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How To Make Strong Cannabis Oil

Last Updated: June 06, 2023By Joshua Mezher

Making your own cannabis oil is a convenient skill. However, learning how to make good canna oil can involve a bit of trial and error. Messes happen, and that's okay! We are here to be a helping hand. 
 

marijuana oils

The Benefits of Cannabis Oils

Cannabis oils have many practical applications, which is why we love them! Cannabis cooking oil, for instance, can be used to make an array of edible treats. Cannabis oils have many applications for a wide variety of medical uses, which we will detail later. 

Past research has shown that the cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), have various medical benefits. These include treating anxiety, depression, acne, heart disease, and even diabetes, though more research is needed. Some have even claimed that cannabis oil cures cancer, but obviously, this claim requires a lot more scientific data to support it. Who knows? Someday we may have research to show that cannabis oil cures cancer. 

Sometimes something as simple as infused coconut oil can make a world of difference. We don’t just love cannabis coconut oil for its medicinal properties; cannabis oils are a blast when used recreationally too! Just a couple spoonfuls before a casual get-together or binge-watching the latest on Netflix is sure to liven up your evening.   

You can find a large number of cannabis oils for sale at any dispensary; however, making cannabis oil can save you plenty of money in the long run, especially when you use homegrown weed. Make as much as you want and as strong as you want. It’s your oil to perfect.

 
Quality Cannabis Oil


How to Use Cannabis Oil
 

We love cannabis oils because there are so many uses for them! You can use homemade cannabis-infused coconut oil to make edibles in the comfort of your own kitchen. Speaking of food, you can also use cannabis oil for all manners of cooking. Most people prefer olive oils to make cannabis cooking oil. Does your carne asada need a little more excitement having nothing to do with taste? Add some spice with some cannabis oil! 

Use cannabis oils to make topicals, which are great for rubbing on sore muscles and are a lifesaver when you have issues with chronic pain. Cannabis oil topicals can also be fun in the bedroom. But, cannabis oils have many medical uses; however, you should always consult your doctor before self-medicating, as cannabis can interact negatively with certain medications. Some other cannabis oil uses include acne treatment, minimizing depression, fighting insomnia, and even lowering the chance of heart disease! 

You might be wondering about other cannabis oil uses, for instance, for your dog. CBD oil works wonders for arthritis and chronic pain in humans; why not use cannabis oil for dogs? In many states, dispensaries carry all manner of cannabis oil products for dogs

If you’re wondering how to use your oil, the list of cannabis oil benefits is endless. Plus, we are constantly discovering new uses for it.


How to Make Oil from Weed 

Have you ever tried to eat your weed? It’s okay; most of us have tried it at some point. It did not get you high at all, did it? Raw cannabis contains the cannabinoids THCA and CBDA. The head change that comes with THC and the medicinal effects of CBD occur when THCA and CBDA convert into THC and CBD. Now bear with us because you are in for a bit of a science lesson – we’ll keep it brief. 

The reason why cannabis affects the human body the way it does is because of your endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is crucial because it regulates many functions in the human body, such as sleep, mood, and memory. 

When cannabinoids such as THCA and CBDA are converted into THC and CBD, they can interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system. This interaction is why cannabis is known to help people with insomnia or depression, as sleep and mood are both controlled by the endocannabinoid system. 

How do we convert THCA and CBDA into THC and CBD? Conversion happens during a process called decarboxylation, or decarbing, which is simply a process of slowly heating your cannabis. Decarboxylation is the concept behind vaping, for example. Before you make your cannabis oil, you will want to decarb your weed. Decarbing is very easy to do:

How to Decarb:

- Preheat your oven to 230-250º F

- Evenly spread pre-ground dried cannabis flower (usually anywhere from a half-ounce to an ounce) onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet

- Leave in the oven for 25-30 minutes

- Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container such as a mason jar or Tupperware. Make sure to store in a cool, dark place to preserve the potency! 


cannabis plant next to high quality cannabis oil in a dropper
 


What Do You Need to Make Weed Oil?

Here are all the things you will need for making cannabis oil. First and foremost, you will need your ground-up, decarbed cannabis flower (details on how to decarb your weed above). The amount you want to use depends on how potent you want your cannabis coconut oil to be. You can use one cup to make things simple, which usually measures out to 7 grams or a quarter of an ounce (an ounce being roughly 28 grams of dried flower). 

You will also need your preferred oil, for which you can use 1 cup of any fatty oil such as olive, avocado, or coconut or even refined mct oil. Whatever you want to use is up to you. Coconut oil has many health benefits and is an excellent oil to use. However, for savory recipes, cannabis infused olive oil or avocado oil is great for making pesto, red sauce, and salad dressing, to give you a few ideas. Cannabis butter is also great for things like brownies and popcorn. 

Next, you will need something with which to cook your cannabis oil. If you are not short on time, you can use an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, as it is the least hands-on method for making cannabis infused oil (more on this later). 

