jason-crawford

Medically Reviewed by
Jason Crawford

Article Last Updated on January 17, 2023

Cannabis products are used by both recreational and medical marijuana users as a treatment option for certain medical conditions or as a way to wind down after a hard day at work. As the use of the cannabis Sativa plant increases, so does the cannabis market expand.

CBD products are becoming quite popular nowadays, even more so after the FDA legalized CBD on a federal level in the United States. Cannabidiol, one of weed’s main cannabinoids, is used to make topicals, tinctures, and all kinds of products to suit the needs of the ever-growing CBD market. Even vapers have started to smoke CBD-filled cartridges in their favorite vape pen. 

While you can buy CBD cartridges in vape shops, this article will focus on how you can make CBD dab oil for vaping from the comfort of your own home, so read on.

Dabs vs Vapes

Vaping and dabbing are some of the most popular methods of consuming marijuana concentrates extracted from the cannabis flower. Vaping requires you to purchase an e-cig (vape pen) that contains e-liquid in its cartridge while dabbing requires a dab rig. Both methods vaporize the concentrate, and the user inhales the vaporized smoke. 

The main ingredient in CBD dabs and vape cartridges used by medical marijuana users, cannabidiol, doesn’t give users psychoactive effects compared to its cannabinoid counterpart tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Recreational users prefer consuming THC dabs or THC oils because they give them psychoactive effects, however, CBD dabs and vape cartridges give users sedative and anti-inflammatory benefits which is why a lot of medical marijuana users choose to use them. 

For the purpose of this article, we’ll give you all the necessary information on CBD dabs, as well as provide you with a guide on making CBD vape oil to fill your vape pen.

Cannabis Concentrates

If you’re planning on trying out vaping, you’ll need to acquire cannabis concentrates placed inside the cartridges that go inside your vape pen. These concentrates are processed from the cannabis plant and contain cannabinoids and terpenes. 

To make cannabis concentrates, you’ll first need to decide whether you’ll use liquid solvent extraction or physical separation to remove the trichomes. Liquid solvent extraction uses solvents like butane, propane, and CO2 to make Butane Hash Oil (BHO), Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), and other concentrates.  On the other hand, the solventless method of extraction removes the trichomes physically to get the end products rosin and kief.

Types of Dabs

Depending on your preference, you can buy different types of cannabis concentrates at your local dispensary, although you cannot vape all of them. Cannabis concentrates like shatter, crumble, budder, badder, wax, resin, and rosin can only be used in dab rigs, and oil cannabis concentrates are used for vaping.

CBD Oil Concentrates and Vape Cartridges

The necessary equipment if you decide to try vaping is a vaporizer or vape pen, and the vape cartridge that contains CBD oil concentrate. Your vape cartridges should be filled with high-quality cannabis oil for the best experience. The higher the quality of the CBD oil, the better the terpene and cannabinoid ratio will be. Make sure you buy your vape cartridges from a reputable supplier since they’re prone to leakage or damage, so you won’t waste precious cannabinoids.

Most cartridges have a 2 mm diameter intake hole which is the place where the oil meets the atomizer. The atomizer vaporizes the oil into inhalable vapor which is inhaled by the cannabis user, therefore vaping cannabis is similar to smoking a regular e-cigarette. Cannabis users should aim to buy high viscosity oils since they are oils of a higher quality. 

How to Make CBD Oil for Your E-Cig or Vape Pen?

While you can buy both THC oil and CBD oil from a local dispensary, you could also make your own CBD e-cig vape juice by using a few simple ingredients. Depending on what type of oil you’re making, there are different techniques and methods you can use. You can use propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) to make your THC oil, or use a viscosity booster and make your CBD e-juice to fill your vape pen. The most important thing when making homemade CBD dab oil is not to overfill the cartridges since you’ll end up wasting your product in the end.

Making the CBD Vape Oil

This is one of the easiest methods of making your own CBD vape oil that we’ve found on the internet and the process requires only a few ingredients. The instructions below refer to using roughly 5 ml of oil.

  1. The oil or concentrate should be heated to about 185-195 degrees Fahrenheit (85-90 degrees Celsius).
  2. Once the oil is warmed up, or the CBD concentrate is fully liquified and there are no chunks floating around, the terpenes and viscosity booster are added (a 2:1 ratio of concentrate to viscosity booster is recommended for concentrates, for oils or distillates you can use 5-10% of viscosity booster or omit it altogether).
  3. Mix 5 ml of full-spectrum CBD oil with 0.5 ml of terpenes and 0.5 ml of viscosity booster to get the final product and mix the ingredients well.
  4. There shouldn’t be any variations in color or viscosity in the entire mixture, meaning it needs to be fully emulsified.
  5. When the mixture is ready, you can place it inside a syringe.
  6. Fill up the cartridge with your syringe filled with CBD oil (the cartridge should be nearly full, but there should be some room left at the top for an air bubble).
  7. After you’ve filled the cartridge, you need to place a cap over the top, and flip them over. This enables the air that has entered the cartridge to escape without causing your cartridge to leak.
  8. Wipe the cartridge with a paper towel soaked in alcohol to clean off any excess oil that may have spilled.
  9. Place your cartridge in your vape pen, and test your finished product.

Final Thoughts on Making CBD Dab Oil

When making your own cannabis products at home, you should keep in mind that you won’t be able to produce the same quality as when you buy them from a dispensary. Still, you can make a wide array of cannabis products at home, ranging from cannabutter, cannabis oil, and topical creams to making your own weed brownies.

In this article, we’ve covered only one method of making oil for your cartridges, but there are many more. To make the concentrate, you could extract the cannabinoids with a solvent like butane, propane, or CO2, or you could go for a solventless extraction process. Whichever one you choose, make sure you do adequate research so you can produce the best oil you can.

A passionate advocate for the benefits of cannabis. Fraser Horton, who has a background in botany and a strong love of nature, has spent years researching how cannabis affects the body and mind. He established Leaf Nation in 2020, where he has devoted himself to educating people about the legalisation of marijuana and its safe and responsible use. Fraser is committed to highlighting cannabis’ potential for improving wellness and working to dispel the stigma associated with its use.

Disclaimer

The information presented on this page is provided as a public service to aid in education and is derived from sources believed to be reliable. Readers are responsible for making their own assessment of the topics discussed here. In no event shall Leaf Nation be held reliable for any injury, loss or damage that could happen if using or abusing drugs.