It can be challenging to keep up to date with the latest and emerging cannabis concentrates, with weed wax being one of seemingly dozens of examples.

Today, we’re going to make the situation slightly less complicated by answering the various questions you may have surrounding weed wax. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to describe what weed wax is, the creation process, and the process behind determining its safety.

You may learn a few new words, but in the end, you’ll have the necessary knowledge for a more comprehensive understanding of this particular cannabis concentrate!

Without further delay, let’s get started.

What is Weed Wax?

Weed wax is a potent and concentrated cannabis product with a THC potency of 60-80% or more. This highly concentrated dose of THC is far higher than standard dried cannabis flower. 

Weed wax is an extract along the same lines as other cannabis extracts, such as shatter or crumble. It is considered a subcategory of butane hash oils (BHO).

Generally, the texture of weed wax is like flakey clay, and the wax is opaque. High-quality cannabis wax is soft and easy to manipulate. While the colour can vary, it most often comes in an amber colour. Wax can sometimes be referred to as crumble or wax crumble, given its unique texture.

When dabbing weed wax, users experience a full flavour profile complete with all the terpenes found in the cannabis plant. If you’re unclear as to what dabbing is, we’ll outline the process a little later on.

While they bear many similarities, producers create weed wax using a slightly different process than shatter or crumble. The significant difference between these concentrates is the final consistency and colour of the product. 

While shatter breaks or ‘shatters’ and crumble crumbles, weed wax is more pliable, just like soft bee wax.

How is Weed Wax Made?

Making cannabis wax starts by taking marijuana buds and creating Butane Hash Oil (BHO). As the name describes, this extraction process utilizes butane as a solvent. The solvent is the compound used to separate the cannabinoids and terpenes from the cannabis plant matter. 

Butane is a flammable and corrosive solvent that should only be handled under the appropriate safety precautions by producers with the necessary safety and technical training.

After the butane is used to extract the desired cannabis plant compounds, it is purged from the substance. With the plant material and solvent removed, the concentrate is then processed even further. 

This purging process is adapted to create what we know as weed wax. Producers use low temperatures over long periods in a vacuum oven to cure the substance.

Using heat and pressure, this sticky cannabis concentrate is created. The final product is then cooled and hardens before being scraped into storage containers.

How to Consume Wax

Dabbing weed wax requires the use of a dab rig, a specialized type of water bong or pipe. The significant difference is that instead of a regular bowl, these dab rigs use a banger or dab nail. 

The nail is generally deep and thin, made from materials that can handle high-heats, such as crystal. Users can also purchase an electronic nail that plugs into the wall and is set to the correct temperature. Heating regular dab nails are done by using a butane or propane torch.  

Either way, the primary objective is to take a dab, which is technically vaporizing the cannabis extract as no smoke is created.

Using a dab tool, users place a small amount of weed wax onto a heated nail. The nail rapidly vaporizes the concentrate, and the consumer inhales the resulting vapour. 

As we outlined previously, weed wax is incredibly potent, so it takes far less product to achieve the desired effects.

Ultimately, the dose amount will vary based on a user’s tolerance level. Furthermore, weed wax should not be heated beyond 230℃, as this is the combustion point for wax and will denature the concentrate’s natural terpenes.

While dabbing is by far the most common ingestion method when using weed wax, it is not the only method.

Weed wax can also be added in small amounts to a joint to increase the THC potency.

However, the joint can get soggy from this liquid concentrate. Combining wax with dried flower in the bowls of bongs and pipes is another option for consumers. 

These methods are not as efficient as using a dab rig, but they can still produce the desired effects. 

Consumers can also vaporize wax concentrates using certain types of vaporizers. Some modern vaporizers have attachments for the heating chamber to allow users to vaporize concentrates along with cannabis oil. 

Vaping cannabis is becoming an increasingly common method to enjoy cannabis concentrates with a more liquid-like consistency. 

As with other potent concentrates, every user will react differently to THC, prompting a different reaction based on individual tolerance.

In this sense, it only takes a minuscule amount of weed wax to deliver a solid THC dose.

Check out our guide on dabbing for more details, including dabbing instructions and best practices.

Is Weed Wax Dangerous?

When it comes to any cannabis concentrate, including there are risks of residual solvents. Having residual solvents present in the concentrate is incredibly dangerous and can be life-threatening.  

However, when reputable and regulated manufacturers create these concentrates, all residual solvents are purged, and the products are tested for contaminants. 

In Canada, Licensed Producers must complete stringent regulatory processes to gain approval before selling any product. This quality assurance protocol includes cannabis extracts like cannabis wax. LPs must follow all regulations and have products tested for safety and potency.

When these steps are followed, users can rest assured that the concentrate is entirely safe for consumption.

To conclude, weed wax is not dangerous so long as it is made safely. Consumers should avoid taking the risk of unregulated cannabis extracts by only purchasing from the legal Canadian cannabis market and understanding cannabis packaging.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that they should also avoid dangerous activities, such as driving while impaired on cannabis.

An Increasingly Popular Concentrate Option

As a relatively new recreational cannabis product, weed wax is potent and flavourful, resulting in a growing influx in popularity. They may look new, but they are filled with the same desirable compounds that consumers have become accustomed to.

That said, the creation process for making weed wax is highly involved and complex, utilizing potentially dangerous and harmful solvents. Consumers should leave the creation process to the professionals with the appropriate safety and technical training and focus on enjoying the product instead!