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If you want to incorporate CBD into your wellness routine, there are endless products to choose from. “CBD is now available in every form,” according to Broccoli magazine editor-in-chief Anja Charbonneau. “You can smoke pre-rolls with loose flower (like a classic weed bud) or get tinctures, candies, lotions, suppositories, face oils, serums, toothpaste, and beverages.”
Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a cannabis specialist who works as a primary-care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, says that while the science is new and more studies with human test subjects need to be done, “there is emerging research that suggests CBD can be helpful in managing anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and even addiction.” According to entrepreneur Verena von Pfetten, whose Gossamer brand sells CBD products among its wares, “humans and other vertebrates have what is called an endocannabinoid system, or ECS, which is made up of receptors found throughout your body — in your brain, spinal cord, digestive system, and even your skin — that help keep your internal systems in balance.” Kate Miller, a co-founder of CBD brand Miss Grass, explains that the ECS, which regulates things like pain, appetite, sleep, immune function, and stress, is the bodily system CBD interacts with. But since CBD is a relatively new ingredient that’s still being studied, there is very little regulation, so “it’s up to the brands to ‘do the right thing,’” says von Pfetten. In choosing any product, Christopher Gavigan, the founder and CEO of CBD skin-care brand Prima, notes that “you want to take a holistic look: Who is behind it? What are the brand’s values? How does it source ingredients? Does it offer transparency around purity and potency?”
According to the 20 people I spoke to — who include doctors, makers, and CBD users — the best way to sniff out any brand’s worthiness is to look for whether or not it has a publicly available Certificate of Analysis (also known as a COA). “A COA is an independent lab test verifying that what’s in the bottle actually matches what’s on the label — everything from type of CBD, to amount of CBD, to whether it is pesticide and heavy metal-free,” explains von Pfetten.
Once you’ve settled on a brand, the next tricky thing about CBD is figuring out the right dose for you. Charbonneau cautions that process is not a science and can involve some trial and error. “Dosing CBD properly is like being Goldilocks,” as she puts it. “Too little, and you’re not going to get any results. Too much, and it won’t work either.” Grinspoon has this advice: “CBD affects everybody differently, so start low and work your way up.” Charbonneau’s other tip is to keep track of your dosing in a journal, so you can track your body’s response to different doses over time. While the right amount will differ from person to person, generally, you can tell you’ve settled on a good dosage when you start feeling more relaxed and experience a greater sense of calm after ingesting CBD. (With topical products, look for a feeling of pain relief instead of relaxation.) And remember: CBD has a cumulative effect, so “the more regularly you take it, the better it works,” says von Pfetten. “Think of it like a daily supplement, not like a hit of a joint where you’re ‘high’ immediately.”
If you are ready to try it — or are a user ready to try some new form of CBD — the 24 products below come recommended by our 23 cool people as stuff that actually works, whether its ingested, applied topically, or smoked. To ease your mind, know that everything below has a Certificate of Analysis (we checked). And to help you find what you’re looking for, we’ve broken down the recommendations by what they are — from pre-rolls and vapes to tinctures to topicals to edibles. And one more thing: In talking to people in the cannabis and CBD space, we’ve also heard a lot about how it is important to be educated consumers and understand the effects that the larger war on drugs has historically had on Black, Brown, and other nonwhite communities. These conversations highlight that we should, at least, consume consciously and directly support Black, Brown, or other nonwhite businesses, several of which appear on the list below.
Update on September 19, 2024: Removed Edie Parker Super Bloom Tincture; updated prices and checked stock for all other products.
Best CBD pre-rolls and vapes
Flower, according to von Pfetten, “has the highest level of bioavailability” of any form of CBD, meaning that inhaling or smoking just a bit can give you the same effect as consuming more CBD in another form. She says that pre-rolled CBD joints “offer the high that most people want — a super light, relaxed, euphoric feeling that passes relatively quickly” and allows you to remain “entirely functional.” Echoing what von Pfetten said about CBD pre-rolls offering the high that most people want, former Strategist managing editor Maxine Builder calls these joints from Dad Grass “the most weedlike CBD I have ever encountered.” The pleasant buzz is so effective, Builder promises, that she says Dad Grass is “the CBD product that has convinced me that CBD is actually a thing.”
Gossamer’s nicely packaged pre-rolled joints with energizing CBD are extremely giftable and offer a nice creativity-boosting, body-relaxing high.
These spliffs from Barbari are made using botanical blends and hemp flower grown from a single father-daughter-owned farm in Bend, Oregon. There are three blends to choose from: calming Airplane Mode (sage, rose, lavender, blue lotus), uplifting Muse (peppermint, sage, and blue cornflower), and the energizing Car Sex (white sage and lions tail). And if you prefer to roll your own mix, Barbari also sells its herbal blends separately.
