Choosing The Right Nicotine Strength?If you’re considering switching from smoking to vaping, making sure you’re choosing the right level of Nicotine Strength in your vaping cigarette is an important part of a smooth transition.
If you don’t reach the amount of nicotine you use when you smoke, you may revert to cigarettes. Therefore, nicotine concentration is an important decision when purchasing e-liquid.
Nicotine is one of only four ingredients in vape juice. Choosing the right strength e-liquid will also help you choose the right PG/VG blend and vape kit.
What Is Nicotine Strength ?
Nicotine is a chemical compound that is derived from a tobacco plant(1). Nicotine is an alkaloid, which means it contains nitrogen and is chemically similar to things like coffee and cocaine.
As well as the tobacco plant, nicotine is also found in potatoes, tomatoes and aubergine, albeit in very tiny amounts. To compare there is about 20mg of nicotine in 1g of tobacco, compared to that of 0.0001mg per 1g of aubergine.
Nicotine is an optional addition to e-liquid, and the majority of e-liquids are available in strengths of 0mg, 3mg, 6mg and 12mg.
The addition of nicotine in e-liquid is there to help you manage your cravings after switching from smoking.
What Nicotine Strength Do The Numbers On The Bottles Of E-Liquid Mean?
This number is related to the milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of e-liquid.
Essentially – the lower the number, the less nicotine. Sometimes written as a percentage. For example, 3mg/ml is 0.3% nicotine.
How Much E-Liquid Is Equilivent To Smoking A Cigarette?
A lot of people ask this question, but it’s a bit of a tough one to answer – it depends on the strength of the cigarettes you used to smoke, how many per day, your smoking style and even your body mass and lung capacity.
All of this would need to be weighed up against what concentration of Nicotine Strength you have in your e-liquid and what your vaping style is.
To give you some idea (we’ll break down the numbers a little more next) your average cigarette has 12mgs of nicotine (though can range from 8mg right up to 20mg), but your body will only absorb a small amount of this, the rest is released back out when you exhale the smoke.
Vaping doesn’t deliver nicotine into your system quite as quickly as smoking does either.
It’s a bit like coffee and alcohol – what might be normal for one person might be too much or too little for someone else.
This brings us onto the important question – how to choose the best one for you.
Which Nicotine Strength Is Right For Me?
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 Strength 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.
Some Further Tips:
- If you still have a sore throat but want too much nicotine, try an e-liquid with a 50:50 VG/PG ratio. The more PG, the more incredible it is. It’s not the tobacco you think you’ll get.
- It’s a process – if you’re a heavy smoker, there’s no harm in starting with a little more nicotine.
- If you’re not sure, turn it down a bit – it’s worth turning the intensity down a bit. This way you can avoid overuse and end up with a terrible headache. Another thing, if it’s a bit low you can hit up a little more until you’re feeling better – vaping means nicotine is absorbed into your system a little more slowly than smoking. Increase. How do you feel
- As mentioned above, not all e-cigarettes are designed for high-intensity nicotine. Sub-ohm devices are too powerful for high doses, so you need something else. Check out our vape kit beginner’s guide to help you choose.
- If you are looking for an alternative to e-cigarettes but still need nicotine, other products such as nicotine pouches, gum, and non-heat-burning products can help.
Sources:
1. Nicotine – sciencedaily.com