Simple Steps on How to Vape for New Vapers

If you’re new to vaping or having trouble, we’re here to help.

22 July 2022 | Hannah Rubery

Every day someone thinks about quitting smoking, and rightly so. Cigarette smoking is one of the most harmful things we can do to our body, and yet we can find it hard to give it up. Be it because of the habit or the addictive nicotine they contain, giving up isn’t easy for some and that’s why vaping was first invented. Vaping has recently seen a massive boom in interest in part of the rise in disposable vapes that offer smokers an easy and cheap way to try vaping for the first time. But disposables are not sustainable ways of vaping for those looking to make the switch from cigarettes.

What is vaping?

So what is vaping exactly? Vaping is the act of producing vapour that is meant to be inhaled, usually flavoured and containing nicotine. The vapour is created from vaporizers also commonly known as vapes, vape pens or vape kits, which use a battery to charge a coil that heats up your vape juice to create the vapour.

It mimics the traditional cigarette smoking method and because of this, it’s one of the most popular ways for people to quit smoking in recent years, with the majority of vapers being ex-smokers.

What is vape juice?

Also known as E-Liquid or vape liquid, vape juice is the liquid that vaporizers use. These are oil based liquids made up of a ratio of VG (vegetable glycerin) and PG (propylene glycol). They also come mixed with flavourings to make vaping more pleasant, and also contain nicotine in varying strengths. Nicotine-free vape juice is often known as shortfills, longfills or flavour concentrates.

What to vape with

The market for vaping devices is vast and full of customisation from devices to specific components. When first starting out the key to success is keeping it simple. By the time you’ve gotten a pro at vaping then you might want to start branching out and trying new, more advanced kits.

To start, there are several types you can use.

• Pod vape kits: usually small and discrete, these devices are rechargeable and offer either closed-pod systems (disposable cartridges), or open-pod systems (refillable cartridges).

• AIO (All in One) vape kits: the midway between pod vape kits and tank kits, these versatile devices are refillable, rechargeable and require a little more maintenance than pod kits as you’ll need to replace the coil.

• Tank vape kits: the standard kit that most think of when it comes to vaping, these are rechargeable, refillable kits usually with some customisation in terms of airflow, wattage etc. They also need maintenance such as cleaning and replacing coils.

• Disposable vapes: great for those who don’t want to invest too much money at the start, these pre-filled devices are ready to use and disposable once finished with. Although cheap to start with it quickly becomes expensive if you are buying multiple to vape with.

All vape kits come with instructional manuals for using and taking care of your device. Depending on what you want to vape there is potentially a preference to the kit you choose. For example, vaping nicotine salts works best in low-powered devices like pod kits and AIOs that have variable wattage.

As someone who is looking to swap from cigarettes to vaping, nicotine salts are ideal because they are available at high strengths that smokers need to fight the cravings. They are smoother on the throat than traditional vape juices for a more pleasant vaping experience. The general rule of thumb though is that newcomers to vaping should start on low wattage as this helps focus on the nicotine hit whilst still enjoying the flavour. Those looking to use high-power devices are better to use lower nicotine strengths to avoid accidentally taking more nicotine than intended.

Simple steps on how to vape

Vaping might seem simple at first but making sure you inhale correctly will either make or break your experience. If you inhale incorrectly it can lead to coughing or an unpleasant rush of nicotine. The two types of inhalation methods are MTL (mouth-to-lung) and DTL (Direct-to-lung).

MTL is more similar to the method of smoking cigarettes as it requires a tight draw like sucking through a straw. You allow the vapour to sit in your mouth before inhaling to get the perfect throat hit like tobacco smoking.

To do this:
1. Slowly draw vapour into your mouth for a few seconds
2. Hold the vapour in your mouth for a second
3. Open your mouth and breath in the vapour – not swallowing, inhaling
4. Exhale after vapour fills your lungs

DTL is ideal for high-powered vapes with low resistance and low nicotine, and is generally more of an advanced version of vaping. Taking a drag on these sort of devices is more like sucking through a wider straw and is considered much smoother.

To do this:
1. Quickly draw vapour directly into your lungs
2. Exhale vapor almost immediately

There’s also a less common method that some use called the ‘Cigar puff’. This means treating your vape much like a cigar and inhaling to the lungs while puffing on the vape. Technically it’s not inhaling as it doesn’t go much further than your mouth, but you can still get a nicotine hit from this method.

Keep in mind this is just for starting out vaping. Once you’ve been vaping for some time you are more likely to customise your vaping. Whether it’s changing your device, your type of E-Liquid or the way you vape, finding what’s comfortable and enjoyable will come naturally as you get experienced with vaping.