CBD Oil vs Vaping CBD: Which Is Best?
CBD is more popular than ever. As a result, CBD oil is no longer the only CBD product you can buy; companies now offer capsules, creams, gummies, and many other types of products, which, although allowing Canadians more choice than ever before when buying CBD, can be pretty overwhelming
One particularly exciting new way to use CBD is vaping. How does this method compare to regular CBD oil? Which one is better?
Let’s compare these two popular methods of using CBD to help you choose the right one.
CBD Oil
CBD oil is the most popular type of CBD product. It’s made by extracting oil from the aerial (above ground) parts of hemp, a variety of cannabis with minimal (<0.3%) THC levels.
The resulting CBD-rich hemp oil is then mixed with a carrier oil that helps your body absorb CBD and is sold in a bottle with a dropper.
CBD oil is applied sublingually, meaning it’s absorbed into the blood vessels under your tongue. The effects of CBD oil take about 15-30 minutes to kick in and can last for as long as six hours.
Advantages of CBD Oil
CBD oil has several standout features that explain its popularity. For starters, it has a good level of absorption, which plays a major role in the effectiveness of CBD.
Simply put, the fact that CBD from tinctures is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and bypasses the digestive system makes it more potent than capsules and gummies.
CBD oil also works relatively quickly (15-30 minutes), allows for easy dosage control, and is arguably the most versatile and cost-effective way to use CBD.
Vaping CBD Juice
An increasingly popular alternative to smoking, vaping refers to inhaling vapor containing vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), and other ingredients such as nicotine.
Vaping works by heating a liquid called juice or e-liquid to turn it into vapor which can then be inhaled.
The popularity of vaping has led to the appearance of CBD-infused vape juice. This juice typically contains a standard base of VG and PG combined with CBD isolate, a >99% pure form of CBD.
Vaping CBD juice works much in the same way as regular vaping.
The vaporizer device turns the CBD e-liquid into vapor, which is then inhaled into the lungs, allowing for effective, rapid absorption into the bloodstream.
The effects of vaping CBD are felt almost instantly but last only 1-3 hours.
Vaping CBD juice feels like inhaling water vapor in a steam room. You may also feel some throat and chest irritation, especially if you’re new to vaping. At the same time, you will taste the flavor of your CBD juice.
Keep in mind that unlike vaping nicotine, vaping CBD will not produce any psychoactive or euphoric effects. Instead, you may feel calm or relaxed because CBD is known to anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) properties.
Advantages of Vaping CBD Juice
The main advantage of vaping CBD is nearly instantaneous effects. This makes vaping CBD ideal for acute issues that require immediate relief, such as panic attacks or severe pain.
Another upside of vaping CBD is high absorption levels that are similar to or higher than sublingual CBD oil. Thanks to these two advantages, vaping CBD juice is arguably the most potent method of using CBD.
Also, there’s the fun and convenience factor. Producing large clouds of flavorful vapor is enjoyable and you can carry your vape with you and use it discreetly in most places.
CBD Oil vs Vaping CBD Juice
As we can see, using CBD oil is quite different from vaping CBD juice. So, which one is right for you? In most cases, CBD oil is the better choice. Here’s why.
To begin with, many CBD oils are made with full-spectrum extract, which contains all of the beneficial cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds found in hemp.
By comparison, most CBD vape e-liquids are made with CBD isolate, a purified form of CBD that’s less effective.
Although you can make up for this by specifically looking for full-spectrum CBD juice, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many products.
Another advantage of CBD oil vs vaping is cost-effectiveness. CBD oils have a lower cost per mg of CBD than vape juice and don’t require additional items like vaporizers and coils. Also, CBD oil provides longer-lasting relief: an average of 3-6 hours vs only 1-3 for vaping.
Furthermore, it’s easier to control dosage with CBD oil than vape e-liquid.
As long as you know how much CBD is in your tincture, it’s easy to figure out how much CBD is in a single drop and adjust your dose up or down.
On the other hand, it’s far more difficult to figure out the amount of CBD you’re getting from vaping.
Yet another upside of CBD oil is its versatility. Although CBD oil is meant to be used sublingually (under the tongue), you can also apply it to the skin and add it to foods and drinks such as coffee. By comparison, CBD vape juice can only be used in a vape device.
Lastly, whereas CBD oil is safe, there are some concerns over the safety of vaping. Although health experts agree that vaping is significantly safer than smoking, they stress that we don’t know much about the long-term safety of inhaling vaping substances such as vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol.
For example, some early studies have reported an increased risk of a heart attack in people who vape. The bottom line is that inhaling anything other than air comes with potential risks.
Cases Where Vaping CBD Can Be Better
Nevertheless, vaping CBD can be better than using CBD oil in some cases.
The best example is when you have symptoms that require immediate relief, such as severe pain or a panic attack.
In this case, CBD vape juice would provide instant relief whereas CBD oil would take 15-30 minutes to start working.
Besides, some people like to vape because it’s a pleasant experience. Whereas CBD oil can feel like taking medicine, vaping involves tasting delicious flavors and producing large clouds of vapor.
Last but not least, vaping can be more convenient than using CBD oil. Vapes are portable, can be used in public, and work with a simple inhale.
By comparison, CBD oil is less discreet and requires you to follow specific instructions like holding oil under your tongue for 60 seconds.
Both CBD Oil and Vaping Have Their Place
To sum up, although both methods are beneficial, CBD oil is better than vaping CBD in most situations.
CBD oil is cheaper, more versatile, easier to dose, has longer effects, doesn’t carry potential health risks, and often contains a more potent type of hemp extract than CBD vape juice.
Nonetheless, context matters, and there are some cases where vaping CBD can be the better choice.
For example, people who suffer from sudden issues such as pain flare-ups or anxiety attacks would prefer the instant relief of vaping CBD over the slower effects of CBD oil.
Also, some people prefer the fun and convenience of vaping.
And let’s not forget that you can use both types of products. For example, you can use a CBD oil tincture at home and vape CBD when you’re out and about.
Whatever the case, we hope this article cleared up the difference between CBD oil and vaping.
