There are probably just as many CBD products on the market as there are cannabinoids in a cannabis plant. More choices aren’t necessarily better. With options galore, how do you determine legitimate products from the snake oils? A look at CBD reviews is important to filter out the oils and dabs that are inferior and potentially unsafe. The supplement market is full of crooks out to make a quick buck by peddling crap products. The cannabis industry is, unfortunately, no exception.
The Truth About the Supplement Industry
As with any supplement, always perform due diligence by doing your own research. Don’t just read the supplement company’s own published findings. Look at the science behind the product for independent research. Fortunately, with CBD products, plenty of such research is available.
We also advise treading with caution with any CBD product claiming to contain some special “proprietary blend.” That is a term to really watch out for in the supplement industry. Manufacturers use the term in their ingredients list to hide what’s really in their product. They can give the blend an official name and put it in the list instead of listing the actual compounds. It doesn’t matter if you’re purchasing CBD oil, probiotics, or joint pain relief cream. Always opt for “pure” over proprietary blends.
With that being said, we’re not suggesting CBD products should never have added ingredients. Some legitimate items may contain additional natural oils and herbs. This is absolutely fine as long as the add-ons are all-natural, and the manufacturer clearly lists them.
How Legitimate Are CBD Reviews?
Reading CBD reviews will help you determine which products are the real deal. You still, however, have to take the reviews at face value. If you’re a longtime customer of Amazon, then you know products are full of fake reviews. This isn’t a knock on Amazon, but vendors do encourage customers to post five-star reviews, usually in exchange for some sort of freebie.
Be wary of a CBD oil reviews where a product get a perfect five-star rating in 48 out of 50 or so reviews. This is especially the case when the majority of those reviews are very brief. Surely, you have seen one-sentence reviews where reviewers simply said “I liked it very much” or something to that extent and left it at that. Real reviewers who are taking their time to evaluate a product will write a few paragraphs. They’ll outline what they did and didn’t like.
A legitimate product will usually have an average rating of 3.5 to 4.5 stars. Remember that no matter how good a product is, there will always be dissatisfied users. These people either had too many expectations, or their bodies didn’t respond to the cannabinoids for one reason or another.
Parameters for CBD Oil Reviews
As a user or potential future user, what are your parameters when evaluating the best CBD reviews? Some reviewers provide a very detailed breakdown with overviews of its taste, price, ease of use, and overall effectiveness.
Here are some points that reviewers may discuss in their reviews that may be relevant:
Price
How expensive is that tincture of CBD hemp oil? Sometimes, you truly get what you pay for with that below $10 bottle of CBD extract. On the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive brands aren’t necessarily the best either. The brand names typically have higher costs to cover the marketing and endorsement expenses. A good reviewer will measure the cost in relation to the other factors below.
Taste
Most CBD oils are tasteless, which is a good thing since that means there are no artificial flavors. If you buy CBD capsules, then taste is obviously a nonfactor. For oils, dabs, and edibles, manufacturers may add additional ingredients for flavoring. This is absolutely fine as long as the ingredients are from all-natural sources.
We have seen reviews with unfairly low scores because the reviewer didn’t like the bland taste. We believe taste should be lower on the scale of importance. Effectiveness should be a far higher parameter in a CBD oil review.
Ease of use
We recommend that beginners start with CBD oils, capsules, or topicals. CBD wax and other dabs are for vaping, which requires a vape pen and heating the dab. Beginners may not understand how this works, leading to confusion and frustration. As with taste, we have seen reviewers give low scores because they thought the product was too complex to use. We liken this to a baby learning how to walk before learning to crawl. Start with pills, oils, and tinctures if you’re a first-timer. After the “initiation” phase, you can experiment with vapes as the next step.
Immediacy of effects
Some reviewers have complained of the time it takes for the effects to kick in. Longer effect times can be problematic, especially for people taking CBD to treat pain. What’s important to realize, though, is that effect times depend on mode of administration. CBD wax for vaping, for instance, has a higher bioavailability and goes into effect more quickly than oil via oral ingestion. Some people who switch over to CBD oil after using a CBD vape may notice longer effect times. They wrongly attribute this to the quality of the product and give it a negative review as a consequence.
Length of effect
While CBD oils and capsules may take longer to go into effect, the effects do tend to last longer. The same goes for CBD topicals and edibles. This is due to the slower absorption through the intestinal tracts. CBD in pill form with time-release capsules will especially have long-lasting effects.
Overall effectiveness
Reviewers will usually give a final rating with all the above factors in consideration. They will do a final summation and say whether they would recommend the product to a friend.
Customer service
This is not really relevant to the product itself. Nevertheless, reviewers may subtract a star or two based on a negative customer service experience. If shipping took too long or an inquiry went unanswered, customers may be inclined to write a bad product review.
Do Your Research
With all its health benefits, supplementing with CBD can be life-altering. However, not any product with “CBD” slapped on the label will do the trick. Know the origin of the product and its general consensus from actual users. Read CBD oil reviews the way you would for any health supplement.
See our Where to Buy page for product recommendations. Of course, don’t take our word for it; search out the independent reviews for yourself.
negitive side effects please?
Hey Diane – we actually have a researcher going through the documentation and studies now so we can write a whole post, but so far the negative side effects of CBD that’s pure, organic, and natural are minimal. The worst reported side effect I’ve heard of are headaches caused by inhaling MCT oil for people who are sensitive to it. You may get drowsy or hyper-alert if you take the wrong amount. Let me know if you want me to follow up when the full post comes out.