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Butane hash oil, more commonly known as BHO, is a concentrated form of cannabis created using the chemical butane as a solvent.

BHO may have many various nicknames commonly known in the cannabis world, such as wax, shatter, budder, hash oil, honey, errl, honeycomb, and more. However it may be known, BHO has recently earned a reputation as one of the more dangerous by-products of cannabis, but this is a common misconception.

In this article, we will teach you the difference between solvents when making cannabis concentrates, and how BHO can be made safely, and enjoyed effectively. Please keep in mind that this article is for informational purposes only – please consume cannabis responsibly.

What is BHO?

Butane hash oil is a form of concentrated cannabis so-called for its use of butane as a solvent as an extraction method. When making cannabis concentrates, one of the most common methods is to use a chemical such as butane as a solvent.

When extracted properly, the resulting concentrate is highly potent and may be used in vaporization, dabbing, smoking, or even eating, as an effective medicinal course of treatment for those who need higher doses of cannabis.

Types of BHO

There are different types of BHO depending on its consistency, the way of using it or the way it was made.

Shatter

honey oil
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Shatter is a crystallized concentrate that can reach an 80% of cannabinoids. Its name is because it can shatter like a glass and it’s easier to handle because you don’t need any tool to use it. It looks like a caramel because of its color and it’s solid at room temperature.

Budder

Budder BHO

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Budder has a butter consistency, that’s the reason of its name. It’s a BHO concentrate that comes as the result of putting down the BHO at a temperature of 122ºF. It has a solid consistency and preserves more terpenes; that’s why it tastes better, but with a less percentage of THC.

Cannabis Wax

bho wax

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The wax is very similar to the budder. Its consistency is between solid and liquid cause it contains most of the fats contained in the cannabis plant and is one of the favorite types of BHO concentrates to many users because it’s very easy to use. It can be consumed easily using an e-nail or a wax vape pen

Weed Honey Oil

BHO honey oil

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Honey oil is the less-refined type of BHO. It has a thick and sticky consistency and it’s very difficult to handled, that’s the reason why a lot of people prefer other types of BHO, despite is the most potent marijuana product on the market.

Weed Live Resin

live resin

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Live resin is a cannabis concentrate made by processing freshly harvested, frozen plant material. It maintains all the aromas and flavors of the plant and it has a sugar consistency.

Cannabis Crumble

crumble bho

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It’s known as crumble the concentrate … It’s the diest BHO concentrate and isn’t transparent it has a yellow color. Like the shatter, you don’t need to use any tool.

Is Butane Hash Oil Safe?

When extracted properly, the actual substance of butane hash oil is completely safe, as is any cannabis extracted concentrate. If it is not extracted properly, the product may contain certain amounts of combustible chemicals which are not recommended for inhalation. Butane is not safe for human consumption, but if the extraction process is done properly, there will be no remaining butane in the final BHO product.

If you are going to consume butane hash oil, it is the best plan to ensure that your concentrate comes from a reputable source with high quality facilities. If you are hoping to make your own, we recommend checking your state and local laws before making any attempt, and if you do attempt to make your own BHO, please do so in a well-ventilated area with proper safety equipment.

Cannabis concentrates also tend to be much more potent and stronger than actual cannabis flower, so a cannabis novice may want to proceed with caution with inhaling any form of cannabis concentrate, as it may affect you more intensely than someone with a lot of experience consuming cannabis. Proceed with caution!

Is Making BHO Safe?

Butane Hash Oil as earned a reputation as a volatile substance because making BHO can be a very dangerous pursuit.

California learned this the hard way when there were a number of butane hash oil-related explosions. This led to the eventual outlawing of butane hash oil and other cannabis concentrates that require the use of a solvent in order to make them.

However, when made with the proper equipment and in a safe, laboratory setting or equipped facility, butane hash oil can very easily be made safely. This is why it is essential that only licensed cultivators, processors and those with the proper equipment are allowed to make such substances.

It is very difficult to make butane hash oil in the privacy of your own home and without the proper ventilation and safety precautions, may cause explosions that affect your home and the neighbors around you.

Instead, we recommend making hash oil out of rosin, a process that does not involve volatile solvents, but rather a simple combination of heat, cannabis flower and intense pressure.

How Do You Consume BHO?

How consume BHO

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The most common method of consumption for BHO is through a process known commonly as “dabbing.” Dabbing involves heating a nail or quartz crystal with a blow torch or automatically heated “e-nail” to the point of vaporization and “dabbing”a small amount of cannabis concentrate onto the heated nail before inhaling.

Some types of BHO

Technically, BHO can also be consumed in edible format, but this is not the preferred, nor the recommended method of consumption.

As with any hash oil, it may also be smoked, although it is not recommended to smoke BHO alone in a pipe or bong. Rather, something that has been seen much more prevalently lately is the addition of hash oil to joints or blunts, as part of the rolling process. When added to the middle of a joint or to the outside of the paper, this can make the joint or blunt in question much stronger and more potent.