While it’s more of a setup (and investment) than the stuff above, if you know you’re going to be consuming a lot of CBD via pre-rolls, Omura’s sleek device and joints made specifically for it may be a more sophisticated way to do so. According to the brand, the Series 1 and its newer (pricier) sister the Series X function more like vaporizers, using “a proprietary heat curve and a convection oven” to heat each pre-roll long enough for a 3-minute session that is more discreet (read: less smelly and smokey) than if you’d just light something up. Former Strategist senior editor Anthony Rotunno tried it out after the company’s co-founder offered to send one his way for a rather particular reason. “He emailed out of the blue about how he loved my ode to the Pop Phone handset and told me he previously founded that company, then asked if I was interested in checking out his latest brand’s stuff, given my appreciation for his other products,” Rotunno says.
Miller says smoking CBD via a vape pen offers a similar effect to that of a pre-roll: “Most consumers will feel the effects within 30 seconds to a minute and you can expect a non-intoxicating, consistent, and repeatable experience.” A pen, of course, can also be even more discreet. Writer Darian Harvin told us she “reaches for this CBD vape pen whenever I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed” because it calms her without making her brain too cloudy. It has a flavor she describes as citrusy, and Harvin adds that the brand “gives back to organizations fighting against racial inequality” via its Purpose Program.
Best CBD tinctures
Tinctures, according to von Pfetten, are the “second most effective CBD products” in terms of bioavailability — if consumed properly, that is. “Hold a dose under the tongue for 60 seconds, or at least 30, until it is mostly absorbed,” she instructs. Speaking of dosage, Miller says tinctures make it easier to determine the right one for you because “you can control the experience drop-by-drop.” Charlotte’s Web is the tincture that hooked Strategist contributing editor Jessica Silvester — a self-described CBD skeptic — onto CBD. “I couldn’t help but notice that ever since I’d started my CBD regimen, the screams of my child weren’t as piercing; the lacrosse-ball-sized knot under my left shoulder blade was releasing,” she writes. Summing it up, Silvester calls the tincture “the most calming thing I’ve done since yoga.” She’s not its only fan: Actress Freida Pinto also swears by Charlotte’s Web, telling us, “it just takes the edge off. It calms my nerves and helps me not be in fight-or-flight mode all the time.”
As Charbonneau points out, the rise of CBD is opening brands’ eyes to “a broader pool of legal, beneficial cannabinoids.” One such brand is the Black- and Latinx-owned Xula, which uses “various cannabinoids in their tinctures and balms,” including CBD, and offers informative guides to the ingredients in each of their products, making them even more accessible to newbies. “I’ve been enjoying the Ah! tincture, which includes CBD, CBG, and a blend of herbs like passion flower and damiana,” Charbonneau says. Cannabis writer Brittany Parker also loves Xula, telling us that every time she takes its Zzz! Lights Out tincture, she is usually drooling on her pillow within an hour.
While she has a soft spot for her brand’s own CBD tinctures (Dusk and Dawn), von Pfetten says this one from Amanda is what she’d recommend aside from her own. She says it’s “high quality and it works.” According to the brand, the tincture is its “strongest full spectrum formulation,” so keep that in mind when it comes to dosage.
While CBD is typically associated with its calming benefits, if you’d like a more energizing blend, I recommend Gossamer’s Dawn, which includes full-spectrum CBD paired with an uplifting terpene blend. It’s perfect for daytime use.
Best CBD topicals
Back in March, I sprained my ankle and was dealing with a lot of joint pain plus some muscle soreness post-physical therapy. I had a tub of OHHo’s recovery balm lying around from an old mailer and decided to give it a try. I started massaging the balm into my ankle and calf after physical therapy and found that it really helped bring the pain and inflammation down. It has a blend of CBD, peppermint, and Saint-John’s-wort that also has a cooling effect when applied. Another bonus? My skin’s never been softer.
“Mineral makes beautifully branded products that I swear by and regularly recommend,” says von Pfetten, including its topical salve. “The company uses high-quality ingredients and delivers a lot of cannabinoids that are thoughtfully formulated for targeted effects.”
If you’d like to bring the calming effects of CBD to your scalp, two folks — Besito founder and CEO Maggie Connors and Strategist contributor Elisa Johnson — swear by this “potion” from Black-owned brand Frigg. “It relieves itchiness and soothes my head, which apparently I’ve been neglecting my whole life,” says Connors, who calls Frigg founder Kimberly Dillon nothing short of “a plant genius.” Johnson told us she applies “a few drops to my scalp and massages it in before putting on my silk Grace Eleyae cap to lock in the moisture.” The formula, she says, “is instantly soothing and leaves my scalp feeling less dry after each use. I have also noticed that it reduces itchiness and other scalp discomfort that I can often experience.”
