well, that’s a good sign, too. But if a company has a significant number of terrible reviews, you might not want to put too much trust in them.
A Store With Many Aisles
Okay, so we’ve covered all the depressing stuff: the soil toxins and bad customer service reps and so forth. Now that we’re past that, let’s get to the fun: the products themselves!
Some companies specialize in a single product or a small handful, and that’s fine. If they do it well, great for them. But the fun in shopping for CBD is in browsing all the different kinds of products that are available. In addition to making it a more adventurous (in a good way!) shopping experience, it also allows you to experiment to find the perfect product for your needs.
At CBDfx, we offer CBD products as diverse as gummies, shots, capsules, tinctures, edibles, topicals, and even products for pets! And within those categories, you’ll find CBD products geared for energy and focus, general wellness, recovery, sleep, a good old-fashioned “chill” session, and more! Every visit brings a new and exciting experience.
So, Now That You Know …
Shopping for CBD can be daunting. There are a ton of different companies, selling wildly different products of equally wide-ranging quality. Now that you know what to look for, you should be able to find a CBD company you can trust to give you quality products and professional service. You’ll probably find that the most reputable companies are a tiny bit more expensive, but that’s understandable considering what you’re paying for. You want a safe and effective product that gives you the results you’re looking for.
So, now that you know, go have fun — and enjoy the world of CBD!
First time shopping for CBD? Our CBD Gummies taste great and come in a variety of formulations!