For medicinal patients seeking the most effective benefits from the substance, arguably the “best” or at least safest method would be vaporization. BHO can be vaporized through dabbing, but it can also be used inside an oil vaporizer or in a Vape Pen. This is probably one of the least harsh methods of consumption, easiest on the lungs, and highly recommended for someone who is seeking the relief of a highly concentrated and potent form of cannabis, but is also concerned for their lung health The most popular oil vaporizer now a days are the PAX Era and the G Pen Gio, both use pre-filled cartridges that are bought separatle with the oil inside.

How Do You Make BHO?

how to make bho

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Butane hash oil is most commonly extracted from trimmings, or leftover flower from a cannabis harvest. This is one of the best uses for leftover trimmings and unusable buds, as this would otherwise be considered waste from the harvest.

The cannabis trimmings are put into a heavy-duty holding container and soaked in butane as the solvent before being pressurized. It is during this step that the process may become volatile and this is why we would only recommend making butane hash oil with the proper extraction equipment and safety facilities available for the process.

Butane is pushed through the cannabis trimmings, forcing the butane to extract the remaining tetrahydrocannabinol from the cannabis, until only a sticky, oily substance remains. Afterwards, all cannabis trimmings are discarded and no longer potent for smoking or cooking purposes.

The remaining substance is what is known as butane hash oil.

What Kind of Butane Should I Use?

While we do not recommend making butane hash oil at home, if you are going to experiment with making BHO, there are certain choices you should make to ensure the best and highest quality product result.

There are generally two types of butane: Isobutane and N-Butane, which differentiate in structural isomers.  Although there are other types of butane available on the market, we don’t recommend using these kinds of butane, as they are less likely to be pure and may be mixed with propane.

There are a number of reputable N-Butane companies: Win, Whip-It, Puretane, Sarome, Colibri, Cora, CTC, Colton, Newport, Dunhill, Ventti, Vector 5X, Calor Gas Match, Unilight, Supergas, K2, Lucienne, Nibo, Fackelman, and Davidoff.

The quality of the butane used will also affect the color of the resulting wax – the more pure the butane, the lighter in color the BHO will be.

The kind of butane used will also affect the purge time needed. Some butanes, such as Newport and Vector 5X may add minutes to the time needed to purge during the extraction process, and result in darker-colored BHO wax.

What Kind of Cannabis Should I Use?

No matter what, when making any kind of cannabis extraction, it is highly recommended that you use the best and highest quality cannabis available. This means that the cannabis should contain a higher percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol, whenever possible.

It’s recommended that the cannabis you use is at least 15-25% THC – the higher the amount of THC in the plant, the higher potency the end result will be.

An important component of the cannabis is that it be extra dry. You may want to consider drying out the cannabis you plan to use, or plan on using cannabis that has already been dried ahead of time.

Recipe for BHO:

*BEFORE STARTING THIS PROCESS:

  • Check state and local laws on the legality of butane hash oil production
  • Make sure you have proper ventilation (outside or in a full ventilated laboratory)
  • Wear proper personal safety equipment, including safety goggles, rubber gloves, and flame-retardant clothing
  • Keep a fire extinguisher on hand

Ingredients:

One 10-ounce can of butane (N-Butane or Isobutane) per 1 (one) ounce of cannabis

One extraction tube or container

One square glass baking dish – 8”x 9”

One rectangular glass baking dish – 13”x 9”

One ounce or more of a cannabis strain of your choosing

Heating pad [or] purging system

Metal scraping device

A cheesecloth or coffee filter for straining

Airtight cannabis concentrate container

Instructions

  1. Fill your extraction tube with freshly ground cannabis – the drier and more finely ground, the better. Pack the tube as tight as possible and try to ensure that no air pockets remain in the tube before taking the next step.
  2. Fasten your strainer or coffee filter over the end of your extraction tube and position the tube over the small glass baking container, strainer side down.
  3. Begin the process of extraction by pouring butane slowly and steadily through the extraction tube. The resulting liquid will be gold and should begin to pool in the glass baking dish. You may need to use multiple bottles of butane, if necessary.
  4. After the oil has been extracted, you’ll need to evaporate the butane, which is harmful for human consumption. This is where the extraction process gets more volatile, so please be sure to use safety equipment, including gloves and goggles during the next steps.
  5. Fill the large glass baking dish with hot water and place the smaller glass baking dish inside. Replace the hot water as many times as is necessary. The evaporation process should take about 15-20 minutes.  Make sure this is in a well-ventilated area
  6. If you have access to a purging system, which will complete the extraction process, that is the safest and most effective way to purge your BHO. Purging systems involve a closed-loop pressurized system, which ensures that no volatile chemicals will escape and potentially cause an explosion.
  7. If you do not have access to a closed-loop purging system, the other way to purge your hash oil is through a process called open blasting. Warning: This is the most dangerous way to make BHO because there is no way to contain the chemicals, and may result in an explosion. In order to open blast, use a heat source, such as a heating pad beneath the smaller glass baking dish to purge. This process will take up to an hour or more, and the hash oil will be done once the substance stops bubbling.
  8. If the hash oil looks cloudy or hazy, it may have trapped butane and may need to be re-purged.
  9. Once the oil has cooled, use your metal scraping device and store your BHO in an airtight cannabis concentrate container. The BHO may last for several months when stored in a cool, dry place.

Butane Hash Oil certainly has a sour reputation in the cannabis industry, but when made properly, can be enjoyed as a powerful and potent medicinal cannabis product.

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