Nic salts or nicotine salts are a great way to boost you e liquid. E juice, just like every other new hobby or technology, also continuously evolves and gets better and better. Since the birth of modern e liquid back in the early 2000s, we experienced freebase e juice, e juice containing nic salts, shake and vape using short fills, and nicotine-free liquids and nic shots.
In this article, we will take a closer look at nicotine salts. Let’s start with the basics. If you just started vaping or just still a bit confused with what is vape juice and all that jazz, it is always good to start at the beginning.
E liquid (also known as a vape juice, e juice, or nicotine liquid), very simply put, the liquid you pour into a vaping device, which converts it into vapour. E juice typically contains four ingredients: VG (vegetable glycerin), PG ( Propylene Glycol), flavoring, and nicotine.
Freebase nicotine
We can talk about freebase nicotine and nicotine salts that we can find in e juice in terms of nicotine. Freebase vape juices have been around essentially since the start of vaping, and this type of e liquid is the one using freebase nicotine to deliver the throat hit. It is generally extracted directly from the tobacco plant giving us pure nicotine. This is then added to the PG and VG, which carry the nicotine with them when vaping. Freebase nicotine is great for exhaling plums of vapour and experience flavours to the fullest.
Nicotine salt
On the other hand, we have nicotine salts, which have nothing to do with actual salt. This will not add to your alkaline levels, and you will not taste anything salty when vaping. Salt nicotines ( same thing) are around since 2013 but became really popular in 2017.
The magic ingredient to nic salts is benzoic acid, added to the freebase nicotine, as mentioned earlier. Adding the acid reduces the freebase nicotine’s PH level, which is around PH 7-8, therefore causing a much smoother throat hit experience. This means you can have a higher nicotine concentration with nic salts like 10 or 20 mg/ml without the harsh feeling on your throat.
Another great thing about nic salt is that its absorption rate is much higher than general freebase nicotine. What does this mean? It has been proven that e juice containing nicotine salt enters the bloodstream quicker than freebase nicotine.
These two features of nic salts make it a perfect ingredient for those who want to quit smoking and start vaping instead. As the amount of nicotine you get and the absorption speed is similar to a regular cigarette, it is suggested to go with e liquids containing nicotine salt. This way, you get the same effects as smoking a cigarette.
Devices and strength for nic salts
The best device to use with nic salts are low wattage devices like pods. This is due to the higher and more efficient strength. Even though you get a higher nicotine level, these pods systems don’t produce a lot of vapour. If you fancy fashion over function and want loads of vapour, you should go for freebase nicotine e juices.
These smaller pod kits are also great as you can easily put them in your pocket. Above this, they don’t take up so much space as larger devices like mods. For example, the iJoy IVPC Pod kit is a perfect solution.
When using nicotine salt with a pod, it is also great that you will use less e liquid due to the higher nicotine consumption. Above this you will note less vapour production and doing less puffs. To see some Pods and nic salts that go with it, check out our website.
The most general and allowed in Europe is 10 and 20 mg/ml in terms of strength. This is a standard value and recommended for those who don’t want to do a very high nicotine level like a cigarette but still need a substantial nicotine dose.
Less strength, like 3-6 mg/ml, is also available on the market. These are perfect for a sub-ohm tank due to the low nicotine concentration. After using a 3mg freebase nicotine e juice and exchanging it to a 5mg/ml nic salt e juice, you will find that you still get the same throat hit, but with fewer puffs. You get the same nicotine rush even much quicker.
Overall, if you are looking for a great mouth to lung experience, try to use nic salts.
