What are Nicotine Salts? A Guide to Nic Salt Vaping

You might have heard of the term nicotine salts; they’re becoming significantly more popular worldwide, and now there are vape devices specifically for nic salts.

Nicotine salts can be more satisfying than traditional vape juices, offer a smooth taste, and enable users to enjoy greater nicotine concentrations than regular e-liquids. Not bad, right? The benefits don’t stop there either. 

In this article, we will discuss nicotine salts and why they may be an excellent option for you:

What Are Nic Salts?

Nicotine salts—commonly referred to as nic salt or salt nicotine—is natural nicotine extracted from leaf tobacco. They’re the most efficient way of delivering nicotine to your body. 

Better still, many argue that nicotine salts offer a more satisfying vape than other e-liquids. They also suggest throat hits aren’t as harsh, and vapers can use more liquid with each hit. As a result, nic salts have gained tremendous interest from MTL vapers and lower-powered device users. 

The Advantages of Using Nicotine Salts

If you’re interested in nic salts, you’ll be delighted to know there have been significant improvements in devices and technology lately. However—until recently—there was no focus on improving the nicotine aspect of the experience. That’s now changed with the introduction of nic salts. 

Therefore, if you want an improved nicotine experience—why not try nic salts? You have nothing to lose. 

Here are some of the detailed benefits of using nicotine salts:

1. Faster Nicotine Fixes

If you want a fast nicotine fix, there’s no better option than nicotine salts. Nicotine salts let nicotine enter the bloodstream at a similar rate as smoking a cigarette—which is what smokers are truly looking for. As a result, you can enjoy faster, more profound hits. 

2. Nic Salts Are Cheaper 

Although nic salts are expensive, your nic salt devices will deliver nicotine more efficiently. Subsequently, this leads to less vaping, better hits, and saved money. 

3. Nic Salts Provide a Mild Throat Hit 

If you’re looking for a mild throat hit, nicotine salts are a fabulous option because of their PH levels; however, you can leave that to the scientists. You only need to know that you can absorb nicotine more smoothly via nic salts because of the food-grade benzoic acid. Not only is it a mild throat hit, but it’s also a faster hit. 

4. Nic Salts Offer a Better Shelf Life 

Would you love a longer shelf life? Of course. After all, you’ll save money and time. Here’s the good news: nicotine salts are chemically more stable than conventional e-liquids, so they store better and longer. Even better, the nicotine quality never decreases.

5. You Don’t Require Complicated Vaping Devices 

Nicotine salts don’t produce big clouds, which means they’re perfect for people who love to vape discreetly. However, it also means you don’t need a complicated or expensive vaping device. You can use small and simple vaping devices that don’t attract attention or leave strong smells. 

6. They’re Ideal for MTL Vapers

Mouth-to-lung vaping—often referred to as MTL—involves collecting vapor in the mouth for a brief moment before inhaling it into your lungs. Nicotine salts don’t produce big clouds, which makes them ideal for MTL vapers. You can hold the hit in your mouth for a prolonged time to ensure you get the best hit. 

7. They Offer a Better Flavor 

Freebase nicotine e-liquids often lose their flavor as the nicotine strength increases. Nonetheless, nicotine salts keep most of their flavor, regardless of their nicotine strength. So if you’re looking for excellent flavor when vaping, look no further than nicotine salts. 

8. Availability is Growing 

Manufacturers are increasing the production of nicotine salts. They’ve also transitioned their most popular flavors into nicotine salt options. Pod systems, which are perfect for vaping nicotine salts, are also growing in availability. If you choose to start using nicotine salts, you’ll have no shortage of options. 

The Disadvantages of Using Nic Salts

Although nicotine salts provide vapers with many advantages—as with anything—there are some downsides. Here are some of the main downsides: 

1. Limited to Low Wattage Devices

Unlike normal e-liquids, nicotine salts are limited to low-output devices, which aren’t suitable for everyone. However, there’s a reason for this: the properties of nicotine salts offer a faster nicotine delivery into your bloodstream, meaning they’re not ideal for sub-ohms. 

2. Nicotine Salts Aren’t Highly Customizable 

If you love to get creative with your vaping devices, nicotine salts might not be for you. That’s because producers don’t create nicotine salts for devices designed to be fiddled or dismantled with. You should try other options if you want to customize your vaping experience. 

3. They Don’t Create Big Clouds 

Not everyone wants to create big clouds when they vape. However, if you love creating big vaping clouds, nicotine salts probably aren’t for you. Nicotine salts are typically high in nicotine strength, so using a high wattage device to create large clouds will deliver too much nicotine. Nicotine salts juices typically produce small clouds that are ideal for vapers who want privacy. 

Difference Between Nic Salts and Freebase Nicotine

If you want to understand the differences between nicotine salts and freebase nicotine, you must understand the most popular alternative of nicotine-freebase. Phillip Morris first discovered freebase nicotine in the 1960s. He owns the Marlboro brand of cigarettes. 

During his research, he found that freebasing nicotine produces a purer product. That’s why freebasing is so popular in cigarettes, vape e-liquids, and nicotine replacement therapies. 

