Sample Category Title - Top CBD Vaping Oils, Juices and E-Liquids for Vaporizer Pens

Vaping is a great way to consume cannabidiol. Read this best CBD vape oil safety guide to learn the top vaporizer pen safety tips.

Do you love your vaporizer pen? The e-cigarette revolution is changing smoking forever. One in 20 U.S. adults vapes.

It isn't all about tobacco and nicotine, though. Vaping is a great way to consume cannabidiol (CBD). Similar to a nebulizer used for asthma, a vaporizer pen creates a mist of ultra-fine particles to breathe.

This means that you can feel the benefits quickly and with minimal breakdown. Not all CBD products are meant for vaping, however. Vaping rigs are delicate instruments.

E-liquids need the correct viscosity and content to work safely. You want them to be safe to breathe, too. Want to find the best CBD vape oil?

Read on to learn more.

Why Vape CBD?

CBD is available in many forms, from topical creams to delicious edibles. For people seeking fast CBD effects, vaping beats all other forms of delivery. The rapid absorption rate favors vape oil as a delivery method for those who use CBD for stress, anxiety attacks or pain.

Vaporized CBD enters the bloodstream directly. It does not pass through the gut and the liver.

This means that up to ten times as much CBD enters your system when you vape a concentrated CBD oil compared to an edible containing the same amount of oil. On top of that, the effects are nearly instant.

As a bonus, vaping CBD, especially if you eschew strong flavors, is discreet. Pure CBD has no distinctive smell and is indistinguishable from other types of vaping oils.

Straight CBD or Tasty Clouds?

Vaping can be a form of relaxing social relief or a fast way to deliver CBD to the bloodstream. There are many CBD e-liquids on the market that include other ingredients to enhance the experience. However, some people just want to stick to CBD.

Vape oil concentrates offer CBD in its purest form. There are only a small number of ingredients in superior CBD vape oil concentrates. Most are usually 100 percent pure CBD extract.

Dose calculation is easy. A single inhalation of concentrate can pack in as much CBD as several drops of CBD oil under the tongue and in a fraction of the time. Thick CBD oil concentrates can only be used in vape pens designed for their use.

E-liquids contain CBD extract, plus flavorings, vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG). VG and PG are additives common to vaping and produce the distinctive clouds and mouthfeel.

Vaping Basics

All vapes, whether they look like a USB drive or a Star Trek communicator, have four basic components. They are a battery, an atomizer (heating coil), the mouthpiece and a place to chamber the vaping materials.

Compared to lighting up, they are discreet and some are quite elegant.

There are two types used for vaping CBD. There is the “tank” style (the one that has the boxy Star-Trek classic look) and the “pen” style which looks like a stylus.

Both have distinct advantages. Both also have passionate users, so expect lots of conflicting opinions and advice.

The Tank Style

The tank style of vape produces the popular billowing clouds. Tanks use e-juice, a mix of CBD, flavor, and extenders like propylene glycol (PG) and/or vegetable glycerin (VG).

There is a heating element inside. The heating element has a wick to absorb the liquid into the coils.

Tank style vapes come in refillable and disposable options. Most tobacco users choose the refillable version. Most have replaceable and customizable heating coils. Users add their own e-juice to refillable vapes.

Disposable vapes, or cartomizers, use prefilled, disposable cartridges. They use inexpensive materials. Sometimes they are of unknown quality.

With disposable vapes, users have little control over the metal used in the coil, flavors used in the e-juice, CBD quality or the types and ratios of chemicals used.

Pen Style Vapes

A pen-style vape uses concentrates. The pen consists of a chamber with a metal heating coil in the bottom. The coil vaporizes a concentrated solution dropped directly on the heating element.

These refillable vapes are the best option for users concerned with CBD dose. A refillable pen style vape that uses CBD concentrates instead of blended e-juices allows the user to control what chemicals are inhaled.

These types of vapes are sold as all-in-one kits. Replacement parts can be purchased online. Over time and use, the heating coil oxidizes and must be replaced. Metal microparticles can end up in the vapor otherwise.

Use of only pure, concentrated CBD isolates in the pen lengthens the life of the metal coil. Flavor additives and low-quality CBD leave a residue on the coils and speeds up wear.

How to Choose the Best CBD Vape Oil

It's the Wild, Wild, West out there. There aren't many (or any) FDA approvals or regulations regarding CBD vape oil. There is no guarantee other than the good name of the manufacturer or seller.

• Where does the CBD come from?
• How do you know the vape oil is clean and without additives?
• How do you know that CBD is present in any strength?

“Pure” CBD oil is extracted from the raw cannabis plant. Pure CBD isolate is a crystalline solid, so the oil is simply a carrier for the CBD. Depending on the method used to extract the CBD oil, a small amount of a neutral material may be added to correct the viscosity.

Manufacturers can use hemp or marijuana strains of cannabis to extract CBD oil. Hemp strains are subject to less restrictive legal sales.

