Hemp Seed Oil VS. CBD Oil: What's the Difference?

Although the world is over-saturated with CBD products, such as CBD creams and CBD vapes, a lot of people still don’t know that there’s a difference between CBD oil and hemp seed oil.

And this difference is more than cosmetic — it’s fundamental.

So if you’re on the market for a vapable product that can help you with a number of health conditions — from memory loss and regulating your blood pressure to getting a good night’s sleep — you need to know this difference.

And I will go on the record right now — I’m not dissing hempseed oil here. I think it’s a wonderful product for certain conditions… but CBD it is not.

So let’s take a quick look at both CBD oil and hemp seed oil, and see what the fuss is about. Sidenote: keep in mind that we’re talking about CBD oil extracted from the hemp plant here. There are other cannabis oils out there, including rich in THC oils that I won’t be discussing in this post.

Let’s dig into it.

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What is Hemp Seed Oil?

In a nutshell, hempseed oil is cooking oil.

It’s just regular oil made from hemp seeds, and it can be put in the same basket as various olive oils and other plant oils. It can also be used in skin and hair care products.

It’s not magic oil just because it’s made out of hemp. However, there are some benefits to hemp oil that you won’t find in other cooking oils, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

How is it made?

Typically, the hemp seed oil is extracted from hemp seed by using a cold-press process.

Using a hydraulic press the fibrous parts of the seed are separated. The applied pressure is enough to squeeze tiny droplets of oil from the seeds. The process is the same for all plant-based oils, but it most resembles the olive oil making process.

Why is hemp seed oil good?

First of all, oil made from hemp seed doesn’t have any psychoactive effects — it’s completely safe to use in cooking and in cosmetics.

It also contains a bunch of essential fatty acids, such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as gamma-linolenic acid, as well as antioxidants. On top of that, it’s full of vitamin B and D.

In most cases, this oil is recommended as a way of battling any cardiovascular ailments, as it regulates your cholesterol levels. Hemp seed oil helps you improve both high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as your triglycerides.

Effects and benefits

By consuming this all-natural oil, the human body gets the necessary nutrients to improve, regulate and regenerate. Not only does it help with the cardiovascular system and keep your cholesterol levels in check, but also helps the skin, immune system, and nervous system.

Skin – Our skin, as the biggest organ of our body takes the biggest punch from our surroundings. Be it cold weather, rain, frostbites, scorching sun, and everything in between, the skin needs time to heal and the process can take some time. Ingesting hempseed oil, you definitely speed up the process and make your skin smooth, and healthy. Not to mention, you’ll look younger.
Immune system – Nowadays, most of us are focused on staying healthy due to Covid-19 and all its versions. Having a strong immune system is a daily task and as such must not be ignored. And while we are bombarded by medical supplements that would help us achieve just that, natural products are always a better solution than a fistful of pills.
Nervous system – This benefit is something the older population values the most. Years of repetitive jobs, movements, or lack of them together can have an effect on your nervous system. On top of that, any type of nerve damage, whether you’re young or old can be a nuisance in daily activities.

Full of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, consuming this oil in a regulated dosage can turn your life around. Don’t believe me? Check out this study from 2010. and a detailed nutrient hempseed profile of all goodies your body gets when consuming hemp seed oil.

Risks and side effects

Oil made from hemp (and seeds of the cannabis sativa plant) is completely safe to use. Baring an allergic reaction, there are no negative side effects of using this oil.

Since it doesn’t contain any CBD or THC, there’s no chance of the usage showing up on a drug test, so there’s no need to worry about that. In essence, this is omega-rich culinary oil and you should treat it as such.

What is CBD Oil?

Unlike hemp seed oil, CBD oil is made from the whole hemp plant — stem, leaf, and flowers — all of which contain chemical compounds called cannabinoids. In addition to that, it can be made from different kinds of cannabis and marijuana cultivars that are rich in cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol, and other cannabinoids.

CBD oil contains a lot of CBD (even too much CBD, in some cases), but can also contain other cannabinoids, such as THC.

It should not be ingested on its own as it might be too potent — and is definitely too oily and pungent for that. That’s why it’s often mixed with carrier fluids, such as MTC oil, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin. It’s the main ingredient in broad spectrum CBD oils, tinctures, creams, and vape cartridges.

How is it made?

CBD oil can be made in several ways. And while all of them bear the same results, they require the use of solvents meaning that at some point CBD was not untouched, completely pure compound — also called CBD isolate.

Distillation

It can be distilled from CBD hemp flower, and while it’s not a solvent-free process, CBD Oil goes through a specific, multi-leveled refinement and distillation process. The result is pure CBD oil.

CO2 extraction

One of the most commonly used processes is the extraction of CBD using ‘CO2 extraction,’(supercritical carbon dioxide). This method is also used in the process of making perfumes and food additives. The flower (hemp) is placed in a chamber filled with carbon dioxide. The pressure inside the chamber makes CO2 turn into liquid and absorbs hemp’s oils and flavors. In the end, the final result is a liquid containing both CBD and carbon dioxide.

Once that liquid is created it needs to be pumped into the next chamber where CO2 will be turned into gas leaving only CBD as a product.

This process is fairly safe, and efficient and the final result is extremely potent, but it should be mentioned that this process is not alcohol-free. The CBD compound needs to be further refined.

Alcohol extraction

By far the simplest way to extract CBD oil from hemp and as such it can have some drawbacks.

