Vape Juice Nicotine Levels: Which is Best For You?

When entering the vaping world, novice consumers are faced with decisions they need to make, which may sometimes seem confusing. Deciding on a vape device is easy and can be done quickly. However, choosing the vape juice nicotine levels is integral to the vaping experience and requires serious consideration. 

Smokers rarely know the nicotine levels that cigarettes contain. Nicotine is found as a cigarette component, but it's also present in tobacco and other parts. When talking about vaping, information on nicotine strength is essential. We will provide you with vaping beginner tips on everything you need to know about nicotine levels in vaping. 


What is Nicotine?


Many people don't know that nicotine can naturally be found not only in tobacco but also in potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes. Compared to the latter plants, tobacco has an abundance of nicotine which is why most of the nicotine is extracted from tobacco. 

In 1828, Wilhelm Posselt and Karl Reimann were the first ones to isolate nicotine from tobacco leaves. Thanks to the discovery of Posselt and Reimann, this alkaloid's natural extraction is a much cheaper and regularly practiced process than having it synthesized in a lab.

An interesting fact about nicotine is that it can be a relaxant and a stimulant at the same time. Users have reported effects from nicotine varying from calmness to elevation and even attentiveness. 

Very often, there is a presumption that nicotine is an addictive substance and causes cancer. The addiction and cancer experts pointed the finger at cigarettes as the cause and nicotine as the primary substance. But is this really true? It's difficult to say whether nicotine can be the cause because cigarettes contain many other substances, chemicals, and tar besides nicotine. 

Nicotine is known to have a rather short half-life, so consumers need to take it more often to satisfy their needs. The half-life keeps consumers from overdosing on nicotine, so it's not recommended to intake a large amount of nicotine in a single sitting. 

 

 

Vape Juice Nicotine Strengths 


Regardless of the ingredients listed on the package, smokers are often left wondering what substances are actually contained in a cigarette. Contrary to smoking, the advantage of vaping is that you know the ingredients contained in the vape e-juices. Vapers are the ones who choose the nicotine levels of the vape juice depending on their needs.

When choosing the nicotine level, consider your smoking habits and style. Are you a heavy smoker, do you like harsh or smooth throat hits, and is there a particular flavor you enjoy? 

Remember that with vaping, nicotine is not delivered into your system as quickly as it would with smoking. What may have been a sufficient nicotine intake with cigarettes might not be enough with vaping. 

Higher nicotine levels are found in stronger e-juices and offer a bigger throat hit. You might want to start with a strength you think will be sufficient based on your daily smoking habits and then reduce or increase it. 


Finding Your Perfect Vaping Nicotine Level


When talking about nicotine and vaping, it's important to remember that the choice of nicotine levels affects your vaping experience. Doing a little research on nicotine levels in vape juice, you'll learn that several factors should be considered. 

The first thing to be mindful of is the taste and throat hit. High nicotine levels in the e-juice produce a harsher taste and a painful throat hit. Lower nicotine levels should be your choice if you like a smoother hit while enjoying the flavor. 

Former smokers are looking for smoking equivalency when choosing their nicotine levels. Wanting to experience the similar pleasure they enjoyed when smoking, smokers might be turning to e-liquids with heavier nicotine strengths. 

Another factor to keep in mind is the frequency of use of the vape. If you like long vaping sessions, then high nicotine levels may not be suitable. High nicotine levels in vape juice may be preferred by a vaper who occasionally vapes throughout the day.

Vaping is very different from smoking, so don't be surprised if your smoking habits do not reflect your vaping preferences.


What is The Highest Level of Nicotine in Vape Juice?


If you consult a guide to e-liquids, you'll find that nicotine levels in e-liquids begin at zero and can go up to 50 mg/mL. Let's take a look at the dose sufficient for each smoker type.

  1. 0 mg/mL - means that there is no nicotine
  2. 3 mg/mL - an amount usually used by light smokers or those who wish to cut back on nicotine
  3. 6 mg/mL - this is the choice of previous moderate smokers, new vapers, or those cutting back on nicotine
  4. 12 mg/mL - this is a great option for those who used to be heavy cigarette smokers
  5. 18 mg/mL - the choice of smokers who went through a pack of cigarettes per day
  6. 24 mg/mL - used by smokers who smoked more than one pack per day.

