Can You Actually Refrigerate CBD Oil?

Did you know CBD oil is one of the most versatile hemp-derived products that you can have in your possession. It acts primarily as a tincture but also a suitable food additive or topical solution when necessary. CBD oil consists of two primary ingredients: hemp extract and a carrier oil, although some CBD-infused oils contain flavoring ingredients as well.

Once you have a bottle in your possession, you’ll want to make sure that you store it properly. Some people keep their CBD oil in their refrigerator, but is this really necessary? And, can refrigerating CBD oil actually do more harm than good?

Does CBD Oil Go Bad?

The answer to this question is yes and no. CBD oil is made of organic ingredients and does not contain preservatives. This means that the compounds in the product will degrade over time, due to the process of oxidization.

However, CBD oil doesn’t go “bad” in the way that the milk that has been in your fridge for over a month goes “bad.” Nothing in CBD oil is capable of spoiling in a way that can cause harm. The exception is introducing harmful microbes into the product by allowing the tip of the dropper to touch your mouth or touching the bottle’s rim with dirty hands.

What happens when CBD oil degrades is that it loses its potency. As the compounds in the hemp extract start to break down, their properties essentially unravel, which means that you won’t be getting the extent of the effects that these compounds are capable of as you once did when the product was fresh. If the CBD oil has flavoring ingredients in it, regardless of how they’re derived, they may also degrade, meaning that your CBD oil won’t provide you with a fresh and vibrant flavor any longer.

CBD oil’s shelf life is about 2 years, and for the large majority of users, this length of time is more than enough to finish the bottle before it passes its expiration date. But, there are some ways in which your CBD oil can degrade sooner than that, which all pertain to how you store it.

Does the Method of Refrigerating CBD Oil Prolong Its Shelf Life?

Knowing that CBD oil is an organic substance that is prone to degrading after a certain period of time, some people figure that the best way to store it is by keeping it in their refrigerator, like a food product. The goal of storing CBD oil properly is to maintain it in a cool, dark, and dry place. Why? Because heat, light, and humidity all interact with the formula’s compounds in a way that can cause them to degrade at a quicker rate.

So, a refrigerator seems like the perfect place for a CBD oil bottle, right? It’s all those things we just mentioned, and beyond that, we know that refrigerators prolong the shelf lives of organic substances. While technically, the refrigerator will keep your CBD oil fresh for its predetermined 2-year shelf life, it is also not necessary. There are other cool, dark, and dry places in your home that work just as well.

For instance, the cold temperature of your refrigerator won’t damage the compounds in your CBD oil, but they can affect the viscosity in an undesirable way, causing it to become thicker and therefore trickier to administer. Also, some ingredients separate under such chilly conditions, and this means you would have to wait for the oil to warm up to room temperature before you could get the ingredients homogenized once again.

What Areas of the Home are Better Suited for CBD Oil than Your Fridge?

Actually, quite a few. Like we said, any dark, cool, and dry place will preserve your CBD oil for the duration of its shelf life. These areas include closets, drawers and cabinets, of which any home has many. Keep in mind CBD oil should never be stored in a bathroom due to fluctuating humidity levels. And, of course, your bottle always needs to be closed in an airtight way while it’s being stored.

Signs Your CBD Oil is No Longer Fresh, and What to Do About It

Let’s say you haven’t been keeping your CBD oil in a cool, dark and dry place at all. So, how do you know whether or not it’s still usable? Well, first you can try smelling it.

• -If it’s a CBD oil that contains terpenes, such as a full or broad spectrum tincture, you’ll notice the smell of the terpenes are weaker.
• -If it’s a CBD oil made with CBD isolate, there will be no smell as only terpenes from hemp contain aroma molecules.

Note: For CBD oil that has no smell, you’ll have to give it a try and see if you still get those effects that you did when you first had the bottle in your possession.