Like most products — yes, even twinkies — CBD has a maximum shelf life before it goes “bad”. But how long does it take for this to happen and when it does, can you still use your CBD product?
Well, today we are looking into all your questions about properly storing CBD for safety and effectiveness.
Does CBD Go Bad?
Your CBD product and all the phytocannabinoids, terpenes, and other essential compounds can degrade over time.
Once removed from the plant, compounds will start slowly degrading. Fortunately, spoiled CBD is not dangerous nor will it make you sick. Instead, you will only notice a decrease in potency, and it won’t provide the degree of help it once did.
Even more fortunate, when properly stored, CBD oil will retain most of its potency for up to a year or two. Most people that use CBD daily and even weekly will easily use all of it before a loss of potency affects their product.
Any CBD product whether oil or edible will eventually go bad with time, however.
How Can You Tell If Your CBD is Bad
In many cases, you won’t be able to tell if your CBD product is bad until you’ve taken it and noticed it’s not working like it once did. It’s important to note, that this alone isn’t enough to tell if your CBD is bad. Body chemistry can be odd and you may notice that on some days CBD works better for you.
If you’ve used CBD oil for a while or are just highly attune you may notice a loss of aroma or freshness. In very rare cases, the oil may become muddy or rancid. If your CBD starts to smell bad, it’s more likely the carrier oil CBD is mixed with that has gone bad. A carrier oil like hempseed or MCT oil improves CBD bioavailability and is essentially needed.
What is CBD’s Shelf Life
The shelf life of CBD depends on how well you store your CBD product. Unopened CBD stored in a cool, dry, and dark place can perverse potency for years. When opened, you should expect your product to retain its full potency between six months to a year depending on how well you store it.
How To Store CBD For Maximum Freshness
You only need to follow three rules when storing CBD for maximum freshness. Avoid heat, light, and oxygen. This means ensuring you always seal your CBD back up after use — so don’t keep the lid off — and store it in a cool, dry, and dark place.
This storing method works best for all forms of CBD concentrates, from waxes to oils to shatter to budder. As well, when properly stored, expect all CBD concentrates to have similar shelf lives.
For daily users that means storing CBD in your desk or medicine cabinet is all that’s needed. If you plan on storing it for more than six months, you may want to consider refrigerating it after opening.
For daily users that means storing CBD in your desk or medicine cabinet is all that’s needed. If you plan on storing it for more than six months, you may want to consider refrigerating it after opening. As well, consider choosing a product with less total CBD as some CBD oils are highly concentrated so everyday users don’t run out weekly.
Storing CBD For Years
If you want to store a CBD product for more than a year or two, your best bet is the freezer. There are two issues with this process that you need to know about, however.
First, the appearance of the oil will likely become cloudy and thicker. No real harm comes from this, but it may be more difficult to mix it into a drink or food.
Second, while freezing will preserve the freshness of CBD product longer than any other method, you will likely hurt potency and aroma. Freezing will most likely destroy some of the cannabinoids and terpenes. It won’t destroy a lot, and ultimately when storing a CBD product for years potency should be better as opposed to storing it in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Remember, the key to preserving your CBD product for maximum potency is to avoid heat, oxygen, and especially direct light.
If you plan to use CBD infrequently think about buying a less concentrated or lower dosage CBD product. As well, you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer if you plan to use the product for longer than six months.
When it comes to using an older CBD product, use your eyes and nose. If it smells rancid or bad, throw it away. If it smells like it’s lost some of its freshness, it’s likely lost some of its potency. However, you should not get sick from taking it — you’ll just need more than normal.
All-in-all, treat storing CBD as you would with a supplement or medicine, and you shouldn’t run into any real issues.