The values represented above show the nicotine level in 1 mL of e-liquid. You may also find that some manufacturers express the nicotine level in percentage, so if the e-liquid has 18mg/mL of nicotine, it will be marked as 1.8% of nicotine. 

It is good to point out that while freebase nicotine comes in strengths from 0-25 mg/mL, the nicotine salts levels are available in strengths ranging from 25-50 mg/mL. So mind this when choosing the mg per mL.

 


Nicotine Salt vs. Freebase


When choosing the best e-juice flavors and nicotine strengths, a vaper must consider the choice between nic salts or freebase nicotine. While deciding on the best nicotine option for you, consider your prior vaping or smoking experience.

Many don't know the difference between freebase nicotine and nicotine salts, so let's look at each one and what they offer. 


What is Freebase Nicotine?


Freebase nicotine is the regular nicotine form usually used in e-liquids and is considered to offer a purer product and more enjoyable. Getting the pure form of freebase nicotine is to change the nicotine from its natural salt state into a base state. Stripping the salts uses ammonia to raise the pH level and achieve the freebase state. 

Feedback from vapers says that the freebase nicotine tends to have a harsh throat hit at very high nicotine levels. Freebase nicotine will deliver throat hits that might be a bit too much to enjoy, thus making vapers reduce the nicotine content. 

Vapers need to be careful with this nicotine reduction as it might not satisfy the nicotine cravings and trigger a relapse back to cigarettes. 


What is Nicotine Salt?


Nicotine salts, also known as nic salts, were introduced recently as a vaping innovation. Please make no mistake; they do not contain salts, even though the name might lead you to believe otherwise. All the name suggests is that nicotine found in tobacco leaves occurs in the chemical composition of a salt.

Nicotine salts are compounds that contain nicotine and other organic components. Vapers have reported that using nicotine salts offers them a smoother smoking experience, higher nicotine levels, and not-so-harsh throat hits. 

 


What's The Difference Between Freebase Nicotine And Nicotine Salt?


If you are still wondering what the difference is between nicotine salts and freebase nicotine, here are some facts to help you understand. 

Nicotine salts have a faster bloodstream absorption and constrained cloud production. They are most satisfying when consumed in higher concentrations and have moderate flavor complexity. For beginners and mixed users looking for medium-high strength options, nic salts are suitable for mouth to lung, pod-style, and lower wattage vaping devices.

Opposite to this, freebase nicotine is the right choice for those that have lower nicotine demands and the highest flavor complexity. This type of nicotine has a slow absorption in the bloodstream and becomes harsh when high in concentration. With strength ranging from medium to high, it has the maximum cloud production and is best for high wattage, direct-to-lung, and mouth to lung vaping devices. 

The choice between freebase nicotine or nic salts is based on personal preferences and needs, but more and more consumers find nicotine salts to work better for them. 


Is There Any Difference in Safety?


No one can say that freebase nicotine is safer than nicotine salts or vice versa. The only difference between the two is the added Benzoic or Citric acid in nic salts, which naturally occur in our body.

To this day, no reports have been given on the higher safety of one of the components over the other. Although we cannot say the safety of these two nicotine e-liquids, one thing is for sure; the use of nicotine salts or freebase nicotine is 95% safer than smoking.


Which Should You Choose?


If you visit an online vape store, you'll find a wide selection of freebase nicotine and nic salts products to choose from. Using the information that we have given you in this article, you should be able to decide what works best for you.

To sum up the above, let's recap on things to help you choose between freebase nicotine and nicotine salts. Just because you start with one nicotine liquid doesn't mean you need to stick with that. Follow the recommendations of this guide to vaping and indulge in an exquisite vaping experience.

Open yourself to experiment and find what suits you most and satisfies your vaping needs. If you are just transitioning from smoking to vaping, it might be challenging to know the nicotine strength you'll need to have a similar vaping experience as to smoking.

Based on feedback from vapers, nicotine salts will offer a smoother and more enjoyable vaping experience while offering a higher nicotine dosage.

However, if you are a consumer that prefers the production of big vapor clouds, then freebase nicotine is the one you should go with. You may receive a lower nicotine level and harsh throat hit, but sometimes the enjoyment is watching those huge vapor clouds floating. 

Whatever option you choose to provide yourself with the needed vape juice nicotine levels will be a much better and safer choice than going back to nasty smoking habits.