How To Take Delta 8 THC? Best Ways to Consume Delta 8 Products
When you’re shopping for delta 8 THC products, you’ll come across a variety of formats, from tinctures to capsules to gummies, vapes, and more.
In this article, we’ll help you find the best way to take delta 8 THC for yourself based on preferences for potency, duration of effects, the type of cognitive change, flavor, and more.
If you’ve never tried delta 8 THC in your life, this is guide is a great place to start and gather some basic knowledge.
Let’s elaborate on the best ways to take delta 8 THC.
How to Choose the Best Way to Take Delta 8 THC
When choosing the best way to take delta 8 THC, you need to consider several things, including the time of the day, the strain, the potency of your product, your dosage needs, and lifestyle preferences.
1. Personal Preference
The best way to take delta 8 THC is the one that goes hand-in-hand with your personal preferences. Most delta 8 THC products have a decent level of delta 8 in them. However, certain product types are a better fit for certain users.
This means that if you’ve never vaped any cannabis product, you might find this consumption method a bit difficult to learn — especially if you plan to use it casually. On the other hand, tinctures can be frustrating with all the measurements you need to take each time you pull out the dropper.
The best way to find your go-to consumption method is through experimenting. Try different forms of delta 8 THC and decide which one is the keeper.
2. Time of the Day
The time of the day is the second-most important factor when it comes to choosing the best way to take delta 8 THC. Some products pack very high concentrations of delta 8, and they’re best enjoyed in the evening — especially in higher doses.
On the other hand, forms that can be dosed gradually, such as vapes and tinctures, are better suited for daytime use, especially if they contain a blend of energizing terpenes, such as limonene and alpha-pinene.
3. Onset and Duration of Effects
Do you prefer to wait a little bit for the effects of delta 8 to kick in but enjoy longer-lasting buzz, or is it important that your delta 8 THC hits you as fast as possible?
The driving factor here is the bioavailability of a given product.
Bioavailability means the leftover amount of delta 8 THC that can be used by your body once your liver has metabolized it. Different forms of delta 8 THC provide a different level of bioavailability.
For example, oral products have the lowest bioavailability because they are broken down by the digestive tract. Sublingual products are more bioavailable, as most of the applied dose enters the bloodstream through the tiny capillaries in your mouth.
Vapes are the most bioavailable consumption method; when you vape delta 8 THC, it absorbs into your system through the lung tissue, producing almost instantaneous effects.
Different forms of delta 8 THC provide a different duration of effects:
- Vapes – 3-4 hours
- Tinctures – about 6 hours
- Capsules and edibles – up to 10 hours
Capsules and edibles take the most time to kick in; the effects can be delayed by up to 2 hours. Vaping offers the fastest way to feel the effects, as they begin to take hold within minutes after inhalation. Tinctures are the middle-ground; they have a delayed onset than CBD tinctures, but they usually start acting within 45 minutes.
4. The Potency of Your Product
The potency of your product determines the intensity of your cognitive effects. Some products, such as gummies and capsules, are more concentrated than tinctures or vapes. Also, the products that you smoke or vaporize have a faster onset than the ones you eat or drink.
If you want to find the best delta 8 THC potency for yourself, we suggest you try out different dosages according to the recommendations listed on each product. Once you know how your body responds to delta 8 THC, you can adjust the amount as needed.
The Best Ways to Use Delta 8 THC
Now that you know the variables determining the choice of a delta 8 THC product, let’s take a look at the most common formats to help you pick the best one:
Tinctures
Delta 8 THC tinctures are taken sublingually (under the tongue). They bypass the digestive system since most of the CBD enters the bloodstream through the mucous membrane in your mouth.
When you take a delta 8 THC tincture, you need to hold it under the tongue for up to 60 seconds to let the d8 absorb, and then swallow the remaining part. As mentioned, before buying delta 8 THC tinctures, you need to remember that you may need more time to start working than CBD tinctures, although researchers have yet to discover the reason for that delay.
Most people experience the first effects after 45 minutes to 1 hour from taking the tincture.
Edibles
Delta 8 THC is available in the form of delicious fruity gummies. The edible form provides a precise dose of delta 8 in each serving so that you can easily use them without taking additional measurements.
You can see a wide variety of delta 8 THC gummies online and locally as they come in a range of flavors, which makes them a more attractive option for fussy users than tinctures or capsules. They also last longer than tinctures and vapes, but the longer duration comes at the cost of delayed onset (up to 2 hours).
