Live Resin GUIDE:
Everything it
Has to Offer

Not to be confused with resin or rosin, live resin is one of the newest developments within the cannabis concentrate community. Introduced to the market only within the past decade, live resin has been deemed the “champagne of concentrates,” and is becoming more sought-after every day.

Live resin is unlike any other concentrate on dispensary shelves, despite having a
similar appearance. Below, we break down all you should know about this unique form
of concentrate, and what exactly makes it so different and so boutique.

How live resin is made is what differentiates it from shatter, budder, crumble, and all other concentrates..

What is Live Resin?

While the name may sound a little strange, live resin is no more intimidating than your typical cannabis concentrate. Most concentrates are made using
extraction processes that require high temperatures. However, live resin needs the opposite. Live resin is the result of freeze-drying the cannabis plant prior to and during the extraction process. Keeping the plants and oils at sub-zero temperatures allows for the
terpene profile of the strain to stay unchanged,
meaning live resins typically have a stronger smell, taste, and for some, psychological effects.

Extremely new to the cannabis scene, live resin originated from a few Colorado growers back in 2013. Made by producing an expert BHO extractor, William Fenger and Jason Emo discovered that extracting their cannabis while frozen produces quite the unique concentrate. By skipping the drying process of the bud itself, you’re preserving terpenes. Terpenes become lost over time, and the drying process takes a lot of time; when you avoid this, you keep those flavors and aromas pungent and easily identifiable.

Live resin is most commonly enjoyed through dabbing. Dabbing’s high temperatures help to bring out the terpene profile, giving you one of the tastiest dabs you could ask for. You can dab all forms of live resin, regardless of if it’s waxy or crumbly.

What are the
Properties of

Live Resin?

Live resin can come in various appearances and textures. Like butane hash oil, or BHO, its end structure simply depends on how it is handled during the extraction process, and outside elements like excess moisture. You can find live resin that is as saucy as wax, or even as fragile as shatter. But, live resins that are less solid are typically more easily found, though you can always check your local marijuana dispensary menus to see what kind they have. It’s no wonder the live resin Canada community is as strong as it is. Let’s delve deeper into the world of cannabis concentrates in our Live Resin Guide.

As was discussed, the smell and taste of live resin are truly what differentiates it from its other concentrate counterparts (other than the freezing temperatures, that is). The different flavor profiles that terpenes bring add a layer of distinctness that can only be accomplished when terpenoids are properly conserved, like with live resin. When it comes to the individual flavors themselves, this all depends on the strains that were used during the extraction process.

Typical cannabis concentrates can sit anywhere between 60-80% THC. This is no different for live resin, as its potency is almost identical to its concentrate brothers and sisters. However, many consumers claim that the high level of terpenes enhances the overall high, making effects feel even more potent. That being said, concentrates like live resin aren’t for new consumers because of how powerful they can be, so make sure you’ve had your fair share of cannabis experiences before diving into these intense extracts.

How long live resin stays in your system really depends on how frequent of a smoker you are, how your body metabolizes THC, and how you consume it. With dabs and their high percentage of THC, they can stay in your system for up to months at a time depending on frequency. On the other hand, your first dab ever may pass through your body quickly, only leaving THC present for a couple of days. It totally depends on you.

How Live Resin is Made

How live resin is made is what differentiates it from shatter, budder, crumble, and all other concentrates..

Instead of being left out for days at a time to dry out moisture, the flower used for live resin is frozen prior to extraction and is kept at these freezing temperatures throughout the entire extraction process.

Like other concentrates, live resin is made when the plant undergoes alcohol or chemical-based solvent extraction that separates the natural oils from the plant material itself. When the bud is blasted or soaked with solvents like butane, plant matter is destroyed while simultaneously preserving all other cannabis-related elements, like cannabinoids and terpenes.

After separation, the remaining oil must be purged of leftover solvent like butane, helping to ensure purity and safety. Once this is completed, the live resin is then either left untouched to create a shatter-like appearance, or it is mixed and stirred to create a waxier structure.

