DIY Hemp and CBD Products

The best part? It’s not too complicated, and there are a myriad of products you can create for various uses. Plus depending on the route you take, it doesn’t have to cost much. And over time, it might even save you some money if you regularly buy CBD products! It is also great for people who are particular about ingredients and processes because it gives you complete control over your end result. Unless you grow your own hemp, you likely won’t be able to do much about how the hemp plants are grown; however, you can find a great hemp flower brand that implements growing processes you resonate with.

Of course, the most important ingredient, the star of our show: hemp or CBD. Before buying your main ingredient, it is important to determine exactly what kind of product you want to make – and determine how much you want to spend. Like anything else, preparation is the key to success – especially when you’re doing something for the very first time!

Why should I make my own CBD products?

CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it is a non-psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. The US federal government removed industrial hemp from the Schedule I Substances list, effectively legalizing hemp-derived CBD products. The catch? All hemp must test below 0.3% THC. If the plant tests with higher THC than allowed – the plants must be immediately destroyed and not sold or used for anything else.

You can make a product that works for your needs but doesn’t create a high. It is a plant-based product and comes with very few side effects.

We always recommend talking with a CBD-educated physician that knows your medical history before implementing CBD into your routine.

What are the Differences Between CBD and THC?

The Difference(s) Between Hemp and Marijuana

CBD extracts

You can make your products a few different ways, either starting with raw hemp flower or an already-formulated CBD extract. Surya is one company that makes their CBD extracts available to the public: note that CBD extracts are different from CBD tinctures. Surya’s tinctures are formulated with this extract, and tinctures from other brands are made with a CBD extract, but goes through additional processes to create the final product known as the CBD tincture or CBD oil.

CBD extracts can be used in virtually any DIY recipe and make the process a lot faster than extracting the hemp yourself. If you’re looking for a simple, quick(er), less-expensive process: go the CBD extract route. It’s just like adding another ingredient into a recipe, just open the extract and pour.

Here are a few ways to utilize CBD extract at home:

• In a CBD-rich topical that eases achy muscles and joints
• Making your own CBD bath bomb
• Whipping up an incredible CBD-infused edible

Here is one recipe for a homemade CBD balm.

Here is one recipe for a thinner homemade CBD salve.

DIY CBD products make great gifts!

As if you needed more of a reason to do-it-yourself, homemade CBD products make amazing gifts. CBD products can easily be an upwards of $100, so gift an incredibly valuable gift at the fraction of the price! There are a plethora of recipes online for CBD products, so start with one you like as your base – then feel free to change it up in a way that works for you.

Making CBD products at home with hemp flower

If you are in it for the long haul with your do-it-yourself CBD products journey – we highly recommend starting with hemp flower. Why? It ultimately saves you money and allows you to have more control over the final product. We also recommend that you buy the highest quality, 3^rd party tested flowers—if you are going to be putting them in your body, on your body or giving them as gifts, you want the highest quality possible.

First, check out the quality of the hemp flower—ask for the results of any 3^rd party testing—and if a company doesn’t test their flower, just cross them off your list—you only want to buy the best.

Here are a few more tips to getting the highest quality CBD flower—you may want to buy a small amount from a few quality companies once you have checked out their lab tests so that you can better choose between them.

• Smell—high quality hemp flower has a strong hemp-y smell. Some will tell you that lighter more flowery aromas are associated with more CBD dominant plants while others suggest that the more flowery aromas have more to do with calming effects. The more earthy aromas are similarly often associated with more pain-relieving effects, or a slightly lower amount of CBD compared to other cannabinoids or terpenes.
• Examine the flowers—see how healthy they look, even when dry. Try using a magnifying lens to see the density of the trichomes on the surface of the flowers—depending on how dry the plant is, these will look like little knobs or spines at the end of the flowers—they may be clear or brown, again, depending on how dry the flowers are.
• Try to get hemp flowers that are within 6-9 months of harvest.
• Check for seeds. Feminized or female plants—if kept apart from male plants—will not produce any seeds. However, check for seeds and remove them. Each seed is about the size of a buckwheat kernel (seed).
• High grade hemp flower can cost up to about $13-14 per gram. It should not be over-dried but have a somewhat squishy feel and have some non-brown color (usually green, reddish or purplish). The trichomes should be clear or slightly cloudy. It will have a strong smell and contain either only a few or no seeds.
• Mid-grade hemp flower can cost up to $8 per gram. It will fee dry to the touch (a bit “crackly”) have darker trichomes and have a less pungent odor. This is the most common grade out there—and it will work for most applications. The high-grade hemp may be best saved for ingestion (cooking or edibles) while mid-grade can work well for topicals, bath bombs and other uses.

