CBD Research - How CBD Comparison

The Complete Comparison of CBD oils, balms, and brands online

COMPARISON AND REVIEW OF CBD OIL, BRANDS, AND COMPANIES

It's a lot to ask for.

Especially in such a chaotic and exploding market!

But it is so needed right now.

The market for hemp-derived CBD is expected to grow by 700% in a few years!

Everyone and their mother has CBD for sale online.

You'll soon see it in drinks, donuts, and teething rings.

Okay...maybe not the last one but it's going to be everywhere!

A lot of it will just be fancy marketing with very inadequate CBD.

Or worse...poor quality CBD, contaminants, pesticides, and solvents!

With some of the amazing research we've highlighted on this site for anxiety, inflammation, and mental health, it's really important to get the best CBD available.

It's not all good.

We spoke with a major wholesaler off the record who described it as such...

"90% of the CBD being sold is trash"

They know.

They supply and/or extract the raw hemp oil, and the other companies will dilute it or not process it correctly.

So...we need a guide on comparing the CBD brands and oils out there.

You're here!!

If you want to jump right to prices for the company that passed the screening, click here:

find affordable and quality cbd isolate online with zero thc

Or you can jump to any section here:

Otherwise, let's get to it.

Too much is at stake!

Quick Intro To CBD Comparison

Here are some of the ground rules for our comparison.

We're going to focus on some of the top-rated and most popular brands.

There are literally 100's of CBD brands out there.

Most of them probably not worth their weight in...CBD.

We want to thin the herd and just focus on established brands.

In terms of what we focus on, the most important items:

Safety
Verifiable CBD levels
Cost
Processing

Everything really boils down to these attributes in the end.

Enough yapping. Here's the comparison.

We'll discuss the individual items below.

Drum roll, please!!

CBD Comparison For Allergy And Histamine Sensitive People

Before we jump into the major comparison, many people are asking for CBD Isolate which might be better for allergies and histamines.

This is roughly 40% of the population and up to 60% of women.

You can learn all about Full Spectrum versus CBD Isolate here but we want to avoid more plant material for mast cell activation.

CBD and Histamines or Allergies here.

The CBD Isolate options by price (IndigoNaturals has free shipping so pricing is equivalent):

IndigoNaturals 2000 CBD Isolate for allergy and histamine issues

On to the main Comparison.

CBD Brand And Rate Comparison

Here it is...

Summary Comparison of CBD brands in 2019

Some brands are better but we really love a few of them.

So...what's important in the comparison?

Most Important Concerns When Comparing CBD

If we had to pick the most important item in order, it would be:

3rd party testing
Contaminant-free
Cost
Full Spectrum versus Isolate

Those are the key items.

Let's look at each one in detail.

Compare 3rd Party Testing For CBD Products

This is so critical!

Otherwise, a CBD company is just a marketing gimmick.

We have to see the levels of the various cannabinoids.

This really speaks to the whole reason we're taking CBD, to begin with.

CBD can do so much good, but only if it's really CBD.

And nothing else.

This speaks to the 2nd reason for 3rd-party testing:

No contaminants
No heavy metals
No pesticide
No solvents
No bacteria or mold
No (or super low below .3%) THC

These results need to be available right on the website where you are purchasing.

Check 3rd Part Testing direction through the brand's product pages which are available here.

We will update each quarter for the best value CBD oil by each major brand.

You can always check the updated info through the Product Page here:

3rd-Party Testing...

That's #1!

Compare CBD Costs By Brand

There's a good chance that CBD will become part of your monthly regiment.

Almost everyone that tries it does this because its effects are apparent and powerful.

In many cases, life-changing!

We need to look at costs.

Which brands that meet our other requirements are the best value?

We need to be able to afford CBD long term.

Safety first.
Cost second.

Of course, we want to compare apples and apples.

This is a function of dosage (mg) and the volume of CBD (ml).

The cost per mg used in our comparison is a great way to do this.

