3 Ways to Make CBD Oil Using CBD Flower

Published August 30, 2020

CBD brands make hemp oil in huge batches using high-tech machinery. You don’t need a CO2 extractor to make CBD-rich hemp oil from home, however. There are quite a few methods for making CBD concentrate with hemp flower, and we’ll introduce you to a few options in this guide. Along the way, we’ll cover some of the benefits of making your own CBD oil and provide tips for producing the best homemade CBD concentrate.

Why should you make your own CBD oil?

Anyone who has tried the delicious and potent CBD flower products we offer at Secret Nature knows that each strain of CBD-rich Cannabis sativa is unique. Every hemp cultivar has its own unique blend of terpenes, flavonoids, and minor cannabinoids that affect the taste, aroma, and effects it provides.

While purchasing premade CBD oil is certainly the easiest way to get your hands on CBD concentrate, taking this approach limits your ability to customize your CBD oil experience. If you absolutely love the effects that a particular strain provides, you might want to capture these effects in concentrated form by making your own CBD oil.

Plus, making CBD oil at home is undeniably fun. Your whole kitchen fills with the delicious smell of simmering hemp, you get to use culinary tools that you’ve left in drawers and cabinets for years, and you get a taste of what it feels like to be a professional CBD oil producer. Whether you want to concentrate the effects of a particular CBD-rich hemp strain or you simply want to learn what it’s like to cook hemp at home, making your own CBD oil is a unique experience that you don’t want to pass up.

A word about CBD extraction at home

In this guide, we’re only going to cover methods of CBD oil that involve cooking. The CBD oil present in tinctures and other commercial CBD products is extracted directly from hemp buds without cooking. You should never attempt to extract hemp flower at home, however.

Not only do commercial CBD extraction methods require significant investments in equipment, but they can also be dangerous if they aren’t performed in appropriate production environments. Butane hemp extraction, for instance, involves an incredibly volatile petrochemical, and CO2 extraction releases an asphyxiating gas that can lead to loss of consciousness or death.

If you want to make CBD concentrate at home, cooking your buds in a lipid-based substance is the best way to proceed. Using commercial-grade extraction methods simply isn’t worth the risk.

Why you should decarboxylate your buds

Before you put your CBD buds on top of a stove and cook them into oil, you might want to properly decarboxylate your flower. Decarboxylation is the process of transforming carboxylic acid precursors to cannabinoids (THCa, CBDa) into their stable cannabinoid forms (THC, CBD). While CBDa has its own unique benefits, if your goal is to make CBD oil, you’ll get the best results if you decarboxylate your buds ahead of time.

The decarboxylation process is relatively simple. First, either grind your CBD-rich buds or tear them into small pieces. Then, place your CBD flower onto a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil that’s been placed on top of a cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 250° F, and put your cookie sheet of buds in the oven for 30-45 minutes. After this period has elapsed, your buds will be properly decarboxylated, and they’ll decarboxylate even further during the oil production process.

What do you need to make CBD oil at home?

You’ll need to follow some basic procedures and assemble a few specific kitchen tools to make CBD oil in your kitchen. First, clear and sanitize your countertops, and make sure that your stovetop is clean and free of fire hazards. You may also want to clean the filter on your kitchen exhaust fan to make sure you’ll be able to remove the aroma of cooking hemp from your kitchen efficiently. From there, assemble these kitchen implements and tools to get started:

Between 3 and 10 grams of CBD-rich Secret Nature hemp flower
1 cup of coconut oil, butter, or olive oil
A double-boiler, a crockpot, or any other kitchen implement that cooks using low heat
A mesh strainer
Cheesecloth
A mixing bowl
A mason jar or a similar storage container
A probe thermometer

Top 3 CBD flower strains and methods for making CBD oil at home

Before you start cooking your CBD-rich cannabis, keep in mind that doing so will release a strong hemp odor throughout your home. Prepare adequate ventilation, and consider warning your neighbors that you plan to cook some hemp. Then, choose one of the following three methods to get started:

1. Tropical vibes with coconut oil and Papaya Nights

Start with 3-10 grams of ground-up, decarboxylated Secret Nature Papaya Nights organic hemp bud. If using a double-boiler, place water in the bottom section and set your stovetop to low, or set your crockpot to low. Place coconut oil in your crockpot or the upper section of your double boiler, and wait for it to fully melt. Then, add your CBD-rich Papaya Nights bud.

Use your probe thermometer to make sure that your oil doesn’t exceed 200° F. You should aim for the “sweet spot” between 130-160° F. Continue simmering your CBD oil for 30-60 minutes, and stir occasionally.

When it’s done cooking, remove your Papaya Nights-infused coconut oil from heat, and line your strainer with cheesecloth after placing it over a mixing bowl. Pour the CBD coconut oil through the strainer and into the bowl, and then transfer the CBD oil into your storage container. Store your tropical CBD oil in the fridge for the best results.

2. Ultimate baked goods with butter and Sweet Cake

Coconut oil isn’t the only substance you can use to make CBD oil at home. CBD-rich “cannabutter” is another old favorite that provides similar, but unique results. While you can apply CBD-infused coconut oil topically as well as eat it, CBD cannabutter is most appropriate for baked goods and other types of food.

To make your own CBD cannabutter at home, simply follow the same steps that we listed above for our Papaya Nights coconut oil recipe. For CBD butter, however, we recommend the delicious flavors and relaxing effects of Secret Nature Sweet Cake, one of our most popular indica strains.

3. The connoisseur approach with olive oil and Sour Gummi

Making CBD-infused olive oil is slightly different than making hemp coconut oil or CBD cannabutter simply because you don’t need to melt olive oil on your stove before adding your ground-up CBD nugs. Olive oil can also be heated slightly higher than coconut oil or butter, but we don’t recommend that you exceed 220° F.

We think that the spicy and bitter flavors of olive oil are best complemented with Secret Nature Sour Gummi, a hybrid strain with both citrus and pine undertones. Once it’s complete, drizzle your CBD olive oil onto a salad, or apply it to your skin for topical effects.

Enjoy your homemade CBD oil

Making CBD oil at home is the perfect way to expand your hemp horizons and your culinary repertoire at the same time. Just remember to stay safe during the process, and monitor your CBD oil regularly while it’s cooking.