What can you make? Well—you can make CBD balms, soaps, salves, lotions and massage oils.

It can be as simple as adding your CBD oil (see below) to shea butter and possibly adding a drop or two of an essential oil like lavender or eucalyptus or it can be more complex—it can include extra ingredients like beeswax for a thicker balm or more oil for a lotion.

How to make CBD oil from hemp flower

Ingredients for DIY CBD oil

To make CBD edibles from raw flower, you’ll need a precision cooker, which is also known as a decarboxylator. Precision cookers will consistently maintain the temperature needed to activate CBD (and other cannabinoids) and are a fantastic investment for people wanting to make consistently great CBD products. Ardent Cannabis offers sleek precision cookers for just this, and bonus: no smell & they’re super easy to clean!

This recipe from Nourished Kitchen uses just two (or three if you want to add mint) ingredients to create a potent CBD oil. Plus, you know exactly how it was made.

Here’s the list of ingredients you’ll need:

• 5 grams high-CBD hemp flower
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado, canola, MCT, coconut or hemp seed oils)
• ¼ teaspoon mint extract (optional)

Step-by-step instructions to make CBD oil from hemp flower.

Here’s how to make the CBD oil. Note: This recipe does use the Ardent Flex, however, Ardent is not sponsoring this LeafReport article. Ardent makes a great precision cooker, and the recipe we are showing you today recommends using it, too.

Activate the hemp by decarboxylation:

Place the hemp flower inside the Ardent Flex, and then press the mode button to activate the A2 mode (approximately 280 F). Allow the flex to run the full cycle and cool completely, at least 30 minutes after the cycle completes.

Alternatively, to decarboxylate the hemp flower, heat the flowers in a 225^o F oven. Break up the flowers into smaller chunks, laying the flower pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, remove and allow to cool. Store the cooled decarboxylated flowers in clean glass jars in a cool, dark place.

Decarboxylation removes the waxy cuticle from the plant and “activates” the cannabinoids by converting from the inactive acidic form to the active non-acidic form. (ie. Converting from CBDA CBD)

Make the oil infusion.

• Pour the oil over the decarboxylated flowers, and then seal the Flex. Press the mode button to activate the Infuse cycle.
• Allow the machine to cool completely, and then strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar or bottle. Stir in the mint extract and store the oil at room temperature away from direct light and heat for up to 2 months.

If you are not using the Flex:

• Use either a double boiler or a crock pot.
• Using either a mortar and pestle (the old-fashioned way) or some form of grinder, grind the decarboxylated hemp flowers to a fine powder.
• Use about ¼ ounce of ground flower for every two cups of oil.
  • Any cooking oil can be used—many prefer coconut oil, but you can use olive oil, almond oil or canola oil.
  • We always say to Start Low and Go Slow—this applies here as well—you may want to start by only adding about 1/8 or an ounce of ground flower at first—then adding more as you get used to cooking with the CBD-oil.
• Use a sieve or mesh to evenly distribute the ground flower over the oil and cook (low) for 8-12 hours (crock pot) or 4-6 hours (double-boiler on low)
  • Alternatively, you can put the ground hemp flower into a tea ball/tea strainer.
• Stir occasionally.
• When done, you may need to strain the oil to remove plant parts.
• Store in a closed glass bottle in a cool, dry place.

How to Make Gluten-Free CBD Brownies

• Mix 3/4 cup gluten free flour with ½ cup cocoa powder. Add ½ tsp salt (can be omitted or you can use ¼ tsp), ¼ tsp baking powder, 1½ cup (packed) brown sugar (you can also do equal parts white and brown sugar). Mix well,
• In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 whole eggs (large), 1 tsp vanilla extract and ½ cup of your CBD-oil (see above)
  • For baking, most people prefer either coconut or canola oils—but it is your call!
• Preheat oven to 350^o F and grease a baking pan (8”x8”).
• Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture—stir or beat until well-mixed and there are no lumps and bumps.
• Place brownie mixture into baking dish and add walnuts/pecans or any other toppings.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife jabbed into the center of the brownies comes out clean or just with a fudgy coat.
• Cool and eat!

The Next Adventure

This article should give you a good start in your next CBD adventure. You can try all sorts of different recipes for all sorts of CBD products. Just remember to start with the best quality of CBD flower (or extract) that you can—the rest is the easy part!