Best Practice Guide: How to Vape Properly

Best Practice Guide: How to Vape Properly

In this blog, we will answer the most frequently asked questions surrounding vaping. If you are someone who is looking at quitting smoking and start vaping, this will hopefully help you have a positive vaping experience.

Vaping is the act of inhaling vapour, produced from e-liquid that has been heated up from a coil in an electronic cigarette or vape device, to produce a cloud of vapour, similar to when somebody exhales on a cigarette and blows out smoke. Vaping essentially simulates smoking cigarettes, but in a much safer and much less harmful manor.

Depending on what the user opts for, if the vape juice contains nicotine, this also delivers nicotine to be absorbed into the body and provide a nicotine kick.

How to Vape

Vaping “correctly” all comes down to which style of vaping you are wanting to do, as well as the vape device you’re using. There are two styles of vaping: Mouth to Lung (MTL) and Direct to Lung (DTL) vaping. These will be explained in more detail later in this blog.

If you are wanting to replicate smoking, by getting a throat hit and only producing a small amount of vapour, MTL vaping could be for you. If you are wanting to get the most flavour, produce thick dense clouds of vapour, and not get any throat hit on inhalation, then DTL vaping would be the choice for you.

The length of inhalation is quite different to that of smoking as well as in MTL vaping and DTL vaping. MTL vapers tend to have short sharp inhales similar, but longer in duration to a cigarette. Where as DTL vapers tend to take longer deeper inhales, due to the liquid not giving a throat hit, and the longer the inhale, the more cloud of vapour is produced.

What can you vape?

E-liquid or vape juice, made by a reputable manufacturer that has passed all necessary TPD requirements, is the only thing that can be vaped in an electronic cigarette. If anything else is put into a vape tank, and attempted to be vaped, this could lead to serious health hazards and problems.

Common Vaping Devices

There are many different vape kits on the market, which are all designed for specific ways to vape. Picking the right device can be a hard task, but it is essential to pick the right device for your vaping experience and ensure you vape properly.

All Electronic Cigarettes work in a similar way. The consist of a power source, generally a battery, a heating element or coil, wicking material, and a tank with a mouthpiece. The battery heats an element which vaporises the eliquid and produces vapour.

The different types of vape devices are –

• Pen Style Devices – Vape pen devices are straight, slim and sleek vapes that resembles a writing pen. Vape pens are normally filled from the top with e-liquid, and either runs on coils or disposable cartomisers that fix onto the battery. Normally recommended as a starter kit.
• Pod Devices – A pod device has a built-in battery which is charged via USB. these devices generally have pods that are either prefilled with vape liquid and then disposed of when empty. There are also refillable pods that can be filled with your choice e-liquid.
• AIOs (All-In-Ones) – A device that is self-contained and has a coil, battery and tank all enclosed within the device casing. Ideal for people who are looking for something simple and compact.
• Mouth to Lung Vaping Devices – A MTL device is used for mouth to lung vaping. These are vapes that are normally used with higher resistance coils (1.0ohm upwards) to replicate the sensation of smoking traditional cigarettes. These are favoured by vapers who have made the switch from smoking to vaping.
• Sub ohm Vaping Devices – A device used to vape in a Direct Lung vaping style. These vapes are normally used with low resistance coils, such as 0.9ohm or lower, hence the term Sub-Ohm. Devices normally require external batteries to be ran at higher power to give more vapour production. These are more commonly used by experience vaping enthusiasts.

Common types of E-Liquid

There are several different varieties of vape liquid available on the market. The differences being the ratios of the Vegetable Glycerine (VG) and Propylene Glycol (PG), what type of nicotine is used, and what the premade milligram strength of nicotine is.

