By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A new store selling products containing CBD, a substance found in hemp, has opened in Hays.
BrightChoice CBD is the first retail outlet for Aaron Luck and his partner. He hopes to franchise across the country and is using Hays as a test market. Luck, an FHSU grad, moved back to Hays to be closer to family in Hays and his aging parents in Colby.
“I wanted to help the people of northwest Kansas and rural America who don’t have access to other alternatives here,” he said.
The investors have researched what they think are the best health and beauty products containing CBD and are offering them at 2403 Vine.
“My partner and I spent over a year and a half researching products,” he said. “We didn’t just go out and grab whatever was available on the wholesale market and sell it. We believe we have some of the best products on the market.”
Luck said all the products BrightChoice offers have no THC, which is the substance in marijuana that gets you high. The products are third-party tested to validate they contain no THC.
“Not all CBD products are created equal,” he said. “It is like any other product on the marketplace whether it is shampoo, whether it is gasoline, whether it is a sandwich shop, restaurant, any of those products. They are all different based on a lot of criteria.”
BrightChoice used 10 criteria to examine its product lines, which started with the extraction process. All the lines that BrightChoice sells extract CBD using CO2 instead of alcohol or gas. The companies BrightChoice buys from also extract their CBD oil from the whole plant, which gives you all the cannabinoids of the plant.
The store offers the Joy brand, which is a broad spectrum CBD product. Hemp contains about 100 other substances besides CBD and THC. The Joy products take full advantage of these potentially helpful ingredients.
BrightChoice’s Medterra line is a CBD isolate. Its only active ingredient is CBD suspended in a carrier oil.
Joy sources hemp from Colorado, and Medterra sources its hemp from Kentucky and claims to be 100 percent organically non-GMO grown. Joy and Medterra were recently written up by Hemp Ministry as two of the top CBD products in the country, Luck said.
Luck noted the consistency in sourcing the hemp and extracting the CBD oil is important in the end products and their effectiveness.
The Empower brand specializes in bath products, such as bath salts and topical oils.
CBD for Life is a brand that offers beauty products, such as skin creams, shampoo and conditioners.
Luck said he has customers who use the skin products to deal with rosacea, eczema and acne.
BrightChoice also carries Sativa, which is a line of plant-based skin care and beauty products. Luck said many people don’t realize that the average deodorant you buy at a discount store contains aluminum, which can be a problem for people with sensitive skin.
Luck himself takes CBD oil to deal with a rare arthritic condition called Ryder’s syndrome. He has had the condition, which causes inflammation throughout his body, since he was 17. He has not had to take prescription medication for his Ryder’s syndrome in several years, and he credits that to taking CBD oil.
“I don’t care if people come in here and don’t buy anything,” Luck said. “What I care about and what our business is about is education. … We want to educate people on the benefits, how it can help them, what the proper way is to take this, which ones are best for them, because when it comes to CBD, what I think is important is to treat the inside and the outside.
“It is not just about getting a topical cream and hoping that works for you. It is also about taking something internally and knowing what you are putting inside your body. I am amazed about how many people don’t ask questions about what they are putting inside their body.”
BrightChoice is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Luck may adjust the Sunday hours.
The store offers a veteran discount and a compassionate care program for people with chronic illnesses. Contact the store at 918-625-8823 for more information on these programs.