Vape Basics

Vaping For The Fastest Results?

CBD is changing is becoming a very popular health supplement that is changing many people’s lives with a variety of chronic conditions. Almost as varied as the reasons people use CBD oil, are the ways it can be taken. However, vaping CBD oil is one of the most popular ways people choose to take it. For many of us vaping CBD is a bit overwhelming. Sometimes the act itself feels a bit like smoking, especially for those of us who do not or have never smoked. It is important to make the distinction right away. Vaping CBD is not the same as smoking or vaping nicotine. The benefits of vaping CBD can be life changing for some people. There are many instances where those struggling with different conditions like anxiety, seizures, chronic pain are not able to wait 30 minutes for an edible like a gummy or a mint to take effect. CBD e-liquid or vape oil, which is derived from cannabis though it lacks the components of marijuana that gives users a “high”, is used by people as a quick and health conscious solution to difficult and chronic conditions. So let’s talk e-liquid/vape.

What Does It Mean to Vape CBD?

Vaping describes the process of heating CBD oil or CBD e-liquid to the point where it becomes a vapor (typically using a battery-operated vaporizer), which is then inhaled.  The user usually inhales 1 to 3 times (this is not like vaping nicotine where the user is continuously inhaling the nicotine for the desired effect). The reason this provides the fastest results, is that the CBD is absorbed through your lungs, directly into your bloodstream. As a result, you begin to feel the effects of the oil almost immediately (generally no more than 15 minutes.)

Comparing Vape & Other Methods

When comparing this to other forms of taking CBD oil there is a huge difference, especially for those struggling with some serious chronic issues.

• Eating CBD in edible forms: capsules, gummies, chocolate, gum, mints and drinking requires the body to go through digestion before it can absorb the oil. This can take anywhere between 20 minutes, and a full hour depending on metabolism,  stomach content,  and other factors. 
• Sublingually: by spraying or dropping directly under the tongue.  This method is quick but still outside of the 5 to 10 minute expectation one gets from vaping. It is important to note that taking CBD internally whether by tincture or capsule is a great long-term effect but it can take time for this to work and for our bodies to utilize the CBD.  We tell people one should give this method at least two weeks to begin to see long-term changes in symptoms. Consistency and a daily regimen of taking CBD can help to alleviate long-term symptoms and conditions but the best CBD is the one you take every day!
• Topicals: Salves, lotions, oils and patches put directly on the skin is a quick method as well but can take just as long as eating/ingesting CBD, if not longer, depending on location, the user’s skin health, the amount used, and other factors. Topicals are amazing in treating a specific location and can be very useful when targeting skin issues, specific pain, burns, acne, etc.  As a general rule, they are much shorter acting – lasting 2 to 4 hours.

More CBD With Vaping?

While quicker absorption is perhaps the best reason to vape CBD oil rather than taking it another way, it’s not the only reason people have turned to vaporizers. The term called bio availability is one of the key reasons.  What does this mean?  Bioavailability means the amount of absorption and rate/time it takes for the CBD to reach the bloodstream. When you put CBD oil into your body, not all of it will reach your bloodstream and actually affect you. For example, the bioavailability of eating CBD oil is roughly 15 percent. This means that when you eat it, only about 15 percent of the CBD oil that you put into your body will reach your bloodstream.

The reason eating CBD oil has such a low return when eaten, is that it has to go through so many of your body’s filtration systems (namely your gut and your liver). These systems work to screen out the CBD before it can affect you. In order to get the effects you want orally you’re not only waiting longer, but you also need to take more of the oil than you otherwise might.

In contrast, when vaping CBD oil the bioavailability is between  35% and 50%.  When you inhale the vapor, it goes straight to your lungs, and from your lungs into your bloodstream. It’s the difference between taking a highway that goes straight from point A to point B, and going through a lot of stop-and-go traffic along the back roads. You’ll still reach your destination, eventually, but when you go directly you use a lot less fuel to get there, and you get there a lot faster than if you’d taken the more roundabout route.

Health Risks and Side Effects

A small percentage of users are allergic or later develop allergies to some of the chemicals and materials used in vapes. The two main ingredients that are being heavily discussed when referring to e-liquids are propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. Users with sensitivities to propylene glycol may notice sinus irritation, nausea or a headache upon use. Individuals with more severe allergies can break out in hives, develop swelling or have difficulty breathing. Lucky for us, this chemical is so ubiquitous in our everyday lives that it would be nearly impossible to not realize you have an allergy to one of them before you started vaping. It’s found in cosmetics, hair products, food, drinks, cigarettes, medicine and many more products and is recognized as generally safe by the FDA. The other ingredient referenced is vegetable glycerin.  Allergies to vegetable glycerin are very rare and are more likely caused by an allergy to the plant oil the vegetable glycerin was derived from. A third common ingredient is MCT or coconut oil, which is becoming really prevalent in many food supplements and as as a supplement in and of itself.

Getting Started

If you are new to the e-liquid(vape) world a great place to start would be our Select disposable e-liquid pen.  It is offered in three flavors…Lemon, Spearmint and Lavender and it allows you to try vaping without committing to purchasing and learning about all of the equipment necessary. It is simple and all you do is open the package and inhale!

Both are reasonable prices and easy to use but you will need to purchase e-liquid with the pen and the e-liquid will need to be added to the device.

Other Options include our Rubi e-liquid Pen and our All in One e-liquid Pen.