It is crucial to note that concentrates like live resin should not be made at home, as the process is extremely dangerous and has resulted in multiple cases of house fires and fatalities. Proper extraction equipment costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and meticulous care—it is strongly urged to leave this process up to the professionals.

Live Resin’s Shelf
Life and Storing

Because of the high terpene content, it is not recommended for you to leave live resin on the shelf for an extended period of time. The longer that the concentrate is exposed to air, the more the terpenes will begin to disintegrate, eventually losing its signature strong tastes and smells. But, realistically, you can keep concentrates like live resin stored for up to a year before you notice major changes—if you store it correctly, that is.

If you’re looking to keep your live resin stored for a bit before enjoying, make sure to keep it in a cold, dark place. Most consumers choose places like fridges or freezers to keep their concentrates fresh, as temperatures, lighting, and moisture stay consistent. Make sure to keep your live resin properly labeled if you do choose to do this, just to ensure it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.

Don’t store your live resin in any containers that allow excess air to come in. Vacuum-sealed jars are the best option, helping to keep fragrances fresh over time. Make sure you don’t frequently change your live resin’s storage spot, as changes in the environment are often detrimental to the composition of concentrates

Best Ways to Enjoy

There are a few ways you can choose to smoke live resin in Canada, though the most effective comes from dabbing. As was mentioned, the extremely high temperatures necessary for dabbing allows us to fully experience their concentrate’s potent flavor profile.

Live resin can also be tricky to handle depending on its structure, so trying to add it into joints or onto bowls can be difficult. Plus, we don’t heat our joints and bowls as hot as we do with dabs, as it would completely destroy the marijuana flowers. While it is
possible, it won’t be as successful as with a rig.

The other way to get the best taste and potency out of your live resin is to vaporize it. Whether this means putting it in a standing vaporizer or adding it to your vape pen is up to you, but it smokes the same either way. Vaporizers have the heat and tools necessary to make inhaling and handling your live resin as easy as possible.

When it comes to dosing your live resin, it’s key to start small. Even a tiny dab can give you intense, intoxicating effects, so make sure you see how your body reacts before trying a bigger dose. Consuming too much is the easiest way to have a bad high, so don’t underestimate the power of live resin! Starting small can help guarantee you have only the most relaxing, beneficial high possible.

Live Resin Compared to
Other Cannabis Products

Moving on with our live resin guide, the terms “resin” versus “live resin” may sound quite similar, but the two are actually quite different. If you look at your cannabis plant under a microscope, you’ll notice that it contains thousands of transparent glands. These glands are what produce resin, which, when dried and cured, turn into kief. Resin contains high amounts of terpenes, as well as all the psychoactive cannabinoids marijuana is so sought-after for. Live resin, on the other hand, simply refers to bud that has been frozen to the point of preserving all natural oils, terpenes, and cannabinoids. Both live resin and resin can be dabbed, but live resin tends to be more expensive and difficult to find compared to resin

It’s crucial not to confuse resin with rosin, or live resin with rosin. Rosin is another form of cannabis concentrate, but it is made with more rudimentary (and safe) extraction procedures. To get rosin, all you need is heat and pressure—no solvent! Some choose to make rosin at home with a simple hair straightener and some flower, though you can use anything that produces high temperatures and pressure. Rosin has similar THC contents as live resin, but is technically more “natural,” as it doesn’t require any type of solvents to make.

Live resin and cannabis are incredibly different, despite the fact that live resin is a direct product of cannabis flower. Cannabis flower is less concentrated and has much lower THC levels than live resin. With live resin having the potential to reach as high as 95% THC, even the most expensive, luxury cannabis won’t be found with percentages higher than around 30. Because of this potency, highs from live resin last much longer and effects are more strongly experienced.

While live resin definitely has a strong taste, weed edibles are much more flavorful. This is because, with edibles, cannabis is easily disguised within ingredients, often masking the individual flavor profiles of the terpenes involved. Compared to live resin, an edible high will last hours longer with effects felt quite strongly throughout the body. Though edibles are more concentrated and more potent than regular flower, the flower used to make the edibles lose a significant amount of their THC percentage when cooked or baked. This makes live resin still a bit more potent than THC edibles, though they both create novel, long-lasting highs.

