How to Make CBD Oil at Home (Step-by-Step Guide + Tips)

Want a budget-friendly way to enjoy CBD’s healing benefits? 

Try homemade CBD oil.

How do you make it?

Extract the CBD from the hemp plant, mix it with a carrier oil (olive oil or coconut oil), and voila!

You have your very own DIY CBD oil! 

But here’s the catch:

Homemade CBD oil is NOT as effective as store-bought ones. 

Nor is it easy to make. (One false step, and you can end up with useless goop!)

Still interested in making CBD oil? Let’s get started!

Jump To:

• DIY CBD Oil: Theory 101
• How to Make CBD Oil in 7 Simple Steps
• 6 Smart Tips to Make CBD Oil Like a Pro
• 3 Reasons Why a Homemade CBD Oil Isn’t the Best Choice

DIY CBD Oil: Theory 101

What goes into making cannabis oil? 

Three key components: 

A. CBD Strain

Selecting the right hemp CBD strain is vital to:

• Increase the CBD concentration in the cannabis oil.
  
• Enrich the oil with plant compounds like aromatic terpenes, fatty acids, etc., for the entourage effect (the combined effect of cannabinoids for better results). 

Psst… 

Some strains even have high THC content, giving you a psychoactive ‘high’. 

The bottom line?

Use CBD-dominant hemp strains! (Think: ACDC or Cherry Wine.)

Depending on your country, you may get them online or in dispensaries. 

B. Activated CBD

Once you extract CBD (cannabidiol) from the hemp plant, you must activate it. 

Why is this essential?

Hemp plant compounds aren’t naturally active or bioavailable. 

Heating the cannabis extract (read: decarboxylate) unlocks its therapeutic properties.

How do you do that?

Smoke it, bake in an oven, or pressure-cook in a slow cooker. 

While these methods are inexpensive, here’s the real story: 

Maintaining the correct temperature is complex, and even a slight mistake can make your DIY CBD oil worthless. (More on that later).

C. Carrier Oil

A carrier oil dilutes activated CBD for easy intake. 

Use natural plant oils (olive oil, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, or MCT oil) as the carrier oil.

You now know the basics of making cannabis oil.

Let’s get cooking!

How to Make CBD Oil in 7 Simple Steps

Follow these seven steps to make CBD oil at home:

• Do the prep work
• Grind the hemp flower
• Prepare the ground cannabis
• Decarboxylate to activate CBD
• Mix the activated CBD with a carrier oil
• Complete the oil infusion
• Strain and store the CBD oil

Download 7-step CBD Oil Recipe PDF

1. Do the prep work

Collect the necessary ingredients and equipment. 

a. Ingredients

• 1 cup (5-10 grams) of hemp flowers
• 1 cup (about 250 ml) of coconut oil or any other carrier oil of your choice

b. Equipment

• Oven (preheated to 220°F or 104°C)
• Oven thermometer
• Metal hand grinder
• Baking sheet
• Aluminium foil
• Cooking pot or saucepan or double-boiler 
• Filter paper or cheesecloth
• Wide storage container (glass jar or small pot)

Hot tip: 

The number displayed on your oven doesn’t always reflect the exact oven temperature. 

We recommend using an oven thermometer.

2. Grind the hemp flower

Use a simple metal hand grinder to grind the cannabis flower coarsely.  

DO NOT over-grind it!

If the ground pieces are tiny, the plant material will burn as soon as you heat it. 

3. Prepare the ground cannabis

Time to bake!

• Line your baking sheet with aluminium foil. This lets you easily lift the baked product out of the oven. 

• Evenly spread the ground cannabis flower on your baking sheet for uniform cooking.

• Add another layer of aluminium foil over the ground CBD flower to retain the heat.

4. Decarboxylate to activate CBD

Decarboxylation involves heating and “activating” beneficial compounds in cannabis.

Here’s how to do it:

• Bake the ground cannabis flower in the oven for 30 minutes. 

• Remove the hemp plant material (decarboxylated cannabis) and let it cool for about 45 minutes.
  (P.S. ensure you have the right oven temperature at all times during this stage.) 

• Once the cannabis extract cools down, remove the top layer of aluminium foil. 

Time for the moment of truth! 

• If you baked it correctly, the ground hemp flower will look golden brown. 

5. Mix the activated CBD with a carrier oil

To mix the activated hemp extract with the carrier oil:

• Put your cooking pot or saucepan on low heat, and pour the carrier oil.  

• Add the golden, roasted cannabis before the oil starts sizzling. 

• Maintain the oil temperature at around 150°F (65.5°C). Otherwise, every beneficial cannabinoid and most terpenes in the CBD extract will evaporate. 

