We know just how challenging navigating the marketing field for CBD products can be: since our customers are always our highest priority, we pride ourselves on putting a lot of care into our products and how they’re presented. We also know that properly educating customers about your products as a CBD retailer can be tricky, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide for finding the best place to buy CBD oil.

Labeling: What to Keep in Mind 

Simply putting information about your product on its label isn’t just a necessity, but a key step in your customers’ purchasing journey. Since some still view CBD as novelty, it’s important to keep in mind that you’re not simply offering them a product, but also educating them about their purchase.

THC vs. CBD

One of the things to be mindful of when labeling is the connotations surrounding hemp oil is the distinction between CBD oil and THC-containing hemp seed oil. Here are some important distinctions:

• THC is what causes most of the psychological effects associated with cannabis, while CBD is not psychoactive.
• THC shows up on drug tests while CBD will not – it’s important that your customers are sure your product won’t cause them to fail a drug test.

Broad-Spectrum CBD vs. Full-Spectrum CBD vs. CBD. Isolate

Another important distinction to make is whether your product is made with full-spectrum CBD oil, broad-spectrum CBD oil, or CBD isolate.

An isolate contains just CBD because the CBD oil has been purified into a crystalline form, and all the other cannabinoids have been removed.

Full-spectrum CBD contains trace amounts of THC, the part of the hemp, and cannabis plant most associated with feeling “high” or intoxicated. In full-spectrum hemp CBD products, the levels of THC legally must be under .03%.

Tree of Life Seeds provides only broad-spectrum products. While we completely remove the THC, our products are made with full-spectrum CBD oil, meaning that they still contain the other naturally occurring phytocannabinoids and terpenes.

CBD Dosage

The dosage of CBD is also critically important to include on a label. People will need different dosages depending on what effect they want the CBD to have, and it will also vary depending on their body chemistry. Clearly explaining dosage to your customers will help them use it effectively and safely.

Certifications

Any certifications or distinguishing characteristics of your product should also be printed on your labels. These can include things like ISO 9001, which has to do with quality management. Another example is the Natural Farming practice, which means that your farmers let the plants grow naturally while avoiding as much human interference as possible, such as no pesticides, and whether or not your product was tested in the lab for potency and purity.

Tree of Life Seeds also includes a few other descriptions on our labels that let our customers know our product is high-quality. These include:

• Cruelty-free
• Artificial dye-free
• Paraben-free
• Mineral oil-free
• Phthalate-free

Growing Hemp and Extracting CBD

 To create high-quality, safe CBD products, another important factor to consider is how the hemp is grown and how the CBD is extracted. We recognize that growing hemp for CBD has many challenges and requires specialized care, which is why we work closely with our farmers to ensure best practices.

CBD and THC levels need to be constantly monitored because if the 0.3% THC limit is exceeded, hemp can no longer be used. A lot of conditions also need to be met to achieve the highest CBD yield, including the right soil and pH conditions and the absence of male plants, which can lower the yield. The plant also needs to be harvested at the right time to have the highest yield, which can be determined by the CBD levels, trichome color in the hemp’s bud, and the weather, since hemp harvesting is often synchronized with the hurricane season.

Several methods can be put in place to achieve a higher CBD yield:

• Hemp grows best in warm climates with rich soil that is loamy, well-aerated and has plenty of minerals and organic material. Testing the soil can be beneficial in determining if it’s the right place to grow hemp. Making sure it has plenty of sunlight will also help it to grow.
• You’ll also want to make sure that the hemp receives enough water and moisture during germination. During its growth cycle, hemp requires at least 20-30 inches of rainfall. Methods like tilling soil before planting the seeds can also help the hemp grow better.
• Organic growing. Growing your hemp organically is a feasible option since hemp tends to be pest-resistant and disease-resistant and can also grow without a ton of nutrient supplements. You’ll also already be limited in what things like herbicides and insecticides you can use since the EPA hasn’t registered any that are allowed to be used on hemp. You may be able to use minimum-risk pesticides that aren’t required to be registered with the EPA and are instead regulated by the states. However, you may consider avoiding them entirely if your goal is to grow hemp in the healthiest way possible.

CBD Extraction

There are several methods for extracting the CBD oil from the hemp once it has been grown and harvested. The safest among these are CO₂ extraction and solvent extraction. CO₂ extraction involves using supercritical CO₂, which means that it has properties of both a gas and a fluid. The supercritical CO₂ is used to separate the CBD oil from the rest of the hemp plant efficiently and safely.

Solvent extraction can also be safe if natural solvents are used, and Tree of Life Seeds uses the solvent extraction method to extract the oil using ethanol safely. Ethanol is used to separate the oil from the plant and is then evaporated. Because ethanol is a natural solvent, the risk of toxic residue is avoided.

CBD Good Manufacturing Practices

Another important thing to keep in mind is Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), which is a “system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.” By ensuring the correct procedures are being followed every step of the way, you guarantee your customer has a safer product. Making sure that each batch of products has undergone the same exact procedure is extremely important for pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately, many companies attribute all their products to the COA that shows the best results even though they used CBD oil from numerous batches– at Tree of Life Seeds, we make sure this doesn’t happen. Ensuring that you have COAs for each batch will set you apart as a higher-quality and safer brand.

Your Reputation is Our Priority 

If you’re looking for the best place to buy CBD oil, you’ll want to ensure that the company you’re sourcing from has the best possible reputation – this is crucial in a time when the market is beginning to take off, and many companies are just getting started.

A good place to start is encouraging your customers to share their reviews – new customers will often take these into heavy consideration when choosing products they aren’t yet familiar with. Additionally, making sure your brand has an active social media presence boosts your engagement and helps you connect with your customers on a more personal level!

For more information about Tree of Life Seed’s growth and extraction methods or if you’re interested in learning about wholesale options at Tree of Life, reach out to us here.