When you first take up vaping it might seem like there’s a lot to learn. One of the most basic steps is learning to inhale! Here are some tips to help you get to grips with your first vape experience.
How to start vapour production
Vape devices work by heating e-liquid to create a vapour. With some devices, it takes a while for vapour production to get started, so it’s recommended that you take a few short ‘primer puffs’ without inhaling the vapour, to kick-start the process.
Some devices have a ‘fire’ button that you need to press down at the same time as inhaling. With others, all you have to do is inhale.
Do: Understand how vaping works, before inhaling for the first time.
Don’t: Start without checking the instructions on your chosen device.
Mouth-to-lung vs direct-to-lung vaping
Did you know that there are two different techniques when it comes to inhaling your vape? If you’ve ever been to a vape shop or chatted to vapers you might have heard the terms mouth-to-lung and direct-to-lung vaping.
- Mouth-to-lung (MTL) vaping is just as it sounds: you inhale vapour into your mouth and hold it there, before inhaling again to get the vapour down to your lungs. If you’re a former smoker, this is a method that’s likely to come naturally to you, as it’s similar to the way that you would smoke a cigarette. Mouth-to-lung vaping helps vapers to experience the full flavour of the e-liquid – and because it avoids exhaling huge clouds of vapour, it can be the more socially acceptable technique. We’d recommend the mouth-to-lung vaping style for beginners.
- Direct-to-lung (DTL) vaping involves inhaling the vapour straight into your lungs, without holding it in your mouth first. This advanced style of vaping can give you a harsher hit of vapour so be warned: it may cause throat burn when you first try it! Advantages include the massive vapour clouds that you can produce by inhaling in this way. For DTL vaping you’ll need a sub-ohm vape tank and e-liquid with high vegetable glycerine (VG) content.
Coughing and vaping: how to perfect your technique
If you’re a former cigarette smoker, you might remember coughing or spluttering the first few times you inhaled. Switching to electronic cigarettes can be similar, and it’s not unusual to cough when you first inhale from a vape device. But with a bit of practice, it’s easy to get the hang of vaping without coughing.
Here are some tips:
- Do: Keep experimenting with your technique. We’re all different, so it’s only by trial and error that you’ll chance upon the exact length of inhalation that works for you.
- Don’t: Choose an e-liquid with a high proportion of Propylene Glycol (PG), which many people are sensitive to. Instead, go for a higher proportion of VG.
- Do: Opt for mouth-to-lung vaping rather than direct-to-lung, which can be much harsher on your throat.
- Don’t: Get dehydrated. Drink a glass of water before inhaling.
- Do: Try a menthol-based e-liquid to help soothe the throat.
If you’re new to vaping and wondering which equipment to buy, take a look at our vape starter kits. They are user-friendly and have everything you need to get started. Or for more vaping tips, read our beginner’s guide to vaping.
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