But what is freebasing nicotine?

Freebasing is the process of changing nicotine from its salt form to its purest form of nicotine. This method increases strength without boosting the dose—which is why it’s so popular and cost-effective for vapers. Producers eliminate the salt portion using ammonia; this causes the Ph level to rise and modify the nicotine to a freebase state. 

However, you would need to vape unmodified nicotine salts at extreme temperatures to be effective. So nicotine salts still require a slight modification for vaping usage. That’s where PAX lbs came in. They found that salts were more efficient at delivering nicotine to users when they add benzoic acid, which reduces the temperature and means vaping isn’t as harsh. 

Most nicotine salt e-liquids use citric acid and benzoic to:

• Lower the temperature that nicotine salts vaporize 
• Decrease the Ph level, which creates a smoother vaping experience. 
• Alter the chemical structure of nicotine to absorb it faster. 

Are Nicotine Salts Safe?    

Safety is—and rightly so—always a worry when you’re trying something new. Nicotine salts are as safe as any other freebase e-liquid. A possible side effect of using nicotine salts is irritated lungs and throat because producers add benzoic acid. Apart from this potential side effect, there are no other side effects. However, the UK Health Security Agency suggests that vaping is 95% safer than smoking. 

Precautions When Using Salt Nicotine

1. Don’t Use Nicotine Salts in a Sub-Ohm Device

If you have a sub-ohm device, don’t use nicotine salts with it. It could make you feel very sick. Technically, you might be able to get away with a low concentration of nicotine salt—such as 15mg—on a higher-powered device. But this depends on your tolerance. 

2. Nicotine Salts Can Be More Addictive 

If you’re worried about nicotine addiction, it might be a wise idea to stay away from nicotine salts. That’s because nicotine salts are highly addictive and deliver a higher concentration of nicotine. Most nicotine salt users don’t care about this, but it’s something to consider. 

3. Store Nicotine Salts in a Dark, Cold Room 

You shouldn’t store your nicotine salts in a sunny, warm room. Instead, store your nicotine salts in a dry, dark, and cold room (ideally a refrigerator.) The ideal temperature for nicotine salts is between -25 and +5 celsius. You can store unopened packages of nicotine salts for up to two years.

What Is The Ideal Nicotine Strength? 

Most nic salts provide between 25 to 50mg of nicotine in strength. If you’re taking nic salts for the first time, take between 20 to 35 mg unless you’re making the shift from smoking. People who prefer vaping low-strength nicotine may like using 3 to 5 mg per milliliter:

• 3 to 5 mg per milliliter: This dose is ideal for sub-ohm users because it has a low nicotine concentration. It’s a suitable dose for flavor enthusiasts and offers a smoother taste.
• 20 to 35 mg per milliliter: This dose is the average concentration of nicotine. It’s ideal for vapers who can’t vape 50mg but still require a strong amount of nicotine. 
• 50 plus milliliter: This is a very high dose that’s perfect for those coming from smoking cigarettes. It’s also a suitable dose for low-powered MTL vaping devices. 

If you’re new to nicotine salts and not a heavy smoker, you should start with the lowest concentration and work upwards. Unlike when vaping cannabis or CBD, you don’t need to worry about consuming too much at once. 

Can You Use Nicotine Salts in Any Vape Device?

What if you have various vaping devices and want to use nicotine salts? Unfortunately, you can’t use nicotine salts in any vaping device. For example, vape pens can’t hold enough vape juice, the battery life is too short, and their coils are designed for maximum heat.

If you have a vaping device modified to create bigger clouds, this probably isn’t suitable for nicotine salts either. Instead, you should use a pod system that manufacturers have built for nicotine salts. 

How Much Nicotine Salts Do I Need To Vape?

If you’ve decided to try nicotine salts but you’re unsure how much nicotine you’ll need to use? Here’s a rough guide:

• Light nicotine users – Likely to use 0.2 to 0.5 of nicotine salts daily. 
• Moderate nicotine users – Likely to use between 0.7 to 1.0 ml of nicotine salts daily.
• Heavy nicotine users – Likely to use 1.2 to 2 ml of nicotine salts daily.

If you already vape normal e-liquids, you may vape less often when using nicotine salts because they deliver more nicotine with each hit. Therefore, you won’t use as much nicotine salt juice, which will save you money. 

The Main Types of Nicotine Salt Devices 

There are two main types of nicotine salt devices: open systems and closed systems. Both options have advantages and disadvantages. You can manually refill open system nicotine salt devices with e-liquids from various producers. 

However, closed system devices only work by using pre-filled pods or cartridges. Closed system cartridges have the significant disadvantage of not being able to change pods. Therefore, these devices limit you to the nicotine levels and specific flavors offered by the producer. 

Final Thoughts 

If you want to improve your nicotine experience, you have nothing to lose by trying nicotine salts. They have many benefits—including more affordability, a stronger nicotine experience, and longer shelf life. However, ensure you’re using the right vaping device to avoid any problems. 

Give nicotine salts a try and see if they work for you. They could transform your entire vaping experience.