• 50/50 Liquid – Vape liquid that is 50% VG & 50% PG, hence the term 50/50. This is most used in MTL devices, as the high PG content will replicate the throat hit on inhale similar to that of smoking a cigarette. 50/50 liquids are normally made with freebase nicotine with strengths ranging from 6mg to 18mg. These liquids most commonly picked by vapers for are looking to switch from smoking to vaping for a vaping experience similar to that of smoking. Our range of Drink Flavours are 50/50
• Nicotine Salt E Liquid – This liquid is mixed the same way as above in a 50/50 ratio, but the nicotine that is used is nicotine salt. Nic salts are e liquids created with the same type of nicotine found in the tobacco plant. A natural form of nicotine that is then blended with the core ingredients to make e-liquid. The most common types of Nic salts are a standard nicotine base liquid, which is then mixed with a weak acid, such as Benzoic Acid which is the more commonly used one. Nicotine Salts are also faster absorbed in the bloodstream and smoother on inhale. These come in nicotine free 0mg, 10mg or a 20mg Nicotine content.
• High VG E Liquid – This liquid has a higher VG content and is normally a 70/30 VG PG ratio. This liquid is designed to be used in Sub-Ohm devices as the higher VG content will create more flavour and thicker clouds. These liquids come in “Shortfill” bottles which are sold in 50-100ml of flavour, and nic shots are then added to reach the desired nicotine strength. These are available from our store for only £4.69 a bottle, with two nic shots included. These are more commonly bought by experienced vapers who want to produce large vapour production in sub ohm devices with high resistance coils.

What are Ohms & Watts used for in vaping?

An ohm is a unit of resistance. Ohms are used in vaping to determine the resistance of a coil used in a vaping device. Coils are basically the heating element of a vaping device. The higher the resistance of the coil, less electricity/power can be used to make it function correctly. However the lower the resistance of the coil, more power can be used and a higher number of watts can be used.

For example, on a mouth to lung device, the wattage used will be relatively low because the resistance of the coils will be a higher number, typically 1.0 ohm or above. A device ran at 12 watts, with a coil of 1.2ohms, will not heat up very much, it will produce a small amount of vapour, but provide a short sharp hit when inhaled and replicate that of a cigarette.

A device running at 80 watts, with a coil of 0.15ohms, will send a lot of heat to the coil (not enough to make it unsafe to use) with more heat going to the coil, much more vapour will be produced, as well as more flavour coming from the vape liquid you are using, and a large cloud of vapour will be exhaled. This is why thicker liquids are used in higher powered devices as it will not go down as fast as if it was a thinner liquid. This higher watt vaping is most associated with Direct to Lung vaping.

Can you vape too much?

Vaping consistently can cause someone to experience a “nicotine rush” especially if vaping a higher nicotine content e-liquid. This can cause the user to feel light headed, nauseous, have a dry scratchy throat and feel generally unwell for a short period of time. If this happens, its recommended to have a short break from vaping until you feel well again. If the problems persist when vaping, consider dropping down the nicotine content within the vape, or consulting your local GP.

The convenience of having a vape compared to a cigarette is very high, and people tend to use a vape more than when they would have a cigarette. We recommend using your vape at times you’d normally want a cigarette and only having a small number of puffs, similar to if you were smoking. Making a small subtle switch like this can improve your journey to quitting smoking.

Effects of nicotine

When ingested, nicotine can act as a stimulant to the body and mind. This is caused by nicotine delivering a “kick” to the Adrenal glands, causing them to become stimulated and releasing a small amount of adrenaline through the body. This then caused a chain reaction within the body by increasing heart rate, blood pressure and the rate of breathing. Whilst delivering this kick, it also indirectly releases a small amount of dopamine to the pleasure and motivation parts of the human brain.

However, with these positive effects, Nicotine does also carry some negative effects also. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and constant use from a user can lead to not only addiction but also a dependency on nicotine. Nicotine can have negative effects on the body if used too much as stated previous, but also if someone was to quit nicotine all together, they could suffer from withdrawal symptoms, such as insomnia, depression, anxiety, and becoming more irritable.

How to vape with the right nicotine strength

Finding the right nicotine strength can be a lot of trial and error for people, but we will try and break it down as simply as possible to help What we would recommend is if you were.

• A light smoker of around 10 cigarettes a day, a 6mg strength would be the right strength for you.
• A moderate smoker of 10-20 cigarettes a day, a 12mg strength would be the right strength for you
• A heavy smoker for 20 cigarettes or more a day, an 18mg strength would be right for you.

