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What to Look for When Buying CBD in a Store

These days, you can buy CBD just about anywhere. In fact, CBD stores are just as popular as ever, and chances are, there’s quite a few of them right near where you live. But, while it’s great to have a lot of physical locations to choose from, there are some drawbacks to buying CBD from a brick and mortar store. Before checking out the nearest CBD locale, it’s a good idea to learn what to look for when buying CBD at a physical location. 

Ever since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill that made it legal to buy hemp-based CBD products throughout the United States, the CBD industry has skyrocketed in popularity. And with that insane amount of growth came an overabundance of retailers who jumped at the chance to stock their shelves with CBD products. So, even though in theory it may seem great that you can buy CBD products from just about anywhere, not all CBD products are created equal. Therefore, the chances of you picking up a poorly made product are that much higher than you may realize…unless you know what to look for when buying CBD. 

Some Important Things to Look for When Buying CBD

Never Underestimate the Power of Reading Ingredients

A young woman reads the ingredients in a bottle of CBD oil

This should go without saying. Do you read labels when you visit the grocery store? If so, then you should do the same when buying CBD. Before venturing out to the CBD store down the street, take some time to look into the ingredients of products made by reputable CBD brands. This will give you a good idea of what a clean CBD product is supposed to have in it. Sadly, many cheap CBD products don’t contain any CBD in them at all. Always go in with the understanding that all CBD brands are not created equal. Reputable brands use high-quality ingredients and clean, industry preferred extraction methods to obtain their extracts. A lot of less reputable brands tend to create cheaply made products using inferior ingredients and extraction methods that leave harmful and dangerous solvents and other chemicals in their final products. It’s up to you to do your research and educate yourself about CBD so that you will know how to spot a top-quality product that’s free of fillers, contaminants, additives, and other dangerous ingredients. 

Not All Brands and Products are Created Equal

If you’re out and about and see a CBD product that catches your eye but don’t quite recognize the brand name, then you may want to skip it. Get to know most all of the top reputable CBD brands in the industry because these are the ones that craft high-quality, potent, and clean CBD products. Brands like FAB CBD care about what goes into each and every product as well as how that product is made. When you buy CBD from an established manufacturer, you can be sure that you’re getting a top-shelf product that’s both clean and effective. Additionally, you should also select full-spectrum or broad spectrum CBD oils, as they contain a large range of  cannabinoids, terpenes, and phytonutrients from the hemp plant. Moreover, learn the difference between hemp oil and CBD oil. Whether you realize it or not, there’s a big difference between the two. Hemp oil products are made from hemp seeds and do not contain any cannabinoids like the ones found in CBD oil. Full-spectrum and broad spectrum CBD oils are made by extracting cannabinoids, terpenes, and other phytonutrients from the flowers, leaves, stems, and stalks of the hemp plant. These types of oils evoke what is known as the entourage effect. This simply means that they work in a synergistic way with each other to boost their positive effects while dampening their negative ones, thus allowing for more of a positive impact on you in the long-run. 

Third-Party Testing Means Transparency

A pipette with purple liquid is placed into the top of one of many open tubes in a tray

Most all reputable CBD brands use an independent third-party lab to routinely test all of their products for potency and purity. Furthermore, these brands also believe in being transparent with their customers. As such, they will make all third-party lab reports easy for customers to access by either posting the reports on their website, including them in with product purchases, or using some other method to get them to customers. Remember, third-party lab testing is not something that’s required for CBD brands to do. Any brand that puts its products through this type of rigorous testing is paying good money to ensure that their products are of top-quality, contain below the legal limit of 0.3% THC, and are devoid of mold, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other dangerous toxins. The team at FAB CBD truly cares about the quality, potency, and purity of its products. To that end, each product is regularly tested by an independent third-party lab. Those results are then made easy for customers to find on the FAB CBD website

Why Online CBD Retailers are Superior

A man holds an armful of CBD products against his chest

Even though convenience is king these days, you might want to think twice before visiting the local brick and mortar CBD store. While it may seem easy to pop in and buy the first product that catches your eye, you won’t be afforded the time you need to thoroughly investigate any brands or products that you have also taken an interest in. Moreover, while the staff at the store may be helpful, they may not be able to answer all of your questions in the way that you want them to. When you buy CBD products from reputable brands online, you can take all of the time you need to deeply research both the product and the brand in a relaxed environment with no pressure. This will allow you to use your sleuthing skills in order to thoroughly answer all of your most burning questions about CBD. 

The Pros of Shopping Online for CBD

If buying CBD from a brick and mortar location feels easier to you, then you may want to take these points into consideration:

  • The stock at stores is limited. Therefore, you can only select from the brands that they carry. 
  • While hemp-based CBD is federally legal across the United States, each individual state may have its own laws regarding CBD. When you buy CBD online, you will often be able to get a higher-quality product shipped directly to your doorstep. 
  • It’s more time consuming and it creates more feelings of stress and pressure to research a brand on your phone while in the store than online in the comfort of your home. 
  • There’s more of a chance that you’ll pick up a sub-par CBD product at a store that contains very little to no CBD, or that’s made with harmful ingredients than you would if you were to purchase CBD from a reputable brand online. At stores, it's sometimes difficult to discern the exact quality of the product you’re buying. 
  • You might be drawn to the cheaper prices of the CBD that’s sold in stores. Don’t let this seduce you. Remember, you should choose a high-quality product over one that’s cheaper in price that can potentially contain harmful chemicals, solvents, or other synthetic additives. 

What’s the Big Takeaway?

An open laptop on a desk with a notebook and pen in front of it

Even though there are more options than ever when it comes to buying CBD, all of them may not be the best for you. Convenience doesn’t always equate to quality. So, while local brick and mortar stores provide a fast and seemingly easy way to buy CBD, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a clean, potent, effective product from a highly reputable brand. Always do your due diligence and take the time needed to research both the product and the brand. This is the biggest reason why buying CBD from a reputable brand online is the best way to go. Not only will you be able to take all the time you need to make sure you’re getting the highest quality product, you’ll also be able to shop for pure and potent products at your leisure from the comfort of your home.