How To Make CBD Oil at Home?

Never has it been easier to make your own CBD oil from home in Canada. With the legalization of marijuana, buying high-CBD cannabis flower or CBD-rich hemp flower can be done legally and conveniently from home or with a trip to the dispensary.

Though there are plenty of high quality oils out there (check out the oils on sale at the bottom of the article 🙂 you’ll get plenty of pleasure and satisfaction when you learn how to make cbd oil on your own. There are some great benefits to doing things DIY too.

For one, you get to choose exactly what goes in your oil. Do you want to use Hemp seed oil as the carrier oil? Olive oil? You can! Did you want to flavour the oil? Go right ahead! Did you want to make an oil that blends THC and all of a flower’s cannabinoids into it? Go for it!

If you want to make something roughly comparable to Full Spectrum CBD Oil with less than 0.3 % THC you’ll want to start with hemp flower. It’s also possible to use cannabis indica or sativa flower. With a vast selection of cannabis strains comes a very broad range of CBD to THC ratios—each of which offers a different set/range of effects. The anti-epilepsy drug Epidiolex, for example, is made using the Charlotte’s Web medical strain of cannabis which has very little THC but is roughly 15-20% CBD. The Death Bubba strain typically ranges between 17-26% THC and 11-12% CBD. By using different strains, you can actually custom create your own CBD/THC tincture with its own CBD/THC ratio, terpene and cannabinoid profile.

Once you’ve decided whether you’re using hemp flower or cannabis flower, you’ll want to think about which of the two extraction methods you’ll be using: the oil extraction method or the alcohol extraction method? The difference between the two extraction methods is that with the alcohol extraction method you are creating something of very high potency compared to extracting with oil.

Once your plan is set, just follow the straightforward steps below. What you end up creating might surprise you!

The Oil Extraction Method

Making CBD Oil: The Ingredients and Supplies

Assuming you want to start from scratch and not just emulsify CBD isolate in MCT oil, here’s the list of ingredients you’ll need to make CBD oil using hemp or cannabis flower out of your own kitchen:

Your choice of oil (16 ounces)
Hemp or cannabis flower (1 ounce)
Baking sheet
Double boiler or crock pot
Herb grinder or knife
Cheesecloth, coffee filter, or nut milk bag
Glass jar with lid for storage

The CBD Oil Making Process:

Select An Oil: You can use pretty much any oil you like, though most people go for either olive oil or coconut oil. Both of these are great options as they have subtle flavours which are quite pleasant. They’re also cheap and readily available!

Prepare Your Hemp for Decarboxylation:

Before you put flower in the oven to decarboxylate, you’ll need to grind it down to a very fine consistency. Use a grinder if possible, otherwise chop it thoroughly into the smallest bits you can. This increase the surface area from which cannabinoids are extracted from the plant fiber and increases how much you’re likely to get from the the flower.

Decarboxylate The Flower:

“Decarboxylate” is a fancy-sounding term, but it just means heating cannabinoids up enough to activate them from their neutral forms, a process which involves shedding carbon atoms. You can do this at home by spreading your finely ground hemp onto a baking sheet and popping in the oven on the center rack for 20 minutes if using old or lower quality weed; 45 minutes for cured, high-grade weed; or 1 hour or more for anything that has been recently harvested and is still wet. Your flower should come out lightly browned and slightly crisped

Infuse Flower Into Your Oil:

Stir your decarboxylated hemp into your oil, heating it in either a double boiler or a crock pot. This should be done on a lower heat setting with the crock pot, or with simmering water underneath the double boiler. Give the extraction process 3 to 4 hours, checking every half hour to stir and check on the color.

If you have a thermometer, check to make sure the temperature doesn’t reach above 180°. After a few hours, your oil should have turned a brownish-green color. We’re ready for the next step.

Strain the Oil:

Prepare a glass container and strainer and a piece of cheesecloth and pour oil into container. You may extract more cannabinoid by squeezing the plant fiber in the cheesecloth, however, this also releases bitter chlorophyll. The bitter flavour is unpleasant for some. For those who don’t want the bitterness, simply strain through cheesecloth without using any additional force.

