The "Proper" Way To Vape

[Mohamed]

I know this is really very subjective and probably all boils down to the end users experience. Can't recall where but somewhere I was reading that noobs initially inhale the vape deep into their lungs...like a cigarette user would smoke. Then apparently they graduate noobdom and inhale only into the mouth and then slowly release through the nose. Apparently the mucous membranes can soak up the nicotine and there is no real need to even inhale into the lungs.

I've tried two different flavors using both methods of inhalation and it seems like 4 seperate flavors. I.e the same flavor tastes completely (well completely may be too strong here) different depending on the method of inhalation.

Using the lung inhalation technique things seem milder. Using the mouth and nose technique I get...hmm...kind of perfume after taste on my tongue...and I get a burning/peppery sensation in my nostrils. Maybe like an extremely and I mean extremely diluted pepper spray sensation. Is this normal?

I was coughing quite a bit last night while trying to sleep and thought I should try more of the mouth nose technique to avoid lung irritation. I'm aware some people have slight allergic reaction to pg. I'm using 50/50 pg/vg ratio. But I also hear that after a week of quitting your lungs just loosen up and want to get all that crap out...so I guess either or could be the case.

Is the mouth nose technique what more of the "advanced" users do? Does it hurt to inhale all the way into lungs. I mean does PG/VG kind of coat the lung cells with an oil and irritate them?

 

[rhm3769]

Ive read all of that , too.... it might be different, I only have a blu right now, but I don't get a burning feeling when exhaling vapor through the nose....
I'm in no way experienced, had the blu maybe 3 weeks, last analog was 74 hours ago and I'm sure I'm still using the blu wrong, I hold it in my mouth then into the lungs and let out alittle bit and hold the rest and eithet let that go through the nose or the mouth....

 

[Boiler]

PG/VG are water soluble - they don't coat your lungs.

I wouldn't vape anything that uses "essential oils" as an ingredient.

 

[jefsview]

Using different inhalation techniques brings out different flavor notes. Use whatever works best for the particular juice.

If you're new to vaping, it's takes time for your lungs to get accustomed to vapor, which is different than smoke that you once inhaled. As your lungs begin to heal, you'll cough and cough up all the gunk in your lungs over time. Within a week of quitting cigarettes and beginning vaping, I could breathe fully through my nostrils, which were always clogged before. Within a few weeks, the wheezing and rattling in the chest dissipated in my chest at night.

The peppery flavor you experienced could just be the nicotine; some juices also use an ingredient for increased TH that has a peppery flavor/sensation.

Some folks state that VG is heavy in their chest, while other report PG causing scratchy throat.

Also, be aware of how your body is going through withdrawal and changes since you no longer smoke. There are several sticky posts about Physical effects of quitting smoking as well as e-liquid ingredients.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hen-quitting-tobacco-changing-ecigarette.html

 

[Michael Nix]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

 

[Mohamed]

I'm using an ego-c currently. And none of the samplers I have in the 3ml bottles list a single ingredient. Just flavor pg/vg ratio and nicotine strength. So how do you know if they are using essential oils?

 

[wutarush]

Having a "proper" way to vape seems sort of ridiculous. Whatever way you enjoy is proper. Letting some vapor flow through your nostrils will bring out different flavors but its not something you have to do if you don't like it. I vape different ways at different times, for some reason it seems easier to take some huge puffs later in the day then early in the morning after first waking up. But that's just me lol.

 

[Mohamed]

Having a "proper" way to vape seems sort of ridiculous.

Yeah why I said it was kind of subjective. I was grabbing the term proper from some post/article I was reading yesterday afternoon so not sure where that post I'm thinking of is. But I agree I'd smoke cigs differently all the time. Sometimes deep inhalations sometimes light and through the nose etc. I guess I just don't recall getting different flavors or sensations when inhaling differently with analogs.