Vaping
Vaping offers the highest bioavailability of all consumption methods. It’s the best way to take delta 8 THC if you aim for fast effects and a more heady buzz.
When you vape delta 8 THC, it enters your bloodstream through the lung tissue. This means that you can feel the first effects within minutes after taking a puff. Since the buzz created by delta 8 THC alone feels a bit bland, many people are looking to buy delta 8 vape carts as they are often combined with other cannabinoids and terpenes to diversify the effect profile and add more health benefits to the formula.
Not to mention delicious, natural flavors coming from the cannabis-derived terpenes.
Smoking
Similar to vaping, smoking offers a fast and relatively effective way to reap the benefits of delta 8 THC. You can smoke delta 8 in the form of flowers or concentrates.
However, keep in mind that the delta 8 THC flowers aren’t the actual delta 8 plants; they’re just hemp CBD strains sprayed with delta 8 THC distillate for that extra cognitive change.
Concentrates are made by extracting full-spectrum CBD from the hemp plant and converting it into delta 8 THC, reintroducing the compound into the final product. Delta 8 concentrates usually contain around 65% of delta 8 THC, up to 5% of CBD, and other phytochemicals such as adjunctive cannabinoids and terpenes.
Compared to vaping, smoking turns out less efficient due to combustion. Too high temperatures cause delta 8 THC to degrade, meaning you might not be able to draw as much delta 8 THC from your product as you would from a vape pen.
Capsules
Every herbal product has a capsule form, and things aren’t any different for delta 8 THC. Delta 8 capsules take the same route of administration as gummies. Once swallowed down with water, capsules need up to 2 hours to start working. Once they do, they can last up to 10 hours.
The advantage of delta 8 THC capsules over other forms is that they are odorless and flavorless, so the user doesn’t need to deal with the harsh aftertaste coming from delta 8 distillate.
But, on the other hand, capsules offer the lowest bioavailability of all consumption methods. Since you don’t chew them like gummies, none of the CBD has a chance to pass through the blood vessels in your mouth.
Topicals
Topical formulations include products such as salves, creams, lotions, balms, and transdermal products.
Regular topicals don’t absorb into the bloodstream; instead, delta 8 THC interacts with the endocannabinoid system of your skin, helping regulate homeostasis in it. That’s why delta 8 THC topicals won’t get you high.
Unless, of course, you’re using a transdermal product.
Transdermal delta 8 THC patches work by gradually releasing the active ingredient into the bloodstream; it’s a novel product that’s actually difficult to find, but as the market expands, so will the available forms of delta 8.
How Much Delta 8 THC Should I Take?
There is no universal amount of delta 8 THC that works for everybody.
Finding the best dosage for you requires some trial and error, but hopefully, you can minimize the error part by taking into account several individual factors.
The variables that affect delta 8 THC dosage include your weight, age, metabolism, tolerance to THC, and the desired intensity of effects.
If you’re looking for mildly energizing effects with an uplifting vibe, smaller doses will come in handy, while for more body-focused and heavier effects, you may need to up the dosage a little bit.
That being said, you should never take a large amount for the first time; doing so without knowing your tolerance may lead to a few side effects, such as dizziness, problems with coordination, impaired judgment, and sleepiness.
Delta 8 THC companies provide dosage recommendations on the product’s label; most brands categorize these dosages by weight.
If you find that your body needs more delta 8 to experience the same effect, stop using it for a few days, and then restart after your body’s tolerance gets back to the previous level. Tolerance breaks are better than increasing the dose of delta 8.
Key Takeaways on the Best Ways to Use Delta 8 THC
You don’t have to stick to a single consumption method of delta 8 THC.
Some people take delta 8 THC tinctures during the day, while others prefer a concentrated dose of d8 gummies in the evening.
There are also people for whom vapes are unquestionably the best way to take delta 8 THC.
It may take some time before you find a method that’s best suited for your lifestyle and health needs, so don’t be afraid to try different products until you find the golden mean.
Also, consult a doctor before buying any delta 8 THC products to reduce the risk of negative interactions with pharmaceutical medications (if you take any); doing so will help you avoid experiencing any side effects resulting from such interactions.
How do you like your delta 8 THC? Share your preferences in the comments; let’s inspire new users and help them make a well-informed decision!
