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Nic Salts, what you need to know.

Nic Salts, what you need to know.

Recently nic salt E liquid has become very popular in the UK and worldwide, for good reason. To begin with nicotine salts were mostly used in disposable pod devices, like the JUUL or similar. These days, they're available in 10ml bottles and they can be used with lots of tanks and refillable pods.

What are nic salts?

Nicotine salts, or nic salts as they are more commonly known, are the result of adding regular freebase nicotine to an acid, usually benzoic acid. Why use additives you ask? To understand, we first need to look at freebase nicotine. Now, we're going to try to keep this as simple as possible without sounding too nerdy, Freebase nicotine has a higher pH, which leads to increased alkalinity. This increase in alkaline leads to a harsher throat hit. This is where the benzoic acid comes in, when benzoic acid is added, it reduces the pH level of the nicotine and in turn, the alkalinity. The end result is a much smoother throat hit, even at high nicotine levels.

Nic salts vs freebase nicotine  

Nic salts are absorbed in as little as 6 seconds to the bloodstream after vaping, which is much quicker compared to regular E liquids. Nic salts have been purposely developed to provide that instant hit of nicotine most vapers are looking for, very similar to smoking a cigarette. Most people that vape nic salts tend to use short, quick bursts - again, similar to smoking cigarettes. 

Freebase E liquid (regular E liquid) takes longer to be absorbed, however it takes longer to leave the bloodstream, too. Freebase nicotine tends to build up in your system and you'll often find your self vaping more regularly to satisfy your cravings when using freebase liquids.

The likeness and feeling of how the nicotine is delivered in to your system when vaping nicotine salts is often described as "very close to smoking cigarettes", for this reason they are often recommended to those that are new to vaping, or those looking to quit smoking.

Furthermore, the throat hit provided by nic salts and freebase are very different. Nicotine salts are much smoother, at much higher strengths. For example, 20mg nic salts provide a similar throat hit to a 3mg or 6mg freebase liquid. For this reason, nic salts are more popular with vapers that require a high strength nicotine level, but prefer it without the harsh throat hit. 

Who are nic salts best for?

Nic salts are best suited to two types of people, those that are beginning to switch from smoking to vaping and those that prefer a quick, discreet and satisfying nicotine hit. This is due to their high nicotine strength and smooth throat hit, vaping the equivalent strength of freebase liquids can be very harsh on the throat and quite unpleasant. If you require a high strength nicotine level, nicotine salts will provide you with a much more pleasant experience.

What strength nic salt is best?

Nic salts are most commonly sold in two strengths. 10mg, which is best suited to light smokers that smoke less than 20 cigarettes a day and 20mg, which is best suited to heavy smokers that smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day.

The best devices and kits to use with nic salts

The majority of nic salts are 50/50 ratio, making them best paired with low power setups, they work very well with pod devices. Vape pod kits contain everything you need to get you going in an all-in-one type device. These inexpensive kits are very small, compact and easy to use. They also work equally well in a vape pen style device, for those that prefer a device that more closely resembles a cigarette.

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