CBD Oil vs Vaping: Which is Better?

Millions of people across the world are using CBD for its evidence-backed benefits. However, with so many different types of CBD products available online, choosing the one that works for you can be difficult.

Far from only coming in the form of sublingual CBD oral drop, CBD is also sold in capsules, creams, gummies and various other forms.

One particularly exciting new method of taking CBD is vaping. But how does vaping CBD compare to tried-and-true CBD oil? Is one better than the other?

In this article, we’ll compare these two popular ways of using CBD to figure out the one that’s better for you.

What is CBD?

To give a quick summary, cannabidiol (CBD) is one of more than 60 compounds called cannabinoids present in the Cannabis sativa plant. Most people are familiar with THC — the cannabinoid responsible for the marijuana high.

By comparison, CBD is non-psychoactive, which makes it the ideal choice for people who want to stay on the right side of the law.

CBD Oil

CBD oil drops is the original and most popular type of CBD oil product on the market. It’s made by extracting CBD-rich oil from hemp, a type of cannabis that contains minimal (0.2% or less) THC. This oil is then mixed with carrier oils and other ingredients and sold in tinctures with a dropper.

CBD oil is used by placing a desired number of drops under the tongue — also known as sublingual administration — and waiting for 60 seconds to allow the CBD to absorb into the bloodstream. Its effects can last for as long as six hours.

Advantages of CBD Oil

CBD oil is incredibly popular for several reasons. For starters, CBD oil is absorbed directly into the blood through capillaries under the tongue, which is one of the most efficient ways to absorb CBD.

In addition, its effects can be felt quickly — about 10-30 minutes after you use it. Other advantages of CBD oil are that it’s easy to control CBD dosage by using more or fewer drops, and it has a cheaper price per mg of CBD than most other types of products.

Vaping CBD

Vaping — the practice of inhaling vapor containing vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), and other ingredients such as nicotine — is an increasingly popular alternative to smoking.

Because of this, many CBD brands sell e-liquids and pre-filled vape pens and cartridges containing CBD. In most cases, this CBD e-liquid is regular VG/PG vape juice combined with CBD isolate.

Vaping CBD works the same way as standard vaping. The vaporizer turns the vape juice into a vapor that is then inhaled into the lungs, allowing the active components to rapidly enter the bloodstream. Vaping CBD produces instant effects that last for about 1-3 hours. However, there are some concerns over the long-term safety of vaping.

Advantages of Vaping CBD

Vaping has one key advantage over all other methods of taking CBD: fast effects. Simply put, when you vape CBD you feel it right away.

Another advantage of vaping CBD is high absorption that’s comparable to or higher than sublingual CBD oil. Whereas many other forms of CBD lead to a big portion of the beneficial compound being lost before it reaches the blood, absorption in the lungs is incredibly efficient and allows CBD to reach the brain within seconds.

Finally, vaping is one of the most fun and convenient ways to use CBD. You can easily take it with you on the go and use it discreetly.

CBD Oil vs Vaping CBD

Now that we know the differences between using CBD oil and vaping CBD e-liquid, we can answer the question of which one is better for you.

For most people, CBD oil will be the better choice.

For starters, compared to CBD vape e-liquids, most CBD oil tinctures are made with full-spectrum hemp extract. This type of extract contains the complete range of beneficial cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds present in hemp, which work in synergy to enhance each other’s effects known as the entourage effect.

By contrast, most CBD e-liquids contain CBD isolate — a purified form of CBD that is less effective. However, you can overcome this downside by looking specifically for CBD juice made with full-spectrum hemp extract.

In addition, taking CBD in the form of oil tinctures is cheaper than vaping. Most notably, vaping requires that you have a vape pen or another vape device, whereas a CBD oil tincture is ready to go without any additional equipment or cost.

Furthermore, a CBD oil tincture can be more cost-effective because of longer-lasting relief. Whereas the effects of sublingual CBD oil routinely last for 3 or more hours, vaped CBD typically lasts for only about 1-2 hours.

Another advantage of CBD oil is that it’s easier to know and control your dosage. As long as you know how much CBD is in a drop, you will know how much CBD you’re taking and be able to increase or decrease your dose with ease. But when you vape CBD, this is much more difficult to do.

Having said that, there are some cases in which vaping CBD can be better than using CBD oil. The best example is when you need to feel the effects of CBD right away. In these cases, it’s far more convenient to vape CBD rather than wait 10-30 minutes for your CBD oil tincture to work.

Another reason why vaping CBD can be better than using oil is that it’s simply more enjoyable. It can be fun to produce clouds of vapor while enjoying the wide variety of pleasant flavours available for CBD e-liquid.

Finally, another notable advantage of vaping CBD over using a sublingual tincture is convenience. While you can certainly take your tincture with you anywhere you go, it’s not nearly as discreet and portable as a vape pen that works with a simple puff.

CBD Oil and Vaping CBD Both Have Their Uses

As a general rule of thumb, using sublingual CBD oil is better than vaping CBD e-liquid. For one, full-spectrum CBD oil will be more effective than CBD juice made with CBD isolate. In addition, CBD oil tinctures are cheaper, easier to dose, and their effects last longer than vaping.

However, there are still situations where vaping CBD can be a better option. As we highlighted above, some individuals may prefer the instant effects of vaping over the slower effects of CBD oil.

Similarly, some people may prefer the advantage of convenience and portability that vaping provides since you don’t need to measure drops and can vape anywhere, anytime.

To sum things up, CBD oil is the better option for most people, but if you need instant effects or prefer some of the unique features of vaping — such as the joy of blowing big clouds — then vaping CBD can be a good option as well.