CBD Oil vs. Hemp Oil vs. Hemp Extract vs. Hemp Seed Oil
First, let’s talk about pure hemp oil. This is a term we like to use because it highlights the fact that our skincare productscontain the power of organic whole-plant hemp extract, sourced from 100% USDA-certified organic hemp plants. When we’re using this term, we’re referring to oil that does in fact contain CBD. Other names for CBD oil are hemp extract and hemp extract oil. This is not to be confused with hemp seed oil.
This can get a little tricky because hemp seed oil is also sometimes referred to as hemp oil. There is a big difference though! Hemp seed oil is mainly sourced from the plant seeds of industrial hemp. It has been around, regulated, and tested for many years now and is considered to be a superfood due to its high levels of omegas, vitamins, and other nutrients. These qualities may help with pain and stress, and are great for hair and skin, but this isn’t the CBD oil you’ve been hearing so much about.
Hemp seeds contain no cannabinoids! This means that the power of CBD and other cannabinoids will not be present in its oil. This, unfortunately, makes hemp seed oil less desirable when it comes to consumption and topical uses, due to the fact that there will be no interaction with our bodies endocannabinoid system. On the other hand, the way we extract and activate our hemp extract oil was developed for maximum safety and efficacy to create an optimal CBD oil.
Extraction and Activation
We begin with whole organic hemp plants – including the flowers, leaves, and stalks. To capture and preserve the desired natural components in our pure hemp oil extract, we use vapor distillation – wherein heated air vaporizes and condenses select active compounds.
Next, we use “flash activation,” which – in less than two seconds – results in a distinctively potent and effective extract, with a full spectrum of more than 100 cannabinoids and a high level of naturally occurring terpenes.
Flash activation maximizes the entourage effect, which means that the cannabinoids and terpenes work together to provide the most effective benefits. It also lets us avoid using the typical technique of extended high heat and harsh solvents, which can drive off and destroy plants’ volatile terpenes and lower the efficacy of the extract.
This results in superior, full-spectrum CBD oil for superior skincare, and leads us into our next confusion and clarification!
Full-Spectrum vs. Isolate
CBD is popping up in everything from skincare products, to tinctures, to food and beverages – but did you know that not all CBD is created equally? As we stated earlier, the CBD that we use in our products is whole organic hemp plants. This refers to the fact that we use the flowers, leaves, and stalks when creating it. This is what is known as full-spectrum.
Full-Spectrum CBD – The fact that it contains the entire plant means that although the primary active cannabinoid is CBD, many others are included as well. We find that other cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN, and a few others all have positive effects on our bodies. This also allows for the plants natural terpenes and flavonoids to be extracted. This leads to more powerful results due to the entourage effect that we discussed above.
CBD Isolate – Unlike the process we use to extract our full-spectrum CBD, isolates do not include any of the other cannabinoids, flavonoids, and/or terpenes. The absence of these means that the entourage effect won’t be taking place. Isolates are created using extraction methods that remove everything from the plant except the CBD. This results in the over 99% (sometimes up to 99.9% or more) pure CBD.
We chose to use full-spectrum CBD because we are big believers in the entourage effect as well as all of the other positive traits that can only be achieved by using full-spectrum. CBD isolate, although we don’t use it, does have some great purposes as well. It is especially useful for people who are sensitive to other cannabinoids, or only wanting to take pure CBD for health reasons and ailments. We prefer a more holistic approach and know your skin will appreciate and feel the difference!
Want to give one of our 100% USDA-certified organic, full-spectrum hemp CBD skincare products a try? Click below to visit our online store! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive a coupon code for 15% off your first purchase!
