Though the number of people that use CBD vape oil continues to grow, only a few of the users fully understand the intricate process of how the product gets ready for sale and use. In 2020 the FDA took to testing most of the CBD products in the market. Their findings stated that over 25% of these oils and concentrates were sold under pretenses.
This mislabelling and exaggeration of benefits necessitate a review of the production process. Users cannot test the products they use, but with some understanding, they can choose the best CBD vape oils. The following is a breakdown of the standard manufacturing processes from hemp growth to CBD oil sales.
Selection and Growth of High-Quality Hemp
Like any other manufacturing process, making vape oils begins with the raw product, hemp. Most companies aim to find the best hemp buds and flowers for their manufacturing. The quality of the bud goes a long way in determining the quality of the end product after all the processes.
Due to the 2018 Farm Bill, there has been a crop up of companies that claim to sell high-quality hemp. Some of these companies go as far as stating their use of organic compounds in managing plants. It is always better to use hemp products that claim to be organic since they contain fewer amounts of toxic materials.
While some companies grow their hemp, others prefer to source it from reputable farms. For the latter, they carry out the needed tests before beginning the extraction of the cannabidiol. Reputable brands even produce a Certificate of Analysis on the hemp that got used so users can have a chance to review the contents.
Vaping has become a worldwide sensation, with multiple companies selling products and equipment that aid the user. At AskGrowers, users only have to visit the page to purchase whatever they want. The site stocks a range of items, from cartridges to vape juices, rechargeable pens, and so much more.
Types of CBD Extraction
After selecting high-quality buds, the following step is extracting CBD from the bud. Different sites such as https://askgrowers.com/cbd/cbd-vaping/cbd-vape-oils aim to stock oils from companies that use top tier extraction processes.There are three main extraction processes that companies use.
CO2 Extraction
This method takes advantage of CO2’s ability to transform from solid to gas to liquid at different heating and cooling levels. It typically involves CO2 and the hemp materials passing through three chambers. In the first chamber, the CO2 is in a solid state.
It gets heated into a liquid and combines with the hemp materials in the second chamber. The liquid gas enables the CBD oil and other terpenes to integrate into it, forming a concentrated compound fully. After the combination, the mixture moves to the third stage, which is heated to a gas.
The CO2 evaporates, leaving behind concentrated oil. This method is the safest and an elaborate way to achieve highly pure CBD vape oils with terpenes. For those that do not require additional terpenes, further distillation is necessary.
Ethanol Extraction
With ethanol extraction, it is essential to note that it is more time efficient than the CO2 process. The hemp bud gets mixed with a grain-based ethanol solvent in this case. This mixture leads to the separation of CBD from other cannabidiols in the plant. The efficiency of the process makes it suitable for use by huge companies.
This extraction technique is safe even though it ruins CBD wax which can be helpful in the delivery of cannabidiol into the body. Regardless, your CBD vape pen with essential oils may be a product of this process.
Hydrocarbon Extraction
Like the other two processes, the hydrocarbon route involves mixing the hemp with a liquid. In this case, the commonly applicable ones are butane and propane. The liquids get added to decarboxylated hemp and remove any impurities in the compound. It does away with terpenes, cannabidiols, and other materials, leaving the CBD alone.
The cost of running the hydrocarbon extraction is lower than with the other methods. The only downside is that sometimes the solvent only removes some of the impurities but not all. This occurrence requires additional distilling processes.
Purification and Further Distillation
After the initial stages of CBD extraction, next comes the purification and distillation of the cannabidiol. As mentioned, the extraction technique determines whether the end product contains impurities or is safe. Companies add the purification process to safeguard users and increase the quality of their products.
This part of the manufacturing could either result in the purification of the cannabidiol or the addition of other oils and products. With the cleansing, they conduct tests to determine the contents of their CBD oil. They then distill the oil and perform different processes to remove these impurities. The goal is 100% CBD with no terpenes or any other substances.
The other option involves the addition of carrier oil and other additional compounds to achieve the entourage effect. The entourage effect is the combined effect of using a full spectrum oil with essential oils, flavoring, and other elements. Manufacturers use compounds with helpful benefits, helping all its contents be more impactful.
Third-Party Testing
After the purification and distillation comes third-party testing. Companies carry out their testing after production but still prefer the service of third-party labs. These tests ascertain the products’ contents, allowing users to trust the brands. Reviewing the lab tests to understand everything about the product you purchase is always helpful.
On top of that, you can also access their Certificate of Analysis and compare the information to the third-party lab results. Reputable brands make these documents available to their users.
Conclusion
For anyone that finds cannabis products intriguing, coming up with CBD oil seems quite enticing. Fully understanding the process helps people appreciate the final product they use. In this case, looking at the extraction techniques and additional parts of the process allows one a complete understanding of the manufacturing of CBD oil. You can look at their details when buying products to determine that the company uses high-quality extraction techniques. The selection of hemp and extraction are strong determinants of the quality of the products.
This article was written by Denys Svirepchuk. Denys has been a major contributor to AskGrower’s content over the past few years. With this article, he aimed to educate the typical user on one of the most integral vape oils processes.