It's like when you price check food at the grocery store and they have 4.3 cents per ounce versus 6.3 cents per ounce for a smaller volume EVEN though the second total price is cheaper.

We want the cost per mg of CBD.

We'll break it out by:

CBD Oil
CBD Balm (topical)
CBD Vape

Ask and you shall receive:

CBD Oil – Best Value By Brand

CBD Balm Best Value By Brand

CBD Vape Best Value By Brand

Apples and apples. CBD and CBD!

Finally, What Is In The Product...Isolate Of Full Spectrum?

This can be important...depending on your intended use.

CBD by itself is called "Isolate".

The raw hemp is processed through multiple steps to extract just the CBD itself.

A large percentage of hemp oil's health benefits come from the CBD itself.

There's the little added advantage that it's legal in 50 States.

That's a bonus!

What about Full Spectrum?

There's a big push in the market for "Full Spectrum".

Full Spectrum basically means that we'll have some of the other cannabinoids like CBN in small amounts. Also, terpenes, flavonoids, and more.

There's very little if any research to back these benefits and the other benefits substances are in tiny amounts compared to CBD naturally in the plant.

You can learn all about CBD isolate versus full spectrum here.

Not the usual marketing push...we'll look at the research and you may be surprised.

CBD will still be the primary constituent of the oil.

They're a great deal of press about the synergistic effects with the different cannabinoids working together.

It's known colloquially as the "entourage" effect although we still have our doubts on Turtle!

Read the article above first before making a decision on isolate versus full spectrum.

The jury's not in yet!

Why? Because there's almost no evidence to the entourage effect in research and people with allergy or histamines may not feel great on full spectrum.

New research is just starting on the benefits of the other cannabinoids, but it's early.

Let's breakdown the comparison by popular product types.

Best CBD Oil From Comparison And Review

By far, the most popular way to take CBD is by tincture.

This is essentially a dropper for ingesting drops of the CBD oil or placing it under your tongue.

Most CBD companies in the comparison have a tincture option.

Using our criteria for comparing the various legal options, a few stand out:

IndigoNaturals 2000 mg CBD; 3m bottle

IndigoNaturals 2000mg CBD 30ml BUY HERE

PharmaXtracts 2500 mg CBD; 30 ml bottle tincture

PharmaXtracts 2500mg CBD 30ml BUY HERE

Finally...

Endoca 1500 mg CBD; 10 ml bottle tincture

Endoca 1500mg CBD; 10ml BUY HERE

All meet our requirements for:

3rd party testing
No contaminants present
Cost
Organically grown

Get more guidance on these and other CBD products here:

If you have feedback on any of the CBD oils, please forward to us by email.

We'll add it to the update!

Best CBD Balm Comparison And Review

The second most popular way to take CBD is topically (via skin).

It's usually a balm or cream.
Sometimes a roll-on or patch.

The CBD balms are the most popular.

Think of joint pain, skin issues, back problems.

Who DOESN'T suffer at some point or another from these.

The balms are very popular for this reason.

Balms usually come in two different flavors:

Athletic balm (tiger balm scent and ingredients)
Balm for pain relief or general wellness

The main difference with the balms is what's added to the CBD:

Bee's wax
Coconut oil
Shea butter
Arnica
Peppermint
Juniper
Camphor

And much more.

PharmaExtracts has a popular one similar to tiger balm for athletes.

PharmaXtracts Balm 500 mg CBD 30ml BUY HERE

IndigoNaturals balm is a clean option for people with allergy or histamine issues.

The pricing is slightly higher than PharmaExtract so it comes down to a question of whether you want (or can have) the tiger balm scent which Pharma does have.

IndigoNaturals Balm 500 mg CBD 30ml BUY HERE

Endoca's salve is also priced well (per mg of CBD).

Endoca 750mg CBD BUY HERE

Learn about CBD for Skin.

Best CBD Vape Pen Comparison And Review

Oils and balms are very popular but the vape pen still has a large audience.