Alternatively, combine the decarboxylated cannabis and the carrier oil using a double-boiler. 

To do so:

• Place the contents in the double-boiler.

• Fill the container’s bottom with water.

• Bring it to a simmer.

We can’t emphasise this enough: 

The temperature SHOULD NOT exceed 200°F (93.33°C), whether you use a cooking pot, saucepan, or double-boiler. 

6. Complete the oil infusion

Cook the activated hemp extract and carrier oil mixture for about 30 minutes to 4 hours. 

A longer cooking time allows more cannabinoids to infuse into the oil, giving the final product enhanced health benefits.  

Worried about overheating your infused oil? 

Here’s a safer alternative: 

Add the baked CBD extract (from step 4) to the oil and keep it at room temperature in a dark place for up to 8 weeks. 

You’ll get CBD-infused oil without any heating! 

7. Strain and store the CBD oil

Place 2-3 layers of cheesecloth or parchment paper above a wide-mouthed glass jar. 

Now:

Carefully pour the homemade CBD oil onto the filter. 

The strainer will collect the cannabis plant matter that you can discard later. 

And that’s a wrap!

Collect and store the CBD oil at room temperature. 

You might be wondering: 

How can you actually use this?

Measure the oil using a dropper and take it under the tongue when you experience anxiety, stress, or poor sleep.   

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6 Smart Tips to Make CBD Oil Like a Pro

Follow these simple tips while making cannabis oil:  

• Handpick high-quality hemp CBD strains so your homemade CBD oil is rich in cannabinoids and perfumed terpenes. 

• Use an oven thermometer to maintain the right temperature. Underheating won’t activate the cannabinoid properly, while overheating can destroy it.  

• Choose a precision cooker to extract the most CBD from your plant material for a potent CBD oil. 

• Use a high-quality carrier oil containing healthy fats, like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil (MCT oil), or avocado oil. These oils have different flavour profiles and will add a unique touch to your homemade oil!

• Add aromatic extracts (think: mint, vanilla, or citrus) to your cannabis oil to enhance the flavour. Avoid them if you’ll use the oil for cooking (to whip up CBD butter or CBD coffee). 

• Store your CBD oil in a cool, dry, and dark place to increase its shelf life.

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3 Reasons Why a Homemade CBD Oil Is Not The Best Choice

Here’s the deal: 

Homemade CBD oil is cheap and easy to make. 

But:

• It’s ILLEGAL in the UK, Germany, and other countries.
  
• You CAN NOT determine DIY CBD oil’s exact strength/dosage.
  
• It DOES NOT have the premium quality (read: health benefits) of professionally-strained CBD oils. 

So let’s discuss why you may want to reconsider making CBD oil at home.

1. Stringent Regulations in the UK

Here’s a snapshot of the UK’s cannabis laws:

• The sale of CBD flower (hemp flower) and buds is prohibited.

• Only a few cannabinoids like CBD and CBDa are legal. Cannabinoids like THC are illegal in the UK (except for medical cannabis).

• Every finished CBD product (CBD oil, CBD gummy, topical, CBD capsules, CBD tincture, CBD edibles, CBD massage oil, etc.) should have 0.0% THC.
• To grow cannabis flowers, you need the Home Office’s licence, which permits only certain varieties of Cannabis sativa (any cannabis plant with up to 0.2% THC) for cultivation.

2. Cannot Determine CBD Potency

The truth is: you can’t be sure about the strength of your homemade CBD oil. 

Not reliably, anyway! 

As a result, you can’t determine the correct dosage. 

But it gets worse…   

Following the oil recipe could give you a full spectrum CBD oil containing THC. 

Long story short, you may unknowingly ingest a psychoactive substance and experience unwanted effects — something you didn’t sign up for! 

Hot tip: 

Want to steer clear of any THC-rich CBD product? 

Go for a CBD oil or tincture containing CBD isolate (pure CBD extract) or broad spectrum CBD.

3. Lack of Premium Quality

DIY CBD oil products can never beat their professionally-strained counterparts.

Why?

Reputed CBD companies use advanced CBD extraction methods like CO2 extraction or solvent extraction to create high quality CBD oils. 

Plus, they perform each step with great care and precision.

Since you can’t replicate these techniques at home, DIY CBD oil IS NOT the best choice for your health and wellness.  

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Get High-Quality, THC-Free CBD Oils at GreenBox!   

CBD oils have excellent therapeutic properties that can keep your stress and anxiety at bay.

While you can make CBD oil at home, it’s unsafe and ineffective (and could be illegal!). 

Instead, explore GreenBox’s extensive range of lab-tested, THC-free CBD products! 

CBD oils, CBD edibles (CBD capsules or CBD gummy supplements), topicals… there’s something for everyone at GreenBox!