Making Cannabis Oil: 10 Steps to Perfect the Process

By liza weil | November 2, 2020

Have you always wanted to make cannabis oil but think that it’s impossible? We are here to tell you that it’s easy to make your own oil tincture and it’s purer than anything you can buy in the stores. To learn the steps on making cannabis oil keep reading below.

What Is Cannabis Oil?

Cannabis oil can also be referred to as marijuana oil or hash oil. This oil tincture is made from the flower resin of the cannabis plant. Making cannabis oil is as easy as removing the resin from the flower by either steaming or boiling.

These methods take the resin out of the flower which is filled with cannabinoids. These magical cannabinoids are what give cannabis oil its benefits. 

Why Should I Make My Own Oil?

You may be wondering why you should be making your own oil rather than conveniently buying it from the store. The truth is that there are many benefits to making your own THC oil.

You Get to Choose the Strain

Cannabis oil can be made with various types of strains. Some of these strains may be ones that you have sitting around in your house. 

When you buy CBD oil from the store you are subjected to whatever they have available. If you make your own then you can decide what strain to include in your oil to make it beneficial to you.

It’s Purer Than Store-Bought

Another reason to make your own oil is that it’s purer than what you can buy on store shelves. Even if the label on the shelf says pure you really don’t know if that’s completely true.

Some brands are known to put extra ingredients into their oil to make the batches go farther. These extras include ingredients such as water or the addition of other oil that isn’t infused with resin. 

To avoid this and to know that what you’re getting is the real deal you should just make the oil yourself. When you make your own you know exactly what goes into the oil and that it’s free of additives.

The Oil Can Be Used for a Number of Things

Making your own oil becomes very versatile because you can use it for a number of things. You can mix the oil into locations and creams to help relieve aches and pains. You can even add the oil to butter or baked goods to make hash butter and edibles.

How Do I Go About Making Cannabis Oil?

Making cannabis oil is easier than you may think. Below you will find the steps on how to make your very own cannabis oil.

Step 1: Choose Your Strain

The first step to making your own cannabis oil is to select what strain you want to use in your oil tincture. If you have something laying around the house you can choose to use that, but if you want to get really selective about what strain you’re using then head to the store and pick one up.

You can use either a sativa or indica strain for your oil. Sativa will keep you active and not make you melt into the couch. Indicas are the opposite. They will help to make you calm and sleepy.

Step 2: Choose What You Want to Infuse

When it comes to figuring out what to infuse the world is your oyster. You can use oil types such as coconut and even vegetable. You can even use melted shea butter to infuse for locations.

What you decide to infuse is completely up to you. We recommend thinking about what you will be using your oil infusion for. If you will be baking with it then use coconut or vegetable oil. If you’re going to be putting it into beauty products then think about what oils you want to include in them and go that route.

Step 3: Get Your Add-Ins

You don’t have to add anything into your oil infusion other than the strain you choose and the best oil for what you plan to use it for. But sometimes you can add a binder to the oil (we recommend that you use lecithin) or you can even add some essential oils to help your products smell divine. 

Step 4: Gather Your Ingredients

After thinking about what you want to use for your oil infusion and what it’s going to be used for it’s time to gather all the ingredients. Measuring out your ingredients beforehand and having them ready will make the cooking process go faster.

For ingredients, you will need a bit of water, 8 ounces of whatever oil you decided to use, and 1/4 ounce of your selected flower. If you are adding additional ingredients such as a lecithin binder or essential oils for smell have them ready and off to the side also.

Step 5: Gather Your Tools

When it comes to tools we recommend having a few handy. You should have a french press to help boil and strain your oil infusion. In addition, you will also need a large pot that the french press can fit into. Lastly, you will need an oven to heat everything through.

Step 6: Measure Your THC Concentration

Get your flower ready and look at its container. You should be looking to see how much THC is in the strain you selected to use. To make life easy you can use a THC calculator.

These calculators will help you to determine how strong your oil will be. This will help you to know what dosage you will make edibles and other products later on.

If you want your oil to have a stronger THC content then you should select a strain that has a higher content. If you want your oil to be weaker then select a strain that has a lower THC content.

Step 7: Prep Your Cannabis

Before cooking your flower you will want to clean it. This will help to remove undesirable residues. To safely clean follow these steps:

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil
2. Place your cannabis into the water, completely submerging, for 4-5 minutes
3. As debris rise to the top collect them and dispose
4. Pour out the cannabis into a strainer and then move to an ice bath for a few minutes
5. Remove the flower from the ice water bath and let it dry completely on a paper towel
6. Break up and grind once dried

Step 8: Cook Your Flower

Now it’s time to cook your flower and decarboxylation (or decarb) it. This is a chemical reaction that activates the cannabis. Once it’s activated it will become psychoactive or the state at which a proper infusion happens.

1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place the flower on a baking sheet and bake for 30-60 minutes
3. Take out of the oven and place immediately into the liquified oil (see step 9)

Step 9: Liquify Your Oil

Before placing your baked flower into the oil you will need to liquify it. Follow these steps below:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. Put your oil in your french press and place into boiling water
3. Take out once the oil is liquified

After taking out your oil it’s important that you will keep the water boiling. This will be important for the next step.

Step 10: Infuse Your Oil

Now that you have placed your baked flower into your liquified oil it’s time to start the infusion. These steps will tell you how to properly do so:

1. Mix the flower into the oil well
2. Cover the french press with its lid and plunger
3. Place the french press back into the boiling water and make sure it’s submerged
4. Boil for 3 hours
5. Make sure to stir your mixture every 30 minutes and to refill the water if needed. Your water should always be level with the oil in the french press.
6. When 3 hours is up take the french press out of the pot
7. Press the plunger into the oil to strain the oil
8. Pour into a jar and wait for it to become solid. Store and use as needed.

Now You Know the Steps to Making Cannabis Oil

We have given you a detailed guide to making cannabis oil at home. From looking at what you can add to your oil to discussing why it’s better to make your oil at home we know you will be a cannabis oil making pro in no time.

For more lifestyle and health tips be sure to check out the rest of our website!