As was mentioned, the biggest difference between live resin and other concentrates is that the flower is not dried for days at a time prior to extraction. In fact, it isn’t dried at all but instead frozen before the process begins. Keeping the bud at sub-zero temperatures is unheard of except for this unique form of concentrate. You can find live resin in all forms, though finding live resin shatter is more uncommon than others, as achieving this glass-like consistency isn’t easy.

The Various

Benefits and Uses

The high concentration of THC and CBD makes live resin a great candidate for natural pain relief. Studies have shown that CBD oil in higher levels, as well as when combined with THC, exhibits properties of multiple different types of medications. From an anti-inflammatory to an antipsychotic, live resin’s medicinal properties stretch far and wide.

When it comes to the physiological benefits of live resin, most cannabis consumers turn to it to help relieve chronic joint and muscle pain. With research, we’re learning that CBD reduces inflammation by targeting our body’s glycine receptors. Glycine transports pain signals from the brain throughout the body, while CBD binds with these receptors to inhibit the body from absorbing these amino acids. This prevents us from experiencing pain as intensely as we would have, giving our bodies relief far different than from Aspirin.

The psychological benefits of live resin are just as effective. Helping with a myriad sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, and even PTSD, CBD works with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain to combat symptoms of psychosis. Unfortunately, due to the high THC potency of live resin, consuming too much has caused many to feel panicked or anxious, so it’s crucial to be careful of dosing, especially if you have a history of mental disorders.

New research is being directed towards terpenes and what higher concentrations of it can do for your high and overall cannabis experience. Some are beginning to suggest that terpenes may have the potential to enhance psychoactive as well as medicinal properties. If this is true, this means that live resin may be much more effective than other concentrates that lack this high terpene content.

Potential Side Effects of

Live Resin

Now let’s talk move on with the live resin guide and talk about side effects. Though the high you can get from live resin can be one of the best, most blissful ones of your cannabis experience, it can also be too much sometimes. Due to the strong potencies and high concentration of THC, it is easy to consume too much and become uncomfortable.

When you take too big of a dab, feeling nauseous or even having to vomit is not uncommon. As mentioned, panic is often reported as well, but these cases are rare and may be avoided by consuming resin low and slow.

If you do accidentally take too big of a dab or smoke too much live resin, don’t panic. You can’t overdose from concentrates, despite how sick or stressed you may feel. It is important to remind yourself that this feeling will not last more than a few hours and that you’ve simply had too much. Try drinking water or eating a snack to maintain an air of normalcy. Then, simply distract yourself as best as you can. Whether that be by taking a nap or talking to a best friend, all of these things can help bring you back to reality, and tame your concentrated high.

Where to

Buy Your Own

Interested? We don’t blame you! You can buy live resin online or at your local cannabis dispensary, but be prepared to spend more than you typically would on concentrates. Live resin, compared to other waxes and shatters, is much pricier–it is the champagne of concentrates, after all. While a typical gram of crumble can be priced anywhere between $20-$40, and shatter usually being only a bit more, live resin can go for as high as $100 per gram. However, this is usually the best of the best, and you can probably find grams of live resin, shatter wax, crumbles, weed budder, and other waxes at your local dispensary for closer to $60-$80.

If you don’t have access to a dispensary or would simply rather stay home, online weed dispensaries are appearing all over the country–in places with legalized marijuana, that is. Websites like Get Kush allow you to pick out all the cannabis products your heart desires, and have them shipped right to your door in discreet packaging. This way, you don’t even have to step inside to find your perfect gram of live resin.

So we hope you learned something in our live resin guide to help you make future decisions regarding this flavourful cannabis concentrate.

In Conclusion

When dabbing live resin, always remember to start small and see how the dab affects you. Too much live resin can definitely ruin your day, while the perfect-sized dab can give you one of the greatest, most flavorful highs yet. Use discretion, but enjoying live resin from time to time has the potential to completely transform your cannabis journey.