I guess I was just curious if people eventually started not inhaling into the lungs to avoid the irritation. But after reading some of the side affects I might just be experiencing my lungs cleaning themselves out by coughing.

 

[wutarush]

Vaping seems to be a little harsher feeling then smoking at first. I think its just because it is different, your lungs aren't used to it. Kind of like having your first cigs all over again. But that's just my assumption. You'll get used to it, especially when you find the right juice for you, then you start to feel like a million bucks.

 

[Mohamed]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

Yeah that post seems to indicate that you shouldn't inhale into the lungs and that you should use the mouth and nose technique.

I found the last part of the article somewhat comical.

Definitely to be avoided
Try not to apply a lighter to the end of your e-cigarette.
Don't try to flick ash off the end, you'll look stupid.
Do not throw your ecig out of the car window after finishing with it

 

[Ddippel]

Yeah that post seems to indicate that you shouldn't inhale into the lungs and that you should use the mouth and nose technique.

I found the last part of the article somewhat comical.

Definitely to be avoided
Try not to apply a lighter to the end of your e-cigarette.
Don't try to flick ash off the end, you'll look stupid.
Do not throw your ecig out of the car window after finishing with it

Working in a B&M, you would be surprised at how often that last one happens....

 

[mkbilbo]

I know this is really very subjective and probably all boils down to the end users experience. Can't recall where but somewhere I was reading that noobs initially inhale the vape deep into their lungs...like a cigarette user would smoke. Then apparently they graduate noobdom and inhale only into the mouth and then slowly release through the nose. Apparently the mucous membranes can soak up the nicotine and there is no real need to even inhale into the lungs.

I've tried two different flavors using both methods of inhalation and it seems like 4 seperate flavors. I.e the same flavor tastes completely (well completely may be too strong here) different depending on the method of inhalation.

Using the lung inhalation technique things seem milder. Using the mouth and nose technique I get...hmm...kind of perfume after taste on my tongue...and I get a burning/peppery sensation in my nostrils. Maybe like an extremely and I mean extremely diluted pepper spray sensation. Is this normal?

I was coughing quite a bit last night while trying to sleep and thought I should try more of the mouth nose technique to avoid lung irritation. I'm aware some people have slight allergic reaction to pg. I'm using 50/50 pg/vg ratio. But I also hear that after a week of quitting your lungs just loosen up and want to get all that crap out...so I guess either or could be the case.

Is the mouth nose technique what more of the "advanced" users do? Does it hurt to inhale all the way into lungs. I mean does PG/VG kind of coat the lung cells with an oil and irritate them?

It varies. Some people get a "heavy" feeling in the lungs from inhaling PG and/or VG and don't care for the sensation. I use the mouth/nose combo myself. Don't inhale into the lungs. That used to make me try to cough up a lung when I did it (accidentally, smoking habit right?). I can do it now but don't bother. Some folks say the lung inhale makes it feel "more like smoking". Which makes sense. But the nic is mostly absorbed in the mouth and nose. And my primary addiction seems to be nicotine. It's not always that straightforward and varies wildly between individuals but I seem to have almost a textbook nicotine addiction. The gum worked better than any other "cessation" product but the amount of nic in them and the "instructions" undermine you. Before I discovered vaping, I was seriously considering giving the gum another run but ignoring the "step down" stuff. That is, just transfer the nic addiction to the gum.

(That is, actually, my "fall back" position if the FDA meddles too much. I don't want to go back to smoking. I'll switch to the gum and try to hold out. But vaping works better than anything. Period. I do worry what they'll do. They could torpedo my best bet for staying off cigarettes permanently.)

...and I get a burning/peppery sensation in my nostrils...

I got that. My nicotine level was too high. At least too high for my nose? In general, a "tingle" or "burning" is usually the nicotine. I use a higher nic in the morning to "get going" (you know, that "first one in the morning" thing smokers have, I avoid slipping back into that by high nic vaping early then stepping down). I get a bit of a "tingle" when exhaling my high nic juices. Makes me sneeze sometimes.

