How to Choose The Right Nicotine Strength

Getting the right nicotine strength for you is crucial to your vaping experience - if you have too little, you’ll never be satisfied and if you have too much, you’ll get nicotine sickness. Here’s our guide to getting your nicotine strength just right. 

If you’re not enjoying your vaping experience, it could be down to the fact that you’re not selecting the right strength for you. Lots of new vapers catch what is loosely known as ‘nicotine sickness’, this includes symptoms such as nausea, headaches, dizziness, harsh feeling in the throat and an upset stomach.

It can be really frustrating to be met with these symptoms when you start vaping, especially if you’re using it in an attempt to quit smoking. Giving up cigarettes is difficult enough as it is, so for all the ex-smokers and new vapers out there, we’ve created an equivalents guide to give you an idea of the nicotine strength you need:

• Zero: 0mg – not an ex-smoker (vaper) 
• Low: 6mg and below – Half a pack a day or less (light/social smokers)
• Medium: 6mg and 11mg – Half a pack to one pack a day (average smokers)
• High: 16mg to 20mg – Two packs a day or more (heavy chain smokers)

As well as your nicotine strength, you should also consider the form of e-liquid you are using. There are currently two types of e-liquid on the market: freebase and nic salts. Some vapers prefer nic salts as they absorb nicotine more easily into the bloodstream, others prefer freebase because they produce more vapour and allow them to vape for longer. Ultimately, it’s just a personal choice. Not sure which type you prefer? Try both.

Regardless of what nicotine strength and e-liquid type you go for, we recommend that every vaper aims to vape nicotine-free (i.e. 0mg) e-liquids eventually. So, if you’ve started vaping having never been a smoker, you should really be using nicotine-free e-liquids from the start. However, ex-smokers who have converted to vaping will usually need to reduce their nicotine levels over time - we recommend starting with a medium-high strength (11mg - 16mg) and working your way back from there. 

Picking the right nicotine strength can be a difficult and frustrating process. Follow the advice on our guide and we’re sure you’ll get it right soon.