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Shopping for cannabidiol (CBD) products can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to CBD and are unfamiliar with the jargon surrounding CBD. Luckily, it’s become quite easy to buy CBD products online. Buying CBD online offers you flexibility while you read reviews and research the company. And it certainly doesn't hurt getting it delivered right to your door—but how do you know you’re getting a safe, high-quality product?
One thing we get asked about a lot is how to buy CBD safely online. To help you navigate the online world of CBD, we’ve provided a list of the top three questions to ask a CBD brand that will help ensure you’re getting a safe product.
There are hundreds of CBD companies popping up left and right—but as with anything you buy online, the safety and quality aren’t the same across the board. While it can seem overwhelming with so many products out there, there are a few key questions to ask that will give you confidence that you’re getting a safe product.
Ideally, you should be able to find this information on the company’s website, but if they don't provide it—or you just don't feel like digging around—call or email the company to ask them these three questions.
1. Is There Third-Party Testing and Transparency?
First and foremost, you need to ask the CBD brand if all of their products are third-party tested for quality and safety. This is the most important factor when it comes to how to buy CBD safely. Third-party testing of CBD products ensures purity, consistency, potency, and safety of the product being tested.
These results ensure you’re getting what you paid for by testing for cannabinoid and terpene profile as well as potency. Testing also gives you confidence that what you’re getting is safe to use by testing for pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, microbiological contaminants, and residual solvents.
Third-party testing provides unbiased test results for transparency and should be done by a lab that is completely unrelated to the company that it’s testing for. These results should be in the form of a scientific document, called a Certificate of Analysis, as seen above.
Typically, you can find batch results on the company’s website or via a QR code printed on the product packaging itself.
2. Where and How Is The Hemp Sourced?
Think about it like this—you can make a super complex meal that might even look appealing and healthy, but if you don’t start with safe, high-quality ingredients, it’s likely not going to taste very good or be good for you.
The same thing goes with CBD products. It’s important to know where the hemp plants are from and how they’re grown. Hemp plants can actually clean the surrounding soil and pull toxins and other contaminants up through their roots, so if the soil is of poor quality, it can make its way into the plant and the final product.
Look for CBD products that are derived from US-grown hemp plants that use best hemp farming practices—or even better, organic farming practices.
3. How Is The CBD Extracted?
The most common ways CBD is extracted are CO2 extraction, lipid-based extraction, solvent extraction, and steam distillation.
CO2 extraction: this method is currently regarded as the industry standard for CBD extraction because it produces a safe, clean, and pure end product. It does not require the use of harsh chemicals like alcohol or other solvents.
Lipid-based extraction: while a relatively new method, this method produces an end product with the same level of quality and safety as CO2 extraction.
Solvent extraction: because this method uses solvents, like ethanol, or hydrocarbons, such as butane or propane, the end product can potentially contain toxic solvent residue.
Steam distillation: While steam distillation does not use harsh chemicals, like alcohols and other solvents, it can potentially damage the chemical properties of certain cannabinoids because of the heat involved in the process. It can also produce inconsistent concentrations of CBD.
The bottom line: look for CBD products that use either CO2 extraction or lipid-based extraction, as these are currently the two cleanest and purest methods.
At Feals, we use extraction best practices and industry standards to provide you with the purest, cleanest, and most potent CBD products possible. Our products are formulated with only the purest ingredients. From sourcing to packaging, we act intentionally to ensure quality, safety, and sustainability.
Our products are grown with care and are hand-harvested by Colorado farmers following organic farming practices. Our rigorous triple-testing of every batch of our oils and double-testing of our mints ensure we deliver the highest quality products. Our commitment to transparency and quality means you can just scan the QR code on your product’s packaging and view the detailed test results or you can view batch results here.
If you still have questions about how to buy CBD safely online, our CX team would be more than happy to help you out—just give them a ring.
To learn more about how to buy CBD safely online—or about what Feals can do for you—call our CBD hotline at 844-311-9090 or check out our products today.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.