(Though I also have allergies. So who knows what sneeze is about which?)

It's always hard to say what will work best for anybody. There's so much variation between individuals. You have to play around with it, see what works for you. There's no "one right way" and I don't necessarily do exactly the same thing every inhale either. Thinking about it, I notice I've kind of drifted more toward a deeper inhale like smoking. But not always. Seems to depend on the liquid and the taste of it. Or something. Some I'm more prone to "puff" like a pipe. Some the nasal exhale. Others I seem to be inhaling deeper. Not as deep as smoking but more than I used to.

I dunno. The nicotine triggers the "reward" neurotransmitter (dopamine) so it makes sense that the longer you vape, the more your habits will shift to maintain whatever nicotine level you're used to having. A lot of that will happen without you being all that conscious of it. We are talking "habitual" behaviors. You notice things at the beginning because it's a "new thing" but, after a while, it kind of fades into the background and you don't "think" about it much.

All I can say is play around with it. Experiment. See what you like and what you don't. What works and what doesn't. The "liking" part is, I think, very important. If we're talking about a chemical (nicotine) that triggers dopamine, part of the "enjoyment" of vaping is getting the nicotine level right. Any time you've accomplished something and felt that, "ah, nice" feeling? That's dopamine. They call it the "reward" neurotransmitter. It's like when I get the lawn cut and all trimmed and done (which I ain't done lately, not in triple digit heat... oof), that nice, "ah" moment at the end when it's all finished. That's dopamine.

So when you start hitting what works for you, personally, you'll get a "satisfaction" from it. It'll be, "ah, this is nice, I like this" and you'll start building new habits.

(What the... I'm writing a paper here? Yeesh.)

Anywhichever.

The lung thing? There's no set schedule and no set way it happens. Some people develop a cough and cough up gunk for some period of time. Others don't. I haven't done the coughing thing. Though my sinuses have gone completely whacky. But I'll spare you any further description.

 

[Mohamed]

Hey wanted to keep you updated. When I arrived home from work today I had a tobacco vanilla flavor from exact same company exact same pg/vg ratio but 12 mg instead of 30 mg per ml. The mouth nose technique had almost no pepper burn sensation in the nose and tongue didn't have perfumy after taste but did still have slight numbness.

The throat hit also seemed a bit less when doing deep inhalation into lung technique. So maybe pg/vg ratio is less important than nicotine strength when measuring results between the two techniques? Same day, same stuff, same company, same pg/vg...just different nictotine strength of 30mg compared to 12mg. Thoughts?

I have gone through about a whole ml in 3 hours when I was going through about 3ml in 24 hours. Not sure if I'm just vaping more because I know it's less nic...if I want to be vaping more...or if I just need more. Wish there was more scientific way of measuring these subjective and feeling based results.

 

[mkbilbo]

Hey wanted to keep you updated. When I arrived home from work today I had a tobacco vanilla flavor from exact same company exact same pg/vg ratio but 12 mg instead of 30 mg per ml. The mouth nose technique had almost no pepper burn sensation in the nose and tongue didn't have perfumy after taste but did still have slight numbness.

The throat hit also seemed a bit less when doing deep inhalation into lung technique. So maybe pg/vg ratio is less important than nicotine strength when measuring results between the two techniques? Same day, same stuff, same company, same pg/vg...just different nictotine strength of 30mg compared to 12mg. Thoughts?

Being likely a mix of nic level and PG/VG ratio... erm... not sure. Also, plain old variation between individuals gets in there as well. But, 30 is considered on the "high" side. I was a heavy smoker (two packs a day) and 24 is my upper limit. And I use that only rarely. Usually first thing in the morning then switch down. And I still get a bit of a "bite" from it even though I've been vaping a while now.

