How Long Does Cannabis Wax Last? All You Need to Know
With the legalization of cannabis in the US, people are more accepting of the substance. Consequently, cannabis has become a common household term.
With the scientific proof supporting its medical and recreational advantages, people rely on cannabis as an alternative to traditional medicines. With the surge in its use, the cannabis industry has come up with better means of using cannabis.
In addition, innovative products incorporating cannabis in their ingredients are also very popular. Among these innovations, cannabis concentrates have become widely popular and there are three common ways to consume wax concentrate.
Mostly, medications and topical products come with certain shelf life or expiry date. Correspondingly, it is unsurprising for people to wonder about the longevity of the cannabis products they use.
In particular, cannabis concentrates like cannabis wax intrigue cannabis users and invoke their minds to question how long it will last.
This article will answer all your questions, help you learn the proper method of storing your concentrates, and enlighten you on the consequences of using wax that has gone bad.
What Is Cannabis Wax?
Cannabis wax is the resultant of blasting the plant’s material with butane and extracting the cannabinoids. This residual resin is a thick, gooey, and very potent substance containing a high concentration of cannabis. The resin is agitated to crystallize and solidify it to a different consistency. Depending upon the texture of the wax, it is of two types:
A creamy, gooey textured concentrate called a budder that results from the light whipping of the extract,
A hard, flaky concentrate called honeycomb or crumble results from the aggressive whipping of the concentrates.
It is the most potent form of cannabis consumption because it contains 90% THC, allowing the user to experience a one-of-a-kind “high.”
There are various ways of consuming cannabis wax, including dabbing it through a dab rig, vaping it using dab pens, or sprinkling it in the dab nail.
Difference Between Cannabis Wax and Other Concentrates
The raging popularity of cannabis has given birth to an extensive family of cannabis concentrates. These include wax, shatter, hash, oil, resin, sugar, rosin, and sauce.
Each of these concentrates aims to concentrate the plant’s potent content from the extract. It provides them with more advantages of cannabinoids and enhances the experience of the consumers.
However, the concentrates are distinct from one another concerning their varying texture, flavor, aroma, and potency. Wax is similar in many aspects to shatter and oil, but it is malleable and opaque.
Correspondingly, wax has leverage over other concentrates because of its ease of use. Consequently, it is the perfect choice for beginners as they can conveniently set their required dosage.
Does Wax Expire?
Like everything on earth, cannabis concentrates age and degrade over time. Although adequate storage methods and proper maintenance can extend the shelf-life of concentrates.
However, it is inevitable for them to go bad. When left to the exposure of elements, the cannabis concentrate can either dry out, and its consistency may deteriorate.
When cannabis concentrates are left in open contact with air, the terpenes and cannabinoids present in the concentrates start to dry up, compromising their quality. Eventually, you are left with a less potent dab of concentrate that is relatively less flavorful and aromatic.
Meanwhile, when you leave your ax concentrates in direct sunlight or exposure to high temperatures, its color changes and becomes darker. In addition, high temperatures can bring a difference in the natural consistency and the texture of the wax. When you use shatter in a vape pen, you can see the changes clearly.
On the other hand, subjection to moisture can even lead to the molding of your wax, rendering it useless entirely.
What Happens to Dabs as They Age
Generally, concentrates have a shelf life ranging between eight months to a year. However, with time, the wax concentrates age. If left sitting on a shelf somewhere for too long, your dab of wax will degrade.
With time, its terpenes will dissipate, and the cannabinoid in it will transform. Resultantly, your stash of dab wax is less potent and flavorful.
Moreover, as the concentrates get older, they undergo nucleation. In this process, the components within the cannabis wax begin to separate.
As a part of nucleation, the cannabinoids in your concentrate separate from the terpenes. Meanwhile, lipid accumulates and forms yellow-white clumps in your wax. After losing its cannabinoid content after nucleation, the wax has a higher percentage of CBN.
The high CBN content can put the consumer under sedation. Also, a CBN-rich wax has a darker, more amber-like color. In addition, inhaling the lipid clumps in your concentrate is hazardous to health, and therefore you should avoid it.
Furthermore, identifying whether the concentrate has been through nucleation is easy. Concentrates that are nucleated have a gritty, sugar-like texture.
Although dabs that go bad don’t have drastic adverse health effects, once their binding compounds have separated, they don’t smell, taste, or work the same.
How to Avoid Wax from Degrading?
Apart from bad taste, low potency, and potential sedation, if the CBN concentration is too high, old wax doesn’t pose any major health hazards. However, you should beware of inhaling lipids because of their damage to your lungs.
Nevertheless, once cannabis concentrates surpass the year mark, they aren’t worth smoking anymore. Not even using the best dab pen or any other concentrate vaporizer can make it work any better.
As a general estimation, dabs lose 20% of their potency in a year. However, if you keep your stash of dab carefully, you can prolong its aging. In addition, you can keep it in optimal condition for longer.
The basic requirement to extend the shelf life of your dabs is to ensure their quality doesn’t deteriorate by storing them carefully.
Proper Method of Storing Wax
Depending on how long you want to store your stash of wax concentrates, you will have to be particular about your method of keeping it. To ensure it remains safe from exposure to environmental factors and sustains its quality, you can:
Short-term Storage
Mostly, concentrate users purchase their stash to consume it within the month by using the concentrate vaporizer or dab pen. For this purpose, it is suitable to store the concentrate in silicone jars in order to retard the process of aging in the concentrate.
Silicone jars are available at affordable prices in various shapes and sizes, making it easy for you to choose a container that suits your needs. Also, these jars are durable, airtight, and heat-resistant, making them ideal for keeping your concentrate away from heat, moisture, and sunlight.
Not to mention, silicone jars can hold the stickiest concentrate, but you can still conveniently use your dab tools to remove a portion before your session.
To keep things simple, you can take the relatively easier route and place your concentrate in a piece of parchment paper and wrap it. However, to ensure your cannabis concentrate retains its potency, store it in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
Long-term Storage
If you plan to store your wax concentrates for longer than a few weeks, you will need to employ a more rigorous approach to ensure it remains in its optimal condition. In this scenario, parchment paper and silicone jars won’t help.
Instead, to store your dab for an extended period, you can make use of sealed food bags or vacuum-sealed bags to add an extra layer of protection to your concentrates.
Regular concentrate consumers can utilize their humidors to stash their cannabis concentrate. Otherwise, using UV-resistant, opaque containers that can effectively keep both sunlight and moisture away from the concentrate is the optimal choice to keep the potency of your wax intact.
Basically, the rule of thumb to increase the longevity of your cannabis concentrate is to ensure it doesn’t experience drastic changes in temperature and humidity.
Optimum Storage Method
Given the varying environmental conditions of people located in different geographical areas, it might be necessary to store your dab of concentrate in the refrigerator or freezer.
Hot and humid conditions account for the need for a separate cooler or fridge to store concentrates to ensure they remain unaffected by environmental factors.
However, you will have to follow several precautions in order to maintain the freshness of your wax and ensure that it doesn’t lose its potency and flavor because of the excess moisture.
Bottom-line
Next time you stumble upon a stash of cannabis wax at the back of your cupboard, before you get too excited, look for the signs that indicate its usability. While old concentrates are not outright harmful to health, they are less potent, less aromatic, and less flavorful. Therefore, you should be stringent in your storage method to ensure your cannabis concentrate remains fresh.