When Strategist writer Jenna Milliner-Waddell asked experts about the best over-the-counter period-cramp remedies, several suggested checking out CBD. Devon Klauck, the lead nurse practitioner at women’s health clinic Tia, told Milliner-Waddel that her clinic’s resident acupuncturist often recommends Foria’s topical CBD salve to folks experiencing period — or lower back or abdomen — pain, because “you can put it anywhere.”
After years of using both topical and ingestible CBD, former Strategist associate editor Louis Cheslaw says he has found topicals to be more noticeably effective. His favorite topical is WeedSport’s balm, which he’s “been using since last summer to soothe exercise-related aches and pains, especially on my calves.” The product, he says, is “extremely fast-acting, often restoring me to a throb-free existence within 15 minutes.” It has a green color that he notes “makes me feel like Shrek” after applying, but this temporary ogre-like state has not stopped him from using it in the slightest; in fact, Cheslaw says he’s now on his third tub.
While soothing aches and pains seems to be a more common use for CBD topicals, Miller notes that the ingredient extends to “topical lubes and intimacy oils,” which she says “are truly amazing for enhancing sex.” As Miller explains, CBD-infused lubes like her favorite Awaken Arousal Oil from Foria “promote relaxation, stimulate blood flow, and increase your natural lubrication, all of which can lead to way better orgasms.”
If you’d like to try incorporating CBD into your bath ritual, Boronia Fallshaw, the founder of CBD brand Mello, likes to use these CBD bath bombs from Life Elements, which are available in 100-mg and 200-mg doses. Formulated with oatmeal, goat’s milk, honey, and witch hazel, these bombs keep her skin “feeling silky and luxurious.” They’re also great for muscle aches or period cramps. If you’re not sure what dosage to go with, the brand suggests choosing the 100-mg bomb for relaxation; and for more serious pain and stress relief, the 200-mg option.
If you prefer bath salts to bath bombs, Unplugged’s Queen Recovery Hemp Soak is formulated “to help relieve cramps, stress, and anxiety,” explains Kassia Graham, the director of social media and national projects at Cannaclusive and the leadership-team head at Cannabis for Black Lives. Graham adds that she found it be a delight to use in the bath, with a light woody scent. “When I finally left the tub, I was blissed out — with soft and silky skin — and ready for bed.” Each bag contains 100 mg of CBD, and the brand says one bag should get you through two to three baths.
Best CBD edibles
“Edibles tend to terrify people,” Miller says, “but when dosed properly, they have the most mellow effect of all, making them a great starting point for beginner CBD users.” If you want to try edibles, she says there are two things to keep in mind: “They typically take between 45 and 90 minutes to to kick in and the effects can last for up to 5 to 6 hours.” Although you can find edibles with lower amounts of CBD, von Pfetten suggests “generally looking for edibles that have at least ten milligrams of CBD” because you lose some of the active cannabinoids as your body processes them. (We’ve noted the milligrams of CBD per serving in the product name of each edible on this list.) For a sweet treat that packs a soothing dose of CBD, von Pfetten suggests these Turkish-inspired candies “the best CBD edibles on the market.” She explains that the edibles’ effectiveness is because the brand uses whole-flower rosin, “which isn’t extracted so much as pressed from the plant, preserving the cannabinoids and terpenes in as close to a form as they are found in the plant.” This technique “increases the effective dose and bioavailability of the CBD in each piece,” according to her.
For a sweet treat that’ll also help you sleep, former Strategist writer Chloe Anello says these CBD-infused gummies (that also include melatonin) “knock me out at night.” She finds them so effective that she recently bought four bags while the brand was having a sale. Not only do they work, but the gummies “taste really good, too,” she adds.
If you, like me, have trouble staying asleep, I recommend Charlotte’s Web Stay Asleep gummies. Unlike the brands CBD-and-melatonin-infused sleep gummies, these are formulated with CBN (a different cannabinoid than CBD), to help you wake up less throughout the night. (The brand even conducted a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study to prove it.) Since I’ve started taking them, I’ve noticed my sleep is much deeper and more restful.
“When I say these have the best candy flavors, I mean it,” says Frigg founder Kimberly Dillon, whose beauty brand sells CBD products among its offerings. “They taste like Jolly Ranchers.” Of the 16 sweet and sour flavors available, her go-to is jamberry.
In addition to her favorite Charlotte’s Web CBD tincture, Silvester also likes these gummies from Five. She found them so effective that she introduced the gummies to her dad, who is now “sleeping better than he has in decades,” she says. At their least powerful, the gummies contain 25 milligrams of CBD. But for something stronger, you can get them with 25 milligrams of CBD and melatonin or with 50 milligrams of CBD.
And CBD edibles aren’t just for humans — they’re for animals, too. Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo uses these Charlotte’s Web chews for her 14-year-old poodle, Uli, to help calm her anxiety and stress levels. The chews also taste great, so your pup won’t even realize their treats are also medicinal, and it makes administering the CBD a lot easier than a tincture.
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