You’ve been trying to stop smoking for months now. You’ve switched over to vaping but you’re not getting as much satisfaction out of it as you were your cigarettes. That’s because the nicotine hit you’re getting isn’t quite as strong.
This doesn’t mean that you should turn back to the cancer sticks. The world of vaping is constantly changing and growing not only in the realm of vape types but E-liquids as well. You can get E-juice that contains nicotine salts.
What are nic salts? We’re about to tell you. Keep reading for a complete guide to find out what they are and if switching over to them would suit your needs.
What are Nicotine Salts?
We're going to describe what Nicotine salts are without getting too scientific. You see, salts are formed when a base interacts with an acid. In the case of nicotine salts, pure nicotine is mixed with the acid.
If the word acid has you a little bit concerned, don't be. Nic salts appear in tobacco naturally. So, if you've ever smoked a cigarette in your life, chances are you've already been exposed to the stuff before.
What is the Difference Between Nicotine Salts and Nicotine?
Now you may be wondering, what's the difference between nicotine salts and regular old nicotine. The nicotine found in most E-juices is called freebase nicotine. It's been extracted from the tobacco plant and cleaned from all its impurities.
This being said, it's strong. It's got a PH of about 8 or so. You can't vape high concentrations of it without getting a sore throat later.
When nic salts are created by exposing the freebase nicotine with acid, it lowers the PH level. You can smoke high concentrations of it and still get a smooth hit.
What Are the Advantages of Nicotine Salts?
Other than giving you a smoother hit, there are other advantages to nic salts. You can get more satisfaction from it, there is less of a flavor impact, and it can be cheaper than freebase nicotine liquids.
Satisfaction
When you're first starting to switch over from cigarettes to vaping, freebase nicotine may not be enough to sate your cravings. Again, you can't smoke high concentrations of it without getting a sore throat.
You can smoke a high concentration of nic salts though. So you can get the punch that you need to satisfy you and keep you from turning back to cigarettes.
Flavor Impact
If you vape a nicotine-free juice and then vape one with nicotine right after that you'll notice a huge difference. Nicotine affects the flavor of the juice and not for the better sometimes. It can be rough.
Nic salts don't do anything to alter the flavor of the juice. There is less of a harsh flavor impact which leads to a way more enjoyable vaping experience.
Cheaper and More Discrete
You can only use nicotine salts in a low wattage device like a vape pen. Vape pens are typically way cheaper than the big sub-ohm tanks. Little vape pens are also more discrete.
You can stash it away in your purse or pocket and nobody would be the wiser. You can carry it with you about everywhere too and enjoy vaping in places that allow vaping.
Smoother Hit
Again, if you try and smoke e-liquid that contains freebase nicotine in high concentrations, it will hurt your throat. The reason why you didn't notice the harshness as much when you were smoking cigarettes is that companies cover it up with menthol and other methods.
Vape juices don't mask the harshness so it's either get your hit and deal with it or give up and smoke a lower concentration E-liquid. You aren't faced with such an ultimatum when you use nic salts.
Disadvantages
While the pros of nic salts outweigh the cons there are still some negatives with making the switch. They can be a bit much for some people and you don't have as many options so it's not as fun.
It Can Be a Bit Much for Some
If you were a heavy smoker when you were using cigarettes then nic salts will be fine for you. If you were a lighter smoker then they will be a bit too much for you. You could get by with the little bit of nicotine that is found in most E-juices.
Not as Many Options
With nicotine salts, you have to stick with a vape pen so it's a bit limiting. You don't get to have the unique experience of playing around with tank mods and combinations.
You won't get to experiment with coils and atomizers. You won't get the satisfaction of producing huge vape clouds and so on and so forth.
It's Not as Fun
Due to the fact that you're faced with so many limitations, it's not as fun. Part of the draw of vaping is the experimentation and the clouds. Nic salts do serve their purpose though and if you're looking for a cigarette-like experience then the fun factor may not mean as much to you.
Are Nic Salts Right for You?
If you're not getting anything out of vaping because you need a high punch of nicotine, want to be more discrete with your vape, or want to spend a little less money, then nic salts may be right for you. They aren't as fun as traditional vape juices because you're confined to using a pen but if you're looking for more of a cigarette-like experience it will do.
Has reading this made you want to give nic salts a try? Check out our selection of E-juices.