What Are Nicotine Salts?

Everything you are too shy to ask about Nic, Salts explained in one place.

Those of you thinking of transitioning to e-cigarettes instead of real ones are on the right track.With recent reports suggesting they may be up to 95% safer than cigarettes, and with the NHS now trialling vape kits instead of Nicotine Replacement Therapy in hospitals, there’s sufficient evidence that vaping devices could give you the answer. Additionally, it's worth considering, how long does nicotine stay in your system.

You can use a vape device to lessen your nicotine cravings. You can use nic salts particularly since they are reminiscent of smoking a cigarette. That is, users report that they hit the back of the throat in a similar way. They are especially favoured by ex-smokers who have switched to vaping for this exact reason.

This article will tell you everything else you ought to know about nic salts.

What are Nic Salts?

Let’s start with the basics, what are they, exactly? The idea of nicotine salts conjures up images of a salt rub that you place on the skin, but obviously that’s not correct!

Nic salts are thought of as a naturally occurring form of nicotine. This type of nicotine is extracted directly from the leaf of the tobacco plant. The nicotine is mixed with benzoic acid and left to crystallise. This forms a far more effective nicotine delivery system because it is naturally present, not chemically created. This extraction method means you get a greater bioavailability level from the same amount of nicotine.

What this means for your average vaper, is that you get a harder nicotine hit but with less harshness. This has been refined by vape juice companies and bottled. Most vape juice manufacturers use this special method of chemical extraction to capitalise on harsher nicotine levels. Since you get a smoother vaping experience, nic salts can offer higher nicotine levels without coughing or spluttering.

It is this method of increased nicotine delivery that make nic salts popular among long term vapers and ex-smokers trying to quit. They have all the hard-hitting nicotine and less of the throat-burning harshness.

Why Should I Try Nic Salts?

If you have been a vaper for a long time now, or if you are an ex-smoker, nic salts might suit you better than vape juice. This is because it is stronger and therefore replaces the nicotine you have lost with greater effect. There’s no reason not to try nic salts if you are a new vaper or an ex-smoker who smoked less than 20 a day; it’s just that the nicotine might make your head swim, so don’t get a fright.

Nic Salts Versus Freebase Nicotine

A nicotine shot, often referred to as a ‘nic shot’, is a 10ml bottle of pure nicotine. This is what we refer to as ‘Freebase Nicotine.’ It is the purest way to get nicotine from the plant and is extracted directly from the leaves themselves. In this pure form, nicotine is a little dangerous. This is because this way of consuming nicotine has the greatest bioavailability.

Bioavailability is a term we use to describe how compatible a chemical compound is with the human body. A high bioavailability chemical will quickly absorb into our systems and will complement our natural bodily processes. The human body absorbs freebase nicotine fastest because it is so pure and high in bioavailability. Nic salts have less bioavailability, and therein lies the rub.

You see, because freebase nicotine has such high absorption rates, we can only use low levels of nicotine. Our body has absorbed it before it can get higher. If we want to use higher nicotine levels and retain that strength, we need to introduce a supplementary chemical that slows the bioavailability process down. That’s where the Benzoic Acid comes in.

Benzoic acid sees use as a food preservative. In preserving the nic salts, it also slows down the absorption rate into the human body. It’s only a single stage away from that pure nicotine, but it lets you absorb higher amounts of the chemical you crave. Also check out our full article about nic salt vs freebase to see the differences.

What are the Benefits of Nic Salts?

There are several benefits to using nic salts that make them preferrable to other e-liquids. Let’s run through a few.

A Smoother Vape

Those who prefer nic salts say they like them because they get a smoother vaping experience.

Stronger Nicotine Level

Ex-smokers and experienced vapers like the extra hit of nicotine.

Faster Bioavailability

If you vape for the hit, you won’t find a faster nicotine delivery system without resorting to pure nicotine.

Less Heat

These nic salts take less heat to burn so you don’t need as powerful a device.

Instant Satisfaction

All this speed and bioavailability means you are satisfied faster than you are with regular e-liquids.

Is it Safe to Use Nic Salts?

It is no less or no safer to use nic salts than it is to use any other vape juice. As we know, vaping is scientifically proven to be less harmful than smoking. We also know that vaping can be an effective tool to help ex-smokers quit cigarettes.

Our only caution when using this high strength vape juices is that you proceed with common sense. If you are unused to high strengths of nicotine, perhaps nic salts will be too strong for you. If you are an ex-smoker, you might try nic salts and still find them too strong. As a guide, use nic salts if you need a high strength tobacco substitute because you smoked more than 20 a day. If you smoked less than this, consider other vape juices of a lesser strength.

Can I Sub-ohm Vape Nic Salts?

Although you can use nic salts in a higher strength vape like a sub-ohm device, we would suggest that you save your nic salts for your open tank, lower strength e-cigarette. Why? Because nic salts burn at a lower temperature to regular vape juice. This means in a high wattage sub-ohm device; they will burn up faster than you can get the full benefit from them. Check these vape kits products if you need a new sub-ohm, pod vaping kit, or even an open tank system of lesser strength to try nic salts with.

Don’t forget you can pop into our store in Milton Keynes if you want expert advice in person.