What Is Shatter And How Do You Use It?

As the cannabis market is growing, we can discover the abundance of new products, including marijuana extracts.

Extracts are insanely popular these days among cannabis enthusiasts, and one of them — shatter — is attracting plenty of attention lately.

Wondering why?

Each concentrate offers some unique benefits to the user, and so does shatter. 

Here is everything you need to know about this BHO extract.

What Exactly Is Shatter?

Shatter is the purest form of all marijuana extracts out there. Although it usually comes in a hard candy texture, the final consistency may vary depending on its temperature. When cold, shatter is hard and looks like glass, but once you heat it, the extract will resemble thick honey.

Most shatter pictures you can find on the Internet may suggest it always looks like glass and comes in a gold shade. However, shatter may also come in different shades and vary in transparency — depending on the moisture levels, the amount of terpenes, and some other minor factors.

As for the potency, shatter can hit as high as 80% of THC. This may seem tempting, but keep in mind this extract comes with fewer terpenes — these are destroyed during extraction

Because of that, shatter is pretty bland compared to other forms of concentrated cannabis

How Is Shatter Made?

Shatter is usually produced through BHO extraction, which means the solvent is used to pull THC along with other cannabinoids and terpenes from the raw plant material.

Note: DO NOT to try making shatter at home. Butane is highly flammable, causing potential danger to you and your neighbors. Additionally, it may be pretty hard to make a pure shatter compared to those made professionally. After all, not everybody can afford a high-tech extractor. 

Now that you know what shatter is and how it’s made, it’s time to discover what goodness lies inside the golden glass.

Shatter: The Benefits

As mentioned before, shatter comes with up to 80% of THC. This means you can level-up your experience with cannabis, as the high after consuming shatter kicks in much faster and lasts longer than from a regular joint.

If you’re a medical marijuana user, shatter may provide you with almost instant relief from your symptoms. Because shatter comes with higher cannabinoid concentration than dried flower, this extract is popular among those suffering from chronic pain, autoimmune disease, severe inflammation, and neurological disorders.

Many people believe shatter is a healthier way of using cannabis, as it leaves away the redundant plant material.

How to Use Shatter

If you already have shatter at home but don’t know how to use it, here’s a little guide:

1. Mix your Shatter with Dried Flower

One of the  least expensive and easiest ways to enjoy shatter — especially if you’re a newbie — is to mix it with your dried flower. Whether you smoke out of a pipe, bong, or joint, you can simply add tiny bits of shatter to the ground bud and voila!

Keep in mind that shatter comes in a hard consistency when cold, so it’s best to use it in a bong or pipe instead of trying to work it into your rolling paper.

2. Vape It

Vaping cannabis is one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis these days. 

But did you know you can also vape your shatter?

To do that, make sure your vaporizer works with concentrates and comes with a special chamber for this job.

Vaping means getting more flavor from your product and more cannabinoids into the vapor. This way you can also increase the efficacy of shatter.

3. Dab It (If You Dare)

For dabbing your shatter, you will need a dab rig — a special device for combusting concentrates.

Once you have your dab rig, place the shatter on a preheated nail before inhaling the delicious and potent vapor through the mouthpiece.

Dabbing is a nice combination of smoking and vaping the shatter at the same time, giving you the best of both worlds.

Where To Buy Shatter

These days you can find shatter in almost every cannabis dispensary. However, you can also find some good deals online and purchase some high-quality extracts if you find a trusted vendor.

The average price of shatter? 

The cost ranges between $50 and $70 per gram, but you can always get better deals on bulkier purchases.

Shatter vs Other Concentrates: How to Tell the Difference

If you’re a newbie, it’s very easy to confuse various types of cannabis concentrates.

Here is a little cheat sheet you can use to tell the difference between shatter and other concentrates:

• Budder comes with more terpenes but is less potent that shatter. As for the consistency, the concentrate is a bit harder than wax but not as hard as shatter.
• Wax is also made through BHO and it looks exactly like wax. Shiny, gooey and sticky, wax usually comes with more terpenes than shatter.
• CO2 oil is obtained through CO2 extraction, which gives a liquid and clean form of cannabis extract. You can use it in your vape pen.
• Crumble is made in lower temperatures than waxes, and it comes in the least moist form. However, this concentrate holds more flavor than the rest.

Is Shatter Safe?

There are two things you need to take into consideration when talking shatter and safety.

First – method of extraction.

As mentioned, shatter is made with BHO and the method is not safe to use at home. Thus, it’s better to purchase your extracts from a trusted manufacturer to avoid causing serious injuries and even death when playing with highly flammable substances at home.

Second – the potency.

Shatter is extremely potent, reaching up to 80% of THC, whereas the content of dry flowers rarely goes beyond 30%. This means shatter may cause unwanted side effects, such as nausea and headaches, especially among new consumers.

Final Thoughts on Shatter, the Purest of All Dabs

Dabbing is one of the hottest trends among cannabis enthusiasts these days. Whether you’re a medical or recreational user, you can benefit from a nice dab full of valuable cannabinoids as long as you do it responsibly.

Shatter will be the best choice for those of you who prefer the purest types of extracts with high amounts of THC. Moreover, it’s probably the most effective way of getting relief from a wide range of symptoms.