The Importance of CBD Origin

The vast majority of CBD in the U.S. is derived from perfectly legal industrial hemp. Although hemp and marijuana are both cannabis, hemp contains less than 0.3% THC by weight. Marijuana contains more than 0.3% THC and is still unlawful in most places.

Very large volumes of hemp leaves and stems are needed to extract CBD oil. Most of this raw plant material is imported from places like China, India or Turkey. The largest concern for this imported material is contamination.

There are no regulations regarding growing conditions or soils. Hemp is a bio-accumulator. That means it readily retains heavy metals, pesticides, and toxins from the soil or water. These, in turn, are concentrated into the oil.

Where possible, choose organically grown and responsibly extracted CBD oil.

Clean Extraction Matters

Processing hemp for CBD is not easy or inexpensive. There are four basic types of extraction. Only one process is recommended for vape pens.

CO2 Method

Pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) is the solvent that pulls CBD from the plant materials. It is safe and effective. However, it involves extremely expensive equipment to freeze and compress the CO2.

There are two forms of CO2 extraction, supercritical and subcritical. These terms refer to the extraction temperature and pressure.

Each type yields different molecules. The highest quality, full spectrum oils use both types of CO2 extract the maximum number of compounds.

The extracted oil is potent and free of most contaminants. Some manufacturers go through an additional step of winterization to make sure that the cuticle waxes of the raw plants do not pass into the finished product.

Oil Extraction Method

In this method, the raw plant material is heated for a specific length of time and then steeped in oil. Olive oil, coconut oil or MCT are often used. Even butter is used on occasion.

These oils are NOT meant for vaporization. Do NOT ruin your pen style vape with this type of low-quality oil.

Dry Ice Extraction

This home method uses dry ice and agitation to freeze plant resins, to allow manual collection. The result is a higher yield than the oil method, but also low-quality.

Solvent Method

The raw plant material is washed in a low-cost solvent to extract CBD. Some solvents are ethanol, butane (lighter fluid) or low-grade alcohol. These solvents are cheap, powerful and mostly safe.

The plant material is chopped up and agitated with solvent. Then the mix is strained and heated to remove the solvent. However, these solvents can dissolve unwanted compounds with the CBD and leave a residue of their own.

The resulting oil can then undergo filtration to remove the unwanted compounds and residues, but that reduces potency.

Butane (lighter fuel) leaves a more potent oil. Unfortunately, a small portion of lighter fluid is not butane. Instead, carcinogenic chemicals like neopentane and hexane or lung irritants are in the mix.

Vaping oils created by the solvent method can expose a person to several toxic chemicals.

CBD Content Per Dose

There is no uniform, industry-standard way to measure and communicate the amount of CBD in your vape oil. It really is a case of “let the buyer beware”. For example, the label may indicate a percentage, a number of milligrams per bottle or even milligrams per milliliter.

Beyond that, you don't know how the number was determined. Independent, third-party testing by a trusted laboratory is one way to ensure proper content. Many manufacturers now tout their verifications.

Additionally, independent testing can also verify that the oil is free from toxic chemicals or heavy metals. You really need to do some homework to find the best CBD vape oil. There are many sub-par products on the market.

Look for Reviews

In the absence of a national, industry-wide standard, the safest way to find the right product for you is through reviews and manufacturer reputation. Look for grower to consumer documentation, including cannabis testing while growing, and tests of the finished products.

If you go online and search for CBD oil, thousands of results pop up. Unsurprisingly, most of the products are unsafe or unsuitable for use in your vape pen. Given the cost of both your vape pen and CBD oil, mistakes aren't cheap.

They could even be dangerous to consume or damaging to vape. Skip websites and retailers that lack reliable reviews, certificates of analysis and knowledgeable staff.

Vaping Safely

Vape pen misuse can result in damage or injury. Only use vape pens designed for thick oils and waxes with concentrates. Coils in vape pens must be replaced when they show signs of wear.

The performance of vape pens varies greatly between different devices. Some pens are buttonless and are activated by drawing air through the device. Other vape pens have an activation button to heat the coil.

Vape pen heating elements can get red hot. A small amount of the solution inside the prefilled cartridges can smolder or burn. This is not ideal and can release toxins from otherwise safe to ingest oils.

Again, look for reviews and experienced guidance to choose the right vape pen for your concentrates.

A Word About Batteries

The strength and heat of your vape pen battery can make the difference in the number of aerosolized impurities. Look for a 3.7-volt button-activated pen. Oils should not be vaporized above 4.2 volts.

The reason for button activation is to prevent inhalation of overheated vapors. Thicker oils require some preheating to thin and coat the coils. Pre-heat 5-10 seconds before drawing on vapor.

Some basic battery safety tips:

• Always use the correct battery
• Store batteries properly
• Examine battery wraps for wear or damage
• Use the right charger
• Don't overcharge or over drain
• Avoid temperature extremes
• Replace batteries every six months to a year

Failure to follow basic battery safety suggestions can result in damage to your vape pen or battery fire.