It’s a common question we hear across the vaping industry from those wanting to start the Stop Smoking journey. In this article we address the topic of nicotine and what may best suit you, though we always recommend if you are still a little confused on it all, pop into one of our stores and chat to our staff.
If you’re looking to make the switch from smoking to vaping ensuring you choose the right level of nicotine in your vape is a crucial part of making a smooth transition. If when starting out vaping you’re not reaching the nicotine hit you are used to when smoking, you may tempted to return to cigarettes. Nicotine is one of just four ingredients in vape juice, picking the right strength of e liquid will also help you choose the right PG/VG blend and vape kit too, figuring this bit out first is a great place to start your vaping journey.
The important thing in answering this simply comes down to your smoking habits – look at how many you have a day, think about whether they were a light variety or not and go from there. The strength you use is personal to you – trying a stronger liquid might help you make the switch from. The important thing in answering this simply comes down to your smoking habits – look at how many you have a day, think about whether they were a light variety or not and go from there. The strength you use is personal to you – trying a stronger liquid might help you make the switch from smoking to vaping and once you’ve found the right one you can gradually reduce it over time. The other benefit is, if you go for a slightly lower strength you can vape until you’re satisfied rather than having too strong a hit.
- 0mg nicotine – the nicotine free option is ideal for social smokers who only have the odd cigarette when they’re out and just want the feel of smoking, or to dilute their juice that does have some nicotine to make it a little more mild. It’s also for hobbyists who just enjoy being able to blow vapour rings and do the Irish Waterfall in the comfort of their own home.
- 3mg nicotine– This is the lowest level nicotine you can get in a liquid (unless you mix it yourself with some 0mg to dilute it). It’s often the ideal final step for people quitting smoking, who have reduced their intake to almost nothing. We’d also recommend this concentration for light smokers who are getting through only a few cigarettes a day.
- 6mg nicotine– Another low-level nicotine strength, it’ll still give you the nicotine buzz you’re looking for, similar to what you’d expect from some brands of Ultra Low/Ultra Light cigarettes. This one is for those of you who are getting through around 10 a day – though depending on the strength of what you’re used to the 3mg might be better suited.
- 12mg nicotine– Made for your average smoker, who gets through up to a pack a day. It’s a good place to start to get you used to vaping and will give you enough to keep the cravings away.
- 18mg nicotine through to 20mg nicotine– This is a high nicotine level for people who are getting through a serious number of cigarettes, by this we mean over a pack a day. The strength of the juice needed will also dictate the kind of device you’ll need as not all vapes are made the same. 20mg nicotine is available within nicotine salts, also used in disposable vape pens.
If you haven’t heard of it before, nicotine salt basically allows you to vape at higher nicotine strengths without getting the rough throat hit you’re typically used to. This also means you get more bang for your buck! You end up vaping less because you get a lot more nicotine. If you love the hit but don’t want to be vaping 24/7, nic salts may be the right fit.
As you may already know, the higher nicotine level you go, the throat hit becomes harsher. It can dissuade a lot of smokers transitioning into vaping if they have to endure the harsh throat hit while also not getting the level of buzz that you would otherwise get in a cigarette.