If you wind the clock back five years, the terms CBD or cannabidiol based products would bear no relevance to the majority. Yet today, over one million UK residents are confirmed to be regular consumers of CBD oil. Additionally, there’s in excess of 1,000 different CBD brands. You may have heard the phrase – “not all CBD oil is created equally” – which is true, CBD oils differ from brand to brand. In this beginner’s guide, I will guide through the channels to ensure that you understand how to buy CBD oil, and get the best available CBD products.

Before we get started, never buy from eBay or Amazon.

Where Can You Buy CBD Oil?

As previously mentioned, you have over 1,000 CBD brands to choose from; so let’s start with where you can purchase CBD oil.

Shops That Sell CBD Oil

In the past 18 months, CBD oil has become mainstream. As a result, household giants such as Boots, Holland & Barrett, and WH Smith have recently stocked a range of CBD products.

As the CBD industry has been wedged in a grey area of uncertainty, this is seen as a positive movement for the industry.

The benefit of buying CBD oil from physical stores is that it’s tangible before you buy. Furthermore, we like to buy from trusted sources.

However, their knowledge of the product is limited. That’s not to say that you cannot buy a reputable CBD oil from the named outlets, but there lie two major downsides to buying from these retail giants:

  1. You are paying premium pricing but not necessarily receiving the best product, as:
  2. Holland & Barratt have recently had products tested and the results showed that there was less CBD oil than advertised.

If you want the best CBD products available at the best pricing, it is best that you go online.

Online CBD Oil Retailers

As with many things these days, most shopping is done online. If you are familiar with a CBD brand, you will undoubtedly go directly to their website. If not, you’ll likely search Google – where can I buy CBD oil?

But what next? With hundreds of options, how do you choose the best CBD brand? First and foremost, it is important that you realise that there isn’t one superior brand; however, the vast majority are inferior options.

Let’s be honest, we all like products at the best pricing, but let’s put that aside – it’s true what they say, you get what you pay for.

The most expensive ingredient in CBD oil is the CBD itself. With that in mind, look for transparent labeling.

CBD oils generally come in either 10ml or 30ml tinctures. Straight-forward so far. But poor labeling often confuses consumers. CBD tinctures are often advertised by how much cannabidiol they contain by percentage. For example, the most popular CBD oil products contain either 5, 10, or 15 percent of cannabidiol.

With a 10ml tincture, the maths is easy. But what about when it’s for a 30ml tincture? Consequently, consumers are confused.

A transparent label should clearly state the number of milligrams of CBD that the tincture contains. Moreover, advertising the percentage of CBD in addition to the number of milligrams aids you in fully understanding exactly how much CBD that you get for your money.

With that being said, how do you know that there is the amount of CBD that is being advertised? The answer is simple – look for third-party tested lab-results. If a CBD provider does not provide this, then my advice is to steer clear.

The rest gets more technical, which I’ll explain here:

What Is The Best CBD Oil?

Among the many brands to choose from, you’ll find three variants of oils:

Isolate-Based CBD Oil

CBD oils consist of a few ingredients: Cannabidiol, a carrier oil (such as MCT or hemp-seed oil), and some of the hemp plant’s other molecules such as flavonoids, terpenes and other cannabinoids in minor traces.

An isolate-based CBD oil will only consist of cannabidiol and a carrier oil. These oils are made using CBD isolate, which is as it sounds – CBD that has been isolated from the plant (99 percent plus CBD), which is then mixed with a carrier oil.

CBD oil that has been made using CBD isolate is considered to be the most inferior as you do not get the rest of the plant’s nutritious molecules.

Full-Spectrum CBD Oil

The most popular oil is known as a full-spectrum CBD oil, as it contains all of the plant’s natural compounds.

As well as CBD, you’ll have a good percentage of cannabidiol’s acidic predecessor CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), which is accompanied by flavonoids, terpenes and other cannabinoids (including a small amount of the intoxicating cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

It is suggested that a full-spectrum CBD oil is the best supplement as it induces the “entourage effect”.

Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil

In like-wise fashion to a full-spectrum oil, broad-spectrum CBD oils contain most of the plant’s other compounds, with the exclusion of THC.

Broad-Spectrum CBD oils come second in line to full-spectrum CBD oils, regarding superiority; however, that’s not to say that it isn’t a great product.

If you want the best that the hemp plant has to offer, then go for a full-spectrum oil. But if you are in a profession where drug tests are a likelihood and a failed result could cost you your job, then opt for the broad-spectrum alternative. It is important to note that a full-spectrum oil should not be avoided if you are afraid of THC’s high-inducing abilities, as the trace is so small that it won’t get you “high”.