Have you ever gone to take your daily serving of CBD and found that it has begun to crystalise? If so, don’t despair, this is actually a fairly common occurrence with a simple fix. When you purchase a high-strength CBD oil (25% CBD or above) it may granulate or “crystallise” in the winter months. It won’t affect the overall quality of your oil, but it will make it more of a challenge to take an accurate amount. Here we explain ways in which you can prevent this from happening and what to do if your oil has crystalised.
CBD oils are made by mixing hemp extract with a carrier such as MCT or hemp seed oil. When the extract and the carrier oil separate, the CBD molecules begin to join together and form crystals, if found in high enough quantities. These CBD crystals look grainy, similar to the small sugar clusters that form when liquid caramel hardens.
In its purest form, CBD is a solid crystal-like substance. When you purchase an oil, the CBD, additional cannabinoids, and plant nutrients have been dissolved in a carrier to make consuming it easier. But on occasion, you may find that there are small shimmering crystals in your bottle.
This happens for two main reasons:
If your CBD oil has crystallised, this is easily remedied without affecting its quality. It is important to follow these steps before using the oil.
Other methods you can use include warming the bottle in your hands and even using a hair dryer to gently raise the temperature. Do not put the bottle in a microwave, you have far less control over the temperature and could cause the oil to degrade.
CBD crystals will dissolve into the carrier oil when exposed to heat. If the crystals don’t dissolve, there is either not enough heat or not enough carrier oil to mix them.
If you have consumed CBD from a crystallised bottle by mistake, you may have used up much of the carrier oil, which means there could now be more CBD content than when you purchased it. This will make it harder to dissolve any crystals.
If so, you’ll need to add a little more carrier oil before attempting to dissolve the crystals again. If you do not have MCT or hemp seed oil at home, a little olive oil can be used.
To keep CBD oil liquid, store the bottle at room temperature. Do not store it in the fridge, outdoors or in a cold space.
CBD crystals are innocuous and may even look pretty, but they can become a nuisance if not dealt with. If you do find your oil has crystallised, pop the bottle into some warm water for a few minutes and gently remix before consuming.
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A mighty team of natural health researchers led by Daniel Perez Vidal. We follow strict selection criteria and test everything we retail, from ground-breaking food supplements to natural skincare products. Our main area of expertise is CBD.