E-Liquid is at the heart of your vape, but how do you know which strength to choose? We share all you need to know about picking the right strength of E-Liquid for you!
Which Strength E-Liquid to Pick?
When transitioning from smoking to vaping, it is generally considered best to choose an E-Liquid with a comparable strength of nicotine to the number of cigarettes you would normally smoke each day.
Light or social smokers, or those who prefer milder cigarettes, may only need a low-strength E-Liquid, like 6mg E-Liquid. Whereas those that smoke a pack or more a day would benefit from an 18-20mg E-Liquid.
The graph below reveals the suggested strength for each smoker:
E-Liquid Strength for Your Vape
Another point to consider when choosing an E-Liquid strength is the type of vape and vaping technique you will be using.
MTL vs DTL
It is important to consider your vaping technique, whether you want to vape mouth-to-lung (MTL) or direct-to-lung (DTL). MTL is similar to smoking, where you inhale the vapour into the mouth then inhale back to your lungs before exhaling. DTL bypasses the mouth step, and the vapour is inhaled directly to the lungs before exhaling.
You can use any strength comfortably with an MTL vape, but higher strengths can be far too much with a DTL vape, as the throat hit is far greater. DTL vaping should only really be done with 0-6mg E-Liquids.
Vaping Device
If you have a vape device that allows you to change resistance, or uses a sub-ohm atomiser, then you may also need to be careful with the E-Liquids you choose.
The resistance of your vape device has an impact on the amount of vapour and throat hit gained from the E-Liquid.
Lower resistance and sub-ohm vapes heat up the atomiser quicker, producing more vapour and throat hit. Higher resistance vapes take longer for the atomiser to heat up, which creates less vapour and throat hit.
Therefore, if you want a higher strength E-Liquid, then a sub-ohm or lower resistance vape device can make a strong E-Liquid too intense. However, a high resistance vape device may not give enough of a throat hit for some.
Getting Your E-Liquid Strength Wrong
Whether you’ve just started out vaping, or you’re experimenting with new E-Liquid brands or devices, there may come a moment when you realise your nicotine strength is a bit wrong. There is not a problem with that, and it is something that can be easily fixed.
If you’re using vaping as a way to quit smoking, then you may notice your E-Liquid strength is wrong if you experience cigarette cravings despite vaping. This indicates you may need to move to a higher E-Liquid strength or choose a vape device that delivers nicotine more effectively.
If you find that vaping gives you headaches, dizziness, nausea or a cough, then you may be using an E-Liquid that is too strong for you. If you experience these symptoms, do not worry, they will pass. Simply stop vaping until they do and switch to a lower strength E-Liquid.
E-Liquid Strengths in the UK
Across the world, there are differences in the strengths of E-Liquid legally available for sale. In the UK, the maximum nicotine level allowed to be sold is 20mg.
Elsewhere, such as in the US, it’s not uncommon to find E-Liquids being sold at 50mg strength.
