CBD oil/drops can come in several forms. CBD isolate oil is the simplest. It contains CBD alone suspended in oil – often MCT oil made from coconuts. MCT stands for “medium chain triglycerides”. MCT oil is a clear flavorless and odorless liquid. CBD isolate oil gives you the benefits of CBD without any trace amounts of THC. This may be important if you have to pass workplace drug tests. CBD isolate is also a good way for marijuana enthusiasts to add some CBD to the mix. This can “mellow” the THC high and decrease the paranoia. Studies show that dosing is trickier when you are taking CBD isolate alone because you don’t get the benefit of the entourage effect – the improved benefits when other trace cannabinoids and terpenes are present.

Once we have made CBD isolate oil we can add terpenes and even other cannabinoids so that we have a broad spectrum oil that still does not contain THC. It’s easier than you may think. To make three or four 60ml (2 oz) bottles of CBD isolate you need:

3.5gm CBD isolate powder

A carrier oil (such as MCT oil). This is available on Amazon.

Hot water (optional – to set a jar of oil in so that it heats and absorbs the powder more easily)

A mason jar

A heat resistant bowl (optional)

A tea kettle or other way to heat water (optional)

An oven/cooking thermometer (optional)

A small funnel

Small bottles (2oz/60ml) with graduated medicine droppers (Available on Amazon ).

CBD isolate is a 99+% pure crystalline powder form of CBD. It is extracted from hemp, not made in a lab. One gram (1000 mg) of CBD isolate contains 990+ mg of CBD. Good sources of this include CBDistillery and Fully Activated. Both of these companies have good prices and they will provide you with lab testing results. I will often order the next biggest size (3.5 grams) to make three or four 2oz bottles of oil.

Basic Instructions – for making CBD Isolate Oil

You will be mixing the CBD isolate into the MCT oil in a mason jar. Be sure that the mason jar has marks for ounces / milliliters on the side. (After you have made the isolate oil you can decide what terpenes or cannabinoids to add.)

Fill the mason jar up to the 6 ounce (180ml) line with MCT oil. Add the CBD isolate powder. Stir or shake to mix thoroughly. The process will go much faster if you heat the oil – but the oil is flammable. To heat the oil you can heat water in a tea kettle to just before it boils. Pour the hot water into a heat resistant bowl and set the MCT oil/isolate mixture in the bowl. Be sure to keep the temperature of the oil 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) or lower. Continue stirring.

When the isolate powder is completely dissolved you have your CBD isolate. If you are not adding terpenes or cannabinoids you can use the funnel to divide the oil among the three glass bottles.

Each bottle of oil will contain 1167mg of CBD. Each 1ml dropper full will contain 19.4mg of CBD. For a 10mg dose you will want to use just a bit over half of a dropper.

See PART 2 – my next post – for information on how to add both terpenes and cannabinoids to make a broad spectrum oil that may work better than CBD isolate, but will still have zero THC. Check out sources here.