Which CBD Fads Can You Trust & Which Should You Pass On?

When it comes to CBD products and the ever-growing CBD market, how do you know what’s legitimate and what’s not worth your time? Below, we’ve come up with a few questions you can use whenever you’re considering a CBD purchase.

Will This Product Be a Part of My Daily Life?

For best results, CBD should be administered consistently. CBD products can produce immediate results, but like all cannabinoids, CBD builds up in the body over time and can cause an increase in cannabinoid receptors. The more receptors, the more active the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Before purchasing a CBD product, consider how often you’ll use it. For example, if you don’t take five to six baths a week, a CBD bath bomb might not be right for you. The same goes for CBD candy bars, honey, and beauty products. These may provide a momentary boost, but if they’re not a consistent part of your lifestyle or being used alongside other CBD products, they likely aren’t the ideal way to use CBD.

How Is the Product Administered?

Taking CBD sublingually (i.e., under the tongue) is the most common way to take CBD because it’s one of the fastest for experiencing its benefits. There are other ways to use CBD, of course, such as vaping, ingesting, and applying topically.

It’s important to remember that topical CBD products are recommended for addressing specific areas, so they may not provide full body benefits. These products tend to be more effective for targeted relief and are best used alongside a CBD tincture or edible.

Some products may not be in contact with the body long enough to have much of an impact. Depending on how you use them, products such as CBD toothpaste, lip balm, and shampoo may not deliver the effects you desire because they’re rinsed away a few minutes after administration. Your best bet is sticking to products that are taken sublingually or ingested if a full-body benefit is the goal.

Is the Dosage Worth the Price?

There’s no definitive amount of CBD that makes it effective, but you should weigh the amount with the price. For instance, if a $10 CBD bath bomb only offers 2-5mg of CBD, it’s likely not worth your money. It might work, but it’s an incredibly ineffective way to take CBD from a cost perspective. Also, there’s no guarantee that the product will deliver what it promises. In fact, 40% of CBD products don’t contain as much CBD as their label state.

Keep in mind that not all CBD is created equal. Reputable brands generally have their products tested by third parties, so try to buy only from vendors that are transparent about their products. This can include certificates of analysis (i.e., lab testing results) and comprehensive guides that cover what the products are and how they’re to be used.

How Long Will This Product Last?

This question relates mostly to wearable CBD products, such as CBD t-shirts and bras. These products need to be washed, and even optimistic projections from the producers themselves estimate the CBD will remain potent for 40 washes or roughly six months of use. Given the price of some of these products, the bang may not be worth the buck.

Let’s Take a Closer Look at Some CBD Products

CBD Clothing

With CBD bras, yoga pants, and more hitting the market, it’s important to understand how and if these products might work. It’s critical to note that CBD clothing would only provide CBD topically, so only the area that comes into contact with your clothes would benefit.

Another consideration is cost. With workout leggings as expensive as $180 and a limited CBD shelf-life, there are much simpler and less expensive ways to take CBD for the relief and recovery benefits.

Beauty Products

CBD lip balms, shampoos, body washes, and mascaras are now on the market. Like CBD topicals, these products can be effective ways to address certain areas of the body. Topicals can be used to help relieve pain and inflammation, provide antioxidants, and produce a calming effect on the applied area.

They do not, however, provide the full-body experience a sublingual product does. To achieve the maximum effect, most CBD beauty products are likely at their best when paired with a CBD tincture. But price again becomes a factor. If you’re not willing to pay $20 for a tube of lip balm or $25 for shampoo that won’t provide full-body benefits, this may not be the solution for you.

Beverages

Products like CBD water, beer, and coffee have, in theory, a chance of providing full-body benefits because they’re ingestible products. There are some red flags, however. Many of these beverages contain low amounts of CBD, and unless they’re carefully stored or packaged in a UV-resistant bottle, the CBD particles can become destabilized when exposed to light, removing the CBD effects.

CBD particles in beverage products can also be destabilized as soon as they interact with oxygen. In other words, if you don’t immediately chug, it’s likely to lose at least some of its efficacy. Simply opening and closing the bottle a few times can oxidize the CBD and render it ineffective as well. Then there’s the cost. CBD water sells for around $8 a bottle, and beer goes for even more. Unless the product is supplying high levels of CBD (and many are not), the price is likely not worth the limited effects.

This is likely the beginning of the CBD wave, and more products will continue to hit the market. Some could be very effective, while others may not live up to their great promises. It’s best to stick to proven products that explain what you’re buying from companies that can help you make an informed decision.

***

Frontier Jackson’s line of CBD oils, tinctures, gummies, and topical creams are lab-tested and are backed by a certificate of analysis. See which one is right for you.