If you’ve recently gotten into the world of CBD products, you’ve probably thought something along the lines of “by golly, there are most certainly a lot of high-quality products to choose from to satisfy all of my CBD needs!” and that can feel a little overwhelming. For example, should you go with a CBD tincture or a CBD oil?
These two things might seem identical on the surface, but they do have some differences between them. That can make it pretty hard to decide which one you want, and that’s not great if you’re looking for speedy relief from whatever ails you.
Getting the right CBD product to fit your lifestyle is important, especially if you’re looking for sustainability in your CBD routine. But what is the difference between these two products, and which one is going to work out better for you in the long run?
We know that you have a lot of questions, and we’re going to do our best to ensure that you have a solid understanding of these products so you can feel more confident about the choices that you make moving forward. The more you know about this, the more easily you’ll be able to make your choices.
It doesn’t really matter if this is your first time trying out CBD or you’re just looking for more information so you can zero in on the things that you need the CBD to do for you. The more easily it fits into your lifestyle, the more likely it is to stick.
Figuring Out What CBD Is
Believe it or not, there are a lot of people that take CBD and have no idea what it actually is. These people just heard of the benefits that it can provide and decided that it was worth trying. For some people that works, but we think it’s usually smarter to understand what you’re ingesting.
CBD is one of over a hundred cannabinoids. Cannabinoids, in short, are chemical compounds that are sound in Cannabis Sativa L, or as you may know it marijuana or hemp. If you live in a state where marijuana is illegal, you might be a little worried about legality but odds are you have nothing to worry about.
The only cannabinoid that is illegal is THC. CBD is fully exempt from this because it’s a different chemical compound, and crops are grown without THC to ensure that the law is being followed. A good rule of thumb is that if a cannabis plant has THC it’s called marijuana, but if it doesn’t have THC it’s called hemp.
CBD offers a lot of therapeutic benefits, according to its users at the very least. These effects are varied, and some people don’t seem to notice these effects, but here is the list of the most common claims:
- Relaxation
- More restful sleep.
- Ease of discomfort.
- Improved mobility.
- More stable moods.
As we mentioned, these benefits might not be apparent for everyone, but for those that do get these effects, CBD is a godsend. Many people have CBD as a part of their daily routine and notice incredible effects from it.
What Are Tinctures?
Let’s begin with CBD tinctures. A lot of people don’t know what a tincture is, even though they are relatively common in this day and age. With more and more people using CBD, more and more people are being exposed to tinctures.
In short, a tincture is an extract of plant or animal matter. It’s typically an alcohol-based solution, but it’s not uncommon for people and companies to use a food-grade glycerine. When looking over the product’s packaging you can usually tell if it’s alcohol-free because it will say so.
There are a couple of different types of CBD tinctures that we’ll be covering in this section, and each is better for different people’s needs. Which you choose would really depend on what you want:
- Full-spectrum CBD tinctures
- These tinctures contain not only CBD but other cannabinoids and terpenes. These are meant to provide you with the most possible benefits from use, and a lot of the compounds found in these tinctures work together synergistically.
- CBD Isolates
- It might seem like you’d be getting less for your money, but CBD isolate tinctures are tinctures that only have CBD in them. These work the best for people that only want CBD and nothing else. There are a variety of reasons why this might be a preference.
Taking a tincture is actually pretty simple and doesn’t require too much effort. Tinctures usually come in a glass vial with an eyedropper as the lid, which makes dosing child’s play. Just fill up the eyedropper to the level recommended in whatever literature came with the tincture.
Once you have the tincture in the eyedropper, just empty it under your tongue and hold it there for at least 60 seconds. That’s the least amount of time it takes to absorb into your body, you could realistically hold it under your tongue until it’s fully absorbed.
If you don’t want to keep it in for over sixty seconds, you can either swallow it or spit it out. You might end up not wanting to because tinctures are not exactly famous for their taste. If you want the stronger effects you’ll just deal with it, but you’re totally allowed to swallow it if you’re done with the taste.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is definitely one of the most popular CBD products on the market, and when you go down to the CBD aisle it’s apparent that people really enjoy CBD oil. But what is it? What is it made of and how does one ingest it?
Well, let’s start with what CBD oil is typically made out of. Most CBD oils are made of oils that you can find in your house! That means things like coconut oil and hemp seed oil. It’s always food-grade so you can ingest it easily.
That being said, make sure that you’re paying attention to what you’re buying because not every CBD product is food-grade. There are topical CBD products that could mess you up if you ate them. Just make sure to read the labels and you should be fine.
Now, how does one take CBD oil? That’s actually the neat part, there are a lot of ways that you can go about this. One of the biggest reasons why CBD oil is so popular is that it has a lot of ways that it can be taken and people really like that.
To take your CBD oil, you can:
- Take it sublingually.
- Just put a bit under your tongue for 60 seconds or longer, just like a tincture.
- Take it orally.
- You can just scoop a spoonful into your mouth and swallow it or you can mix it into your favorite food or drinks.
- Take it topically.
- Just take the oil in your hand and rub it into the affected area for quick relief.
far, the most effective way to take either of these products is the sublingual method. When you swallow things it has to be digested, and your digestive system will burn off a lot of the CBD, making it a lot weaker.
Topical application is also good because it can be absorbed through the skin to the areas that need it the most, but this can also waste some of the CBD through a lot of different paths. The most common way that this wastes CBD is when you put on too much and it smears off.
Which is Better?
You may have read the rest of this article and hoped that we’d have an easy answer to imply which is better overall. Unfortunately, we do not. Which one is better is entirely up to you and your preferences.
Typically, tinctures are considered to be more effective but more effective doesn’t always mean better, especially when it comes to your CBD experience. You might find the effects to be stronger but absolutely hate the taste of tinctures. That would be counter-productive.
Just experiment with different products and see which one you like the best. That one is going to be the best one for you, and you can continue to use that product for as long as you like. Remember, your CBD experience is about helping you find a little more comfort. Don’t let anyone tell you what’s better for you.
Getting Down with CBD
CBD might seem like it’s something that’s a newer part of the society that we live in, but we’ve been studying it for decades at this point in time. Knowing the best way to take it can mean a lot for your wellness in general.
Whether you pick tinctures, oil, or something else entirely is up to you. There’s freedom in that choice, and knowing what works best for you will ensure that you get the best possible CBD experience that is customized specifically for you and by you.