If you were to use one of the above strengths and find it wasn’t enough of a throat hit when you inhale, we would recommend a higher strength. However, if it was too harsh on your throat, a lower, weaker nicotine strength would be more suited.

As we have already mentioned, Nic Salt e-liquids are available in a 10mg or 20mg strength. These can provide a stronger, smoother nicotine kick, but some users prefer the traditional 50/50 e liquids.

Nic Shots/Nic Salt Shots

Nic Shots are 10ml bottles of straight freebase nicotine, which is a colourless and odourless liquid, that are usually added into larger bottles of liquid to make the e liquid to the consumers desired nicotine level.

Nic Salt Shots are the same as above, but instead of freebase nicotine, it is Nicotine Salt, which provides more of a nicotine kick and mixes better with higher VG liquid with provides a smoother flavoursome vape on inhale.

Tobacco Products Directive (TPD)

The Tobacco Products Directive, or commonly referred to as TPD, was originally created to control the Tobacco industry, but as of 2016, it now deals with the regulations and sales of e-cigarettes and nicotine based products. Full details of the legislation is available to read on the gov.uk website.

The biggest changes that came were that bottles of e liquid that contained nicotine be no larger than 10ml, vape tanks be no larger than a 2ml liquid capacity, and all vaping products must display a health warning, that similar to the ones found on cigarette packets.

At Vape69, we ensure that all the e-liquids we make go through the necessary testing and checks, and meets the standards expected of the TPD regulations. We have our own flavour house, so we mix our flavours from scratch, meaning we know exactly what goes into our e-liquid. We pride ourselves on being able to ensure all our flavours are free from any CMRs (carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic substances) and we can verify this through our industry-standard GC systems. Our e-liquid is developed and made in the UK to the highest standards and registered with the MHRA, complying with the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and ISO9001.

What is a disposable e-cig?

Disposable e cigarettes are ever rising in popularity due to them being the current trend. They are a small compact sealed device, which contain a small lithium battery, a coil, and around 1.3ml of e-juice. Normally these devices have 20mg nicotine that will provide the user with around 600 puffs before the device stops working and is then disposed of.

Disposable vapes are becoming a slight hinderance to the vaping world due to their popularity with users not of the legal smoking age, mainly down to influence from people using them on social media platforms such as TikTok, as well as peer pressure from groups of underage users encouraging others to try them. This is also a risk as it is found these are being used amongst users who have never even smoked, so it is unlikely they will know how to vape properly either. They also have a huge detrimental impact to the environment due to the fact they cannot be recycled in a safe way, causing around 17 million units to go into landfill every month.

They are a costly way to vape also compared to using a refillable device, on average a disposable vape costs anywhere from £5-£7 and could only last for a day, where as a bottle of cheap eliquid from Vape69 costs only 69p and can last up to 5 days.

There are several other reasons why Disposables are not the best thing to use if you want to vape, and you can read my article on it by following the link

Determine Your PG/VG Ratio

If you are wanting to replicate the feeling of inhaling a cigarette and wanting a throat hit, its recommended to use a 50 VG / 50 PG ratio of e liquid.

If you are wanting to create large thick dense clouds of vapour, and get optimal flavour from your vape liquid, then it is recommended you use a High VG ratio, such as 70% with a 30% PG Ratio.

Vaping Tips for Beginners

Always buy your vaping products from a reliable well known vape shops, as this ensures all products being sold are TPD compliant and genuine safe products. Liquids being sold by a non reputable vape seller could cause serious health implications due to not likely have undergone testing for TPD compliance, and any devices being sold by a non reputable vape seller, could not be a genuine product, and could have serious safety implications such as overheating or malfunctioning.

Try different flavours of vape liquids until you find the one you like the most. At only 69p a bottle, our cheap UK made eliquid is at the best price to treat your taste buds and try every flavour we offer and it won’t break the bank!

Try and only use your vape when you would normally have a cigarette. First thing in the morning, after food, or just before bed are commonly peoples favourite time to have a cigarette, so reach for your vape at these times instead of cigarettes.