(Not unpleasant, kind of like it actually. But it's like spicy food. A little goes a long way. )

By the way, you can mix liquids to adjust their nic level. Such as, get the same flavor with same PG/VG mix but in a 0 nic version, mix in equal measure with the 30, you'll get roughly a 15.

One of the first things I learned here at ECF from more experienced vapers is don't toss a juice. There's almost always something that can be done with it. Or your tastes will change. Or you may find you're like me and need a high nic "boost" in the mornings then go lower for the rest of the day. You never know.

I have gone through about a whole ml in 3 hours when I was going through about 3ml in 24 hours. Not sure if I'm just vaping more because I know it's less nic...if I want to be vaping more...or if I just need more. Wish there was more scientific way of measuring these subjective and feeling based results.

Well, vaping is fairly new. The research is growing but limited (at least compared to something like smoking which has been studied for decades). The bulk of what we have right now is the accumulated experience of vapers. That is, this place.

(And others. ECF isn't the only vaper forum but it is the biggest.)

Which is, in itself, a really useful resource.

Anyway.

Far as how much you vape or "chain vaping"? I wouldn't worry about it. Not at the start definitely. I think there's a "settling in" period. You are changing your habits and in rather a big way (vaping isn't smoking, it's a substitute that's working for tons of now ex-smokers but it is different).

But you spend some time adjusting your habits to a new way of getting the nicotine. I think two things happen. One is like anything else, when you first start something new, you're not that "good" at it. The exact "technique" that works best for you is something you'll find by, well, vaping. Since us smoker types "crave" nicotine, we have a bit of an unconscious guide to getting what we crave. The first impulse is simple: more!!!

(You ever tried or known somebody who tried switching to "ultra-lights"? We'd tell ourselves it was an intermediate "cutting back" step. Or as one guy I knew referred to it, "the 'I wanna quit' brand". What happens? You light up more. Less nic per cig, you smoke more cigs.)

As you go, you'll hit on the things that work. And, often, without really "thinking" about it. I think we tend to forget the first time we smoked, we didn't have a clue either. It was something we kept doing until it became, somehow, "right".

The other thing I suspect is going on is because it's new, we notice more. Habitual things tend to fade into the background. When you wanted to smoke, you didn't "think about" the whole process of "get pack, open pack, shake cig out..." you probably did it while engaged in other things (talking on a phone, posting on the Internet, whatever). What was actually a fairly complex behavior was on "autopilot" and you didn't have to pay much attention.

I've noticed (because I am weird and like to notice weird things ) that the longer my vaping has gone on, the more "autopilot" much of it is. Same kind of thing like when I used to always have a cig burning in an astray to my left here at the keyboard. Now there's a PV. I reach for it, take a "drag" and type on. I'm aware I'm doing it but I'm not paying close attention. I'm paying attention to this post I'm writing.

So how much did I vape while writing this post? I have no idea. I know I did vape. But how many times? How much liquid was involved? I dunno. It's becoming a habitual thing just like the smoking. Whatever level of nicotine my body craves (and in my case at least, the biggest, most powerful addiction is the nicotine, that's not universally true but I do seem to have a pretty straightforward nicotine addiction myself)... whatever level it is I'm "seeking", I'm "learning" to regulate it without having to think about it. I just... do it.

At first, I was aware of every aspect of vaping. Now it's kind of "fading into the background". Like smoking (which I enjoyed actually, even knowing what it was doing to me), I can sit back and enjoy a juice consciously. But I've got things to do and the vaping is on "auto" often. And all I can tell you is I don't experience any conscious "cravings". So it's... working right? I guess you could say?

In short (which I rarely am, I talk too much... erm... type too much?), what you like is the best guide in vaping. Part of that "I like this" is those nicotine cravings being dealt with. At the start, I think it's pretty normal to "like" a lot of vaping. You're adjusting to a new way of acquiring the nicotine and you're not yet experienced at it. But you will be. In time. And it'll level out.

Also, far as "vaping too much"? What's that?

Seriously, how much is "too much"? I'd