What Does CBD Look Like? It Depends On The Type Of CBD

Back in the days when marijuana was the “demon weed,” police officers often came to school classes for a show-and-tell period.

Students were shown replicas of cannabis leaves (but interestingly, not buds) and allowed to sniff a tablet that smelled something like weed — so they would know when to report their siblings or friends to their parents. (True story.)

That rarely (if ever) happens today. And it wouldn’t even be possible to do a show-and-tell about CBD (the abbreviation for cannabidiol).

First, people don’t use “raw” cannabidiol; it’s turned into a variety of CBD products. Second, very few smoke the raw hemp that CBD is sourced from (and that’s illegal in some countries, like Britain). Third, CBD products are either odorless, scented, or have a hard-to-define scent.

And finally, you can’t describe what CBD or CBD products “look like.”

• Hemp looks much like cannabis, but with thinner leaves and buds that aren’t as dense.
• The cannabidiol that’s initially extracted from hemp looks like an ordinary oil, usually light-coloured but sometimes quite dark depending on the extraction process used.
• The CBD oil you can buy in shops or online is usually clear- or amber-coloured but may be much darker, and it’s generally sold in an opaque bottle (to protect it from light).
• CBD capsules look like — well — capsules.
• CBD edibles, beverages, and topical products look just as you’d expect because they’re simply products that have been infused with CBD oil.
• CBD vape juice colors can range from colourless to dark.

In short, you’ll probably never come across hemp flower, extracted cannabidiol is only used by CBD producers, and the CBD sold to consumers usually looks no different than any other, similar product you’d see in a store.

If you’re curious about how those products are produced, though, we’ve got all the information you could want.

Where Does CBD Come From?

CBD is sourced from hemp.

It’s actually found in both cannabis and hemp plants along with psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), its sister cannabinoid. However, there’s very little CBD in most cannabis strains, so it makes sense to source cannabidiol from hemp instead.

Hemp contains very little THC, so users won’t get high when using CBD products. Only the substantial amounts of THC found in cannabis can alter perceptions, thoughts, and moods.

Users can receive the apparent benefits of CBD by smoking hemp, but most don’t bother because it’s not the easiest thing to do, and because it won’t generate any psychoactive effects. (It’s also illegal in some countries like the UK.) Instead, consumer CBD products are created with cannabidiol extracted from hemp.

Separating CBD from hemp plants sounds like a complicated and expensive process, and it is — unless you don’t care about obtaining the highest-quality cannabidiol. Several less-expensive manual extraction methods can produce lower-quality CBD that still provides apparent benefits. These techniques may sound familiar to some weed aficionados.

• Solvent extraction: Hemp is soaked in a solvent like butane or alcohol that strips the cannabidiol from the plants. When the solvent evaporates, cannabidiol is left behind. However, other substances like chlorophyll are extracted at the same time, making the CBD taste nasty and causing potential side effects like diarrhoea. This can be a dangerous extraction method because most solvents are volatile and could catch fire or even explode.
• Dry ice extraction: This safer and time-consuming method creates CBD of questionable quality. Hemp is decarboxylated (heated to activate the cannabinoids), chopped, and frozen to a very low temperature with dry ice. That freezes the trichomes containing cannabidiol, which can be filtered through mesh screens to produce cannabidiol hash.
• Oil or vegetable oil extraction: Decarboxylated and chopped hemp is heated and cooked in oil for several hours, and the mixture is then strained to remove the oil. What’s left is a small amount of medium-quality CBD that has a short shelf life.

The gold standard for CBD extraction is the supercritical CO₂ method, which requires specialized and expensive equipment, but produces the highest-quality CBD. Most high-end companies use it.

Carbon dioxide is used as a solvent in what’s known as a closed-loop system. The CO₂ is heated and pressurized to levels that turn it into a substance with the properties of both a liquid and a gas. That makes the carbon dioxide a perfect solvent to strip CBD’s trichomes, which are collected in another chamber while the solvent is removed, condensed, and recycled.

The cannabidiol that remains is a very high-quality concentrate, generally in the form of a light-coloured oil. It can be transformed into different textures to create products like wax or shatter, which are usually thought of as cannabis concentrates to be dabbed. They can exist in CBD form as well, but they’re rarely found or used.

Instead, the extracted cannabidiol is then used to produce the CBD products that have become so popular. We’ll discuss those next.

CBD Oil

You might think that the CBD oil you can purchase online or at many local shops is the cannabidiol produced via CO₂ extraction. It’s not.

Here’s why: that cannabidiol isn’t absorbed well by the body. It dissolves easily in oils but it isn’t water-soluble — and the body is more than 60% water. Something has to be done to the extracted CBD before people consume it.

That “something” is a so-called carrier oil added to cannabidiol to create commercially-available CBD oil. The carrier oils most often used are MCT oil, coconut oil, and olive oil; they’re chosen because they’re absorbed well by the body, and because their chemical structures allow them to quickly whisk the cannabidiol through the digestive system without losing much of the CBD.

In some cases, digestion isn’t even an issue. CBD oil can be used in two ways, either added to food or beverages, or for greater effectiveness, dropped under the tongue. The latter method allows the cannabidiol to be absorbed by the sublingual tissues and then be sped into the bloodstream without the oil having to be broken down in the stomach.

What does CBD oil look like? In most cases, it’s clear or amber-coloured, but you can find some perfectly fine oil that is darker-coloured. The colour variations can be due either to small differences in processing methods, or to other ingredients (like flavourings or other health and wellness ingredients) being added to the oil before shipping.

CBD Capsules

These are easy to describe. CBD capsules are simply gelcaps that contain CBD oil, making them a simple alternative to mixing the oil into beverages or food. They won’t work as quickly or effectively as dropping the oil under the tongue, though.

What do CBD capsules look like? They look just like any other prescription or over-the-counter capsule you’d take, making them a discreet and convenient way to use CBD.

CBD Edibles

CBD oil is infused into an enormous number of prepackaged foods and beverages to create edible products. Gummies are the most popular edible, but the assortment of available products runs from other candies, chocolates, and baked goods, to somewhat surprising CBD-infused edibles like peanut butter and honey.

There’s a growing assortment of CBD beverages available, too. Sodas, juices, energy drinks, and even alcoholic beverages, all infused with cannabidiol, are widely-sold alternative options.

What do CBD edibles look like? Just like the foods or drinks that they are; the cannabidiol that’s been infused into them doesn’t change their appearance at all.

CBD Topicals

It’s the same story for topical CBD products; they’re simply skincare or facial care products that have been infused with cannabidiol. What do CBD topicals look like? They look exactly like the creams, lotions, balms, or other products you’re accustomed to seeing on shelves. The only difference is that they also contain cannabidiol.

CBD Vape Juice

Yes, this is a different product than CBD oil, which should never be vaped. When the carrier oils used to make CBD oil are heated, they produce vapor that can cause pneumonia and other serious lung conditions.

Only specialized CBD vape juice should be used in vape pens or vaporizers, because the vaped cannabidiol is delivered with the help of food-safe liquids like propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin, instead of problematic carrier oils.

What does CBD vape juice look like? Pretty much like the CBD oil that should never be vaped. It’s usually light-coloured, although it can be difficult to tell. Like CBD oil, CBD vape juice is generally sold in dark bottles to protect the liquid against degradation from light.

So, what does CBD look like? That’s like asking what candy looks like; it all depends on what type of candy — or CBD — you’re asking about.

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