A Magical Butter cannabutter-making machine is the best way to make cannabutter. However, this article assumes you do not have a cannabutter-making machine, so it will address the art of making cannabis oil on the stove. For that, you will need two saucepans of different sizes to craft a makeshift double boiler

You will also need:

- a colander or strainer

- cheesecloth or nut milk bag

- a mixing bowl, preferably glass

- an airtight storage container, such as a Mason jar or Tupperware

- a thermometer (this is optional, but you may find it helpful for reasons which we will explain in a minute)

 

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Cannabis Oil Tip: the Slower, the Stronger 

The biggest mistake that newbies make when infusing cannabis oil is cooking it at too high a temperature. Some think they can speed the process by cooking at a higher temperature - anyone who has spent time in a kitchen knows this is the fastest way to mess up a meal. 

With cannabis, the key is not to heat it above a specific temperature. If time wasn’t a factor, you could decarb it under the broiler and finish it in 5 minutes. When infusing your oil on the stove, ensure that your oil never goes above 200ºF. Ideally, you will want it to stay anywhere between 120 and 180º F. This might sound like a wide and, therefore, easy range to stay within. Still, it can be a bit of a pain without a good thermometer. 

You’ve no doubt boiled water before, but you might not remember from science class that oil has a higher boiling point than water. This means oil begins bubbling at a much higher temperature than water does. 

For example, the boiling point of coconut oil is 350ºF, which is much too hot for infusing cannabis essential oil. The lesson that you should take from this is that if your oil is bubbling, it will destroy your potency. At that point, you may as well be eating your cannabis buds raw for all of the effect you’re going to get out of the finished product.

Cannabis oil
 


How to Make Canna Oil
 in 5 Steps 

Once you’ve gathered your materials and made a plan, making cannabis oil is quite simple. 

1) First, you will need to decarb your cannabis if you have not already. Instructions for how to do so are in the previous section. Using a double boiler, add water to the bottom pan. Next, add your oil to the top pan (the one without the water, if you are confused). Heat your oil until it melts.  (Note: this is not the same as letting it reach its boiling point.) 

2) Stir your decarbed cannabis into your melted oil. At this point, you can throw in your unwanted trim (stems, leaves, etc.) if you wish to add a little extra to your oil. 

3) Heat over low heat for 30 minutes to an hour, ensuring that your oil does not reach a temperature of 200º. Hint: this is where having a thermometer will come in handy. You can, of course, simmer it for longer if needed; consider 30-60 minutes as a guideline. 

4) Once you have infused your oil, it’s time to strain! Cover the colander in cheesecloth to strain the oil from your infused cannabis. You will want to use a glass bowl, as plastic bowls can add impurities into your cannabis essential oil. Be aware that this stage can get very messy: you may get wet! 

5) Put your now strained cannabis infused oil into its forever home, that is, the mason jar or Tupperware container that you were saving for this purpose.
 

The Secret Ingredient for Really Strong Cannabis Oil 

There is a secret ingredient for making absurdly strong cannabis oil. This one is easy; I think you can guess it. 

The answer is—drum roll—more weed! To make a stash stronger than cannabis oil for sale at the dispensary, all you need to do is to add more weed, particularly weed that has the highest THC. Want cannabis oil benefits that will last even longer? 

That will require more flower, which can add up if your sole supplier is the dispensary and you happen to make a lot of cannabis oil. You can cut down on your costs by growing your own weed, and as a bonus, you can make it as strong as you want – just watch the dosage! 

 

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Dosing Tips 

The first thing you need to know when taking cannabis oil for pain is to be mindful of your limits. Cannabis concentrates such as oils will hit you much harder than taking a puff of a joint. When taken in edible form, it will take more time to feel the effects. 

The biggest mistake first-timers make is taking too much. You eat an edible; you wait for it to kick in; you start thinking they’re not working; you take some more. Once the edibles kick in, now you’re too high

Dosing with homemade edibles can be a tricky business because you don’t know precisely how potent they will be. The best way to figure out how to dose yourself on your cannabis oil is to microdose. Try taking a teaspoon of oil and see how that makes you feel. Then, WAIT for it to kick in fully. Tailor your dosage to what you know you can handle. 

Once you have your dosage figured out, you can make other treats using the cannaoil like gummy bears and weed brownies

Making cannabis oil from scratch is a fun and rewarding activity. You can make cannabis edibles or a healing topical infused oil for pain, nausea, epilepsy, depression, etc. Best of all, you can make it as strong as you want! Keep your costs low and potency high by growing your own weed, which is very easy to do when you start with a grow kit from a Pot for Pot

Which is Better: Canna Butter vs Oil?

The great cannabis butter vs oil debate: what is better for making a cannabis infusion? With the active ingredients in cannabis being lipid soluble (meaning dissolvable in fats), the big thing to consider when choosing the carrier oil for a cannabis infusion is the fat content because that's what the THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids will bind to and ensure your infusion gets you high. 

There are many opinions on whether long-chain fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids, or monounsaturated fatty acids bind to cannabinoids best for the most potent, full spectrum infusion. A High Times edibles investigation tried to answer this question once and for all and found that clarified butter and/or olive oil absorbed the most THC depending on the lab doing the reporting. 

But the differences were small and different labs produced different results. So really what fat you choose is up to you. We recommend choosing the oil or fat that would work best for your recipe and has the correct smoke point for the type of cooking you plan to do. And it's okay to use flowers that are high in other cannabinoids too, maybe you want a CBD olive oil recipe or a yummy CBN coconut oil for bedtime. The options are endless and completely customizable! If you have your favorite recipe, please feel free to send it our way. :)

 

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