Store your beautiful new oil in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

Reminder About CBD:

To extract maximum CBD with the least THC possible, make sure to extract your cannabinoids from hemp flower. Hemp flower will have a THC concentration under 0.3%, ensuring you don’t experience any psychoactive effects.

The Alcohol Extraction Method

**Important Note on Safety**

Alcohol vapours are highly flammable. Use strong ventilation when evaporating the alcohol in the final step. Failure to do so could result an open flame touching a cloud of alcohol vapour and you blowing yourself up in your kitchen.

This is the method to use to get a “pure” extract. This CBD oil-extraction process does not require special skills or advanced equipment, and is easy for beginners. Another plus: this extraction process avoids extracting any bitter flavours as it avoids releasing chorophyll.

First. Place flower in a ceramic or glass bowl. Cover it with ethanol and stir for about 6 minutes. After stirring, use a wooden spoon to press, squeeze and extract the resin from the plant fiber.

Second. Place a straining bag/sieve in a bowl to filter out the fiber. Squeeze out as much extract as possible. If you feel that more oil extraction is possible from the flower, repeat the process.

Third. Pour the extracted oil into double boiler and heat it until bubbles start to form. The aim is to evaporate the alcohol while making sure the temperature doesn’t exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Simmer oil for about thirty minutes on a very low flame. Once the alcohol evaporates completely, mix it and turn off the flame.

Fourth. Once cooled, there are two options for storage. 1. After all the alcohol is removed, and while still warm, draw the extract up into a large syringe or multiple smaller ones. This makes it easy to store and administer. 2. Transfer the concentrated extract in a storage bottle with a tight lid in a cool, dark and dry place.

The Cheat Method

This is by far the simplest way to make your own CBD oil at home. Buy CBD isolate and stir it into 300ml of the your carrier oil of choice. The obvious benefit here is that you get a pure CBD oil and you can fully control the dosage. 300ml fills 10 typical 30ml bottles with 1ml droppers. If your aim is to create a pure CBD isolate oil with no THC whatsoever, then this is the way to go.

Dosage:

2.5 grams CBD for 250mg per bottle
5 grams CBD for 500mg per bottle
10 grams CBD for 1000mg per bottle

Instructions:

Place oil in glass beaker/container and heat it gently in water (frying pan, soup pot, double boiler).
Once oil is warm, introduce the CBD isolate powder. Stir regularly for 10-30 minutes or until completely clear.
Pour into 30ml bottles using funnel if necessary.

Why Learn How To Make CBD Oil?

Clinical science already indicates CBD has powerful neuroprotectant, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties. Despite science laging CBD’s popularity somewhat, people have already started using CBD to help with the ailments listed below and more:

Seizures
Pain and inflammation
Depression
Nausea
Opioid withdrawal
Multiple sclerosis
Epilepsy and seizure disorders
Acne, skin dryness, rosacea, and eczema
PTSD and anxiety
Crohn’s disease
Migraines
Psychosis / mental disorders
Inflammatory bowel disease
PMS cramps
Endometriosis

Here are 3 reasons why CBD’s popularity has been skyrocketing:

No Side Effects. Anyone on OTC and prescription drugs knows about unpleasant side effects. CBD being non-toxic and non-addictive ensures you avoid them. With CBD, addiction and overdose just aren’t possible. CBD does have a few known side effects, but they’re very mild.
No “high.” CBD is a cannabinoid, but it won’t get you high. You will be fully functional when you take CBD. Ideal for anyone in need of relief while still being able to focus on tasks.
Word of mouth. Don’t take our word for it! Go online! You’ll find hundreds and thousands of testimonials from people whose experiences with CBD have been nothing but positive. Even more interesting are doctors who recount their patients’ positive experiences with CBD. It’s roughly as effective as OTC and prescription drugs for things like chronic pain and anxiety but with no side effects, addiction or overdose risks. Why not try?

To learn more about CBD, see our article CBD 101.