It may not be adopted by the mass market that is about to be introduced to CBD.

That will still be oils and balms.

That being said, many people still gravitate to the vape pen since the CBD effects can be immediate.

It can also help people avoid stomach difficulties if they have sensitive stomachs.

There are some questions on the overall safety of the pen itself (heated coils, effects on immune cells) but let's look at this segment for people interested in the pen.

We'll also look at a better alternative...vaporizers!

A few rules on the vape pen CBD oil or "juice".

We want to avoid the following:

Thinning agents (can be toxic) or other added chemicals
Flavors, colors, and additives

Basically, we want it as clean as possible...just CBD, please!

Heat is applied to the CBD via these pens so chemical additives are problematic.

We want the cleanest available so...

Bluebird Botanicals would be our choice for both cleanliness and cost:

Bluebird Botanicals CBD Vape Oil 1000mg BUY HERE

How To Compare Organic CBD

Let's talk about the whole "organic" question.

It's an interesting one with CBD or any cannabis product.

A product can be grown organically, following strict requirements on soil addition and plant treatment.

That's different than being CERTIFIED organic.

You're not likely to see certified organic CBD or any cannabis product grown in the U.S. until the Federal government adjusts its

legal judgment on the cannabis plant itself.

Europe has already moved forward towards certification.

Hemp and cannabis are both the same things.

It's just called "industrial hemp" if the THC level is less than .3%.

CBD derived from hemp is legal to purchase in all 50 states.

Since the Organic certification is a Federal one, we may have to wait a bit for that to show on Cannabis-derived products.

Ultimately, the growing process of the CBD will show in the 3rd-party testing.

Zero pesticides are our goal.

Many brands also state that their hemp crops are grown organically.

We'll have to take their word on that for now...but check the labs above!

Top CBD Companies And Brands

There are two ways to look at this.

Here's are some of the top CBD companies and brands (from least expensive oil to most for 3rd party tested CBD):

Links to Stores available by clicking on Name

This is a function of size, popularity, and quality of product.

We'll be adding reviews of another 8 brands shortly!

We've given the highlights of how to compare CBD from a top-level but how do we really make sure we're getting the best product.

After all, we could care less about the company.

We want the best CBD quality at the best price.

With no other bad stuff involved! (ding ding ding...3rd-Party Testing!)

You can check out the products for these companies here:

How To Compare CBD Products

The comparison grid above is a good place to start.

A Few Housekeeping Items:

First decide on the best delivery for intended use – tincture, balm, patch, vape, etc
Double-check safety record and 3rd party testing
Price check to find the best value for your intended use
Full-spectrum may be good IF your system handles botanicals well (more on that here)
Organic is best (Federal certification is an issue)
Hemp is grown in the US and preferably in States where legalized (stricter regulations) or Europe

There's a lot of fly-by-night companies out there in the CBD market!

They're drawn to all the hype (and your money).

Stick with the comparison above and choose wisely.

One note...we've seen many situations where a given product works better or worse even though they both purport to be the same thing (dosage, quality, etc).

It can be a question of trial and error, unfortunately.

The CBD comparison above will at least give you a head start.

They have to earn your trust!

Wrap Up For CBD Comparison

A recent article on California's more regulated cannabis market came up with some disturbing results.

There was a wide discrepancy in the tested products across the board.

Of 10,695 samples tested:

Pesticides – 403
Microbial impurities (mold, E. Coli, salmonella) – 114
Residual solvents – 99

How about this one...

Inaccurate claims on package label: 1279 failures!

This is a highly regulated, legal cannabis market.

The CBD market is not as regulated since it's officially a food supplement.

This is why we focus on 3rd-party testing so heavily.

We need to "weed" out the bad brands.

The comparison above is a good place to start.

If you have favorites, please email us here.

We'll add to the list and perhaps include in the comparison if they make the cut!

Otherwise, happy searches!