As the popularity of CBD grows more and more among people searching for holistic treatments for several ailments, the number of brands producing CBD oil and tinctures also grows fast. However, many people are choosing to prepare their own oil to have more control over the product quality, price, and especially the potency of the oil. You must be thinking: how to make my own CBD oil? There are two ways to prepare it, the oil and the alcohol method, and both bring all of the hemp benefits that you’re looking for.
When making any oil from cannabis, what you want to do is extract the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant and get a concentrated extract to be used for vaping or ingesting. The crucial quality difference lies in the quality of the cannabis strain. Read on to learn more about how to make CBD oil from hemp.
How to make my own CBD oil – Choose the best strain
To get the best oil possible, you will need to get the best ingredients. Thus, the first step of this process would be choosing a high-quality cannabis strain with the highest level of CBD possible. The best oil comes from the cannabis buds or flowers because this part of the plant contains the highest concentration of cannabinoids, but you can also get high amounts of CBD from the hemp leaves and flowers, which contain almost no THC. Industrial hemp plants are legal in most of the United States, various countries around Europe and throughout the world, which makes it easier to find them to make CBD oil. Learn more about the state of hemp legalization worldwide.
Make sure to choose the cannabis plant from an organic and trustworthy source to ensure there’s nothing other than the cannabinoids and terpenes on the final product. For this method, you can use 30g of buds or an amount of 60g to 100g of the ground buds, dry shake, or trim. The technique is the same for extracting CBD or other cannabinoids such as THC, and the only difference lies in the strain you choose.
.If your goal is to use the oil to ingest, you must decarboxylate the plant before following the next steps, but if you’re planning to use it for vape, there’s no need to do this process. If you are not sure how to make CBD vape oil, please note that the decarboxylation process helps the cannabinoic acids be converted into cannabinoids that our body accepts, which makes the vaping experience better. To make the decarboxylation process, you must bake the plant for about 90 minutes at a temperature of 100ºC to 110ºC (210ºF to 230ºF).
How to make CBD vape oil or edible oil – Alcohol method
For the alcohol method, you can use either ethanol or grain alcohol, but these need to be cold, contain at least 60% of alcohol, and be food-safe. Ground or separate the buds and use enough alcohol to cover the plant in a glass container, then mix it gently with a plastic or wooden spoon. You must leave it for no longer than 3 minutes, and this process must be very fast to ensure you’re only getting what you want from the cannabis plant. Then, separate the plant from the liquid using a fine strainer and repeat this process to extract the resin until the alcohol comes out clear.
The process entails using a double boiler, a rice cooker, or a water distiller, but it is not advised to do this without prior experience because the vapors that come out of the boiling are highly flammable, and there’s a high fire risk. Make sure to do this in an open area or somewhere with free ventilation and avoid breathing the vapors that come out of the boiling process. If you’re not using a water distiller, keep the temperature around 70ºC for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring the mixture until it decreases in volume, becomes extremely viscous, and forms no more bubbles.
To keep removing the alcohol, you can put this mixture into a smaller bowl and place it over the heater of a coffee machine for 24 hours. This process will make the alcohol evaporate, leaving behind just the oil. To test if there’s any alcohol left, insert the tip of a paper clip to the oil, remove it and use a lighter to light it, if it sparks, there’s still alcohol present. After all the alcohol is removed, you’ll get an extract with a thick consistency, and you can put it while still warm into syringes, which will make it easier to administer and store it.
How to make CBD oil from hemp – Oil method
The oil method is beneficial for having an extract that can be digested, but you must also do the decarboxylation process explained below before the extraction if you want an edible extract. For this method, you will need to choose a carrier oil, and you can pick your favorite one, such as olive or coconut oil, cold-pressed, and organic. You’ll need a fine strainer, such as cheesecloth or a coffee filter, non-stick paper, and a baking tray.
First, spread all the cannabis evenly into the non-stick paper over a baking tray with a fine layer. The decarboxylation process can also be done using the oven. Heat the oven to 120ºC (255ºF) and put the cannabis to bake for about 45 minutes to one hour to decarboxylate the plant material.
After this process, boil water in a large pan, creating a double boiler for a water bath with a metal or glass bowl over it as this will heat the oil through the water vapor. Add the decarboxylated cannabis to the oil and keep mixing it. Use a kitchen thermometer to keep the oil at 105ºC (220ºF), letting it sit for about 3 hours, stirring a bit every half an hour, and making sure the water doesn’t evaporate completely. Turn off the heat, let the mixture sit for 3 hours, and then repeat the double boiling process for another 3 hours.
Leave the buds and oil mixture to sit for the night, and the next morning, strain the oil using the cheesecloth or coffee filter. Your CBD oil is then ready to use, and the concentration will depend on the amount of buds you soaked into the oil and its CBD ratio. You can use this oil for either vaping or ingesting, but it will be less concentrated than the oil extracted using the alcohol method. The remaining strained plants from this process do not contain any cannabinoids and can be thrown away or used for compost.
Now that you’ve learned more about how to make CBD oil from hemp, these two methods make it easier to extract your own CBD oil at home for vaping or ingesting. Make sure to follow these instructions thoroughly and use the suggested ingredients and equipment. It is highly advised to consult with a trusted health professional before using any sort of cannabis oil, especially if you are going through medical treatments. A physician with experience prescribing CBD treatments may know what the advised dosage should be and how these oils can interact with other therapies you’re undergoing.
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