During the process, it’s important to use one of these liquid solvents: ethanol, butane, or isopropyl alcohol. Ethanol is vastly recommended as it helps maintain hemp’s natural chemical properties during extraction.

But, in some tests, it has been shown that the solvent residue isn’t always fully removed during the evaporation phase. On top of that, it has also been proved that natural solvents like ethanol, when used, will also extract the chlorophyll and the resulting oil will have a displeasing taste.

Effects and benefits

CBD oil is a well-known remedy for anyone with issues such as:

epilepsy
pain relief and inflammation
anxiety and depression
addiction management
inflammatory skin conditions
neurodegenerative conditions

Basic symptoms of using CBD are calming effects that stabilize any abrupt or unwanted process inside the body. On top of that, it helps, assists, and quickens most if not all body processes.

Risks and side effects

Many studies have proven that CBD consumption is completely safe without any noticeable side effects, even in large doses. Studies such as this one have also presented dangers of CBD overuse/overdose, which brought in results that even if you ingest 1500mg there are no noticeable side effects you should worry about.

However, it has been shown that consumers taking Epidiolex (one of the most famous CBD drugs for epilepsy) have reported side effects using this medication. Such as fatigue, decreased appetite, diarrhea, and elevated liver function. With that said, it is strongly advised to use and consume only CBD products from a reliable source to avoid any issues.

6 Biggest Differences Between Hemp Seed Oil & CBD Oil

CBD content

One of, if not the most important differences. While both CBD oil and hemp seed oil originate from the same plant, they don’t offer the same CBD percentage. Most CBD oil products label CBD content in milligrams, but if you check the bottle of the hemp seed oil and can’t find that, you are free to assume there is none.

Some might argue that hemp seed oil without any CBD isn’t worth your money, but I do believe that having a product without CBD will definitely find its buyer as it still comes with some health benefits.

How it’s made

CBD oil has several different ways to be made, and all of them involve some kind of solvent. And while you are using the whole plant to make it, it’s rarely pure after the first round of refining.

On the other hand, while you need to be picky with the hemp seed as there shouldn’t be any other part of the hemp, cold-press is enough to create nice oil without any additional refinement. Yes, the color at first won’t be too attractive, it needs some time to settle down.

Chemical composition

This one’s easy to determine. If you, by any chance, have a bottle of hemp seed oil and a CBD oil grab them both and read the ingredients list.

And while we already graduated from the “They both come from Hemp” college, you will notice that “Hemp oil” can be used for cooking or as a compound in various beauty products. Some companies will market their product as “Hemp oil” but if you take a closer look at the label you will see that is made from hemp seed oil instead. Meaning, zero CBD.

Then again, when looking at the CBD oil label it clearly states “whole-plant extract”. As I mentioned before, CBD oil is not bound to hemp as a source, but any cannabidiol-rich cannabis strain will do just fine. Products such as CBD oil tinctures will also contain some type of carrier oil, such as MCT oil or olive oil, but will also show if the product is on the full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, PCR, or phytocannabinoid-rich.

However, in some cases, such as CBD vapes, the CBD oil part can be mislabeled. Not to worry, you are not scammed by any means as you are getting the CBD you were looking for. Yet, to be 100% transparent, any CBD vape product contains liquid more similar to CBD oil tinctures rather than pure CBD oil.

Purpose of the product and utilization

Hemp seed oil – you’ll use it when you’re cooking or making a salad. It can also be used as a base for some beauty products for hair and skin care. CBD oil – technically, pure oil is not something you are ever ingesting. CBD oil tinctures and vaping products are something you would consume. Also, there are several types of edibles, topicals, and other products infused with it.

The most common reason people turn to CBD products is to relieve themselves of chronic pain. So, if you hear someone talking about how they vape, eat, drip, etc. CBD oil does understand they are talking about a product that contains said oil.

Market

Where to buy them?

Both can be found in the local pharmacy, grocery store, or health food stores. However, there are specialized stores for CBD oil products as there is a little change you will find both hemp oil and CBD oil in the same store, from the same company.

My honest suggestion would be to invest some time and energy into finding the perfect store that offers one of these two and check it out before you buy.

And while I have no issue with a local pharmacy, I do believe companies invest a lot of money in branding, websites, shops, and products for some reason.

Cost

I assume you asked yourself, once or twice, if both hemp seed oil and CBD oil come from the same plant, why is there such a price difference? Well, specialized extraction processes to make CBD oil are costly and you will pay more if you are looking for premium quality.

Can you vape both?

The short answer is no…

Hemp seed oil can’t and shouldn’t be vaped.

Regarding CBD oil, I already mentioned that part.

No one is vaping CBD oil, per se. Yes, there is some type of CBD concentrate or extract in your vape juice, but it has VP and PG as well. Similar to CBD oil tinctures, there needs to be a carrier for the CBD so you can vape it. Note: CBD oil tinctures can’t be vaped.

Conclusion

Bottom line is that you should read the label when you decide to purchase either hemp seed oil or cannabidiol oil product. They have a lot in common so labeling can often be misleading. But they are definitely different products.

Both products originate from the same plan (Hemp), and both of them can be labeled as organic, kosher, non-GMO, vegan, etc. They might even have a hemp leaf on the packaging and can be found at the same location, but they will never be the same thing.

Do your research, read labels, buy from a respectable source and you should be just fine.