Carrier Oils
CBD Carrier Oils
What is a carrier oil?
A carrier or base oil, is a vegetable oil derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually from the seeds or kernels. Derived from the work carrying their purpose is to carry the oil onto the skin or through the body. Carrier oils do not contain a strong aroma, nor do they evaporate like essential oils.
Why use a carrier oil?
If a carrier oil isn’t used it would then be CBD Isolate which is basically pure CBD. This would come in the form of a white powder. It is extremely difficult to measure how much mg of CBD there is because each seeds would need to be measured for potency. But more importantly, your body would have difficulty processing the CBD. Therefore, a carrier oil in needed.
The advantage of using a carrier oil is that your body is already prone to breaking down the oil. In addition we can easily measure the amounts of CBD in each products and therefore assure the consistency of the product but also potency and quality.
What are the different carrier oils?
The most important thing when choosing a carrier oil is bioavailability. Meaning, how much CBD our body processes as compared to how much it takes in. CBD’s bioavailability is largely determined by the carrier oil.
Other factors such a flavoring, cost and consistency of the oil is to be considered when choosing a carrer oil
Fractionated Coconut Oil (MCT Oil)
Fractionated coconut oil is derived from coconut oil but the fatty molecules are removed to isolate the medium chain triglycerides (MCT) It is a very effective carrier oil because our body is able to quickly break it down. For those on the ketogenic diet or sensitive to dietary fats, these oils are incredibly beneficial
Another the benefit is that coconut oil has close to no flavor and no smell, it is generally considered to be one of the best CBD carrier oil in the industry.
Hemp Seed Oil
Not to be confused with CBD oil, Hemp seed oil is generally an inefficient carrier of CBD on its own. To be effective hemp seed oil needs to be mixed with oils with higher bioavailability, such as MCT oil.
Important note: A lot of companies try to pass hemp seed oil as CBD oil, which couldn’t be further from truth. Before buying any CBD oils, make sure to check the amount of CBD mg per ml as well as test results.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet and has been extensively studied. It’s rich in antioxidants and may have a number of health benefits such as reducing inflammation.
It’s a thicker oil with a slight fruity taste. Because the fat molecules are large, it takes the body longer to absorb and break down and may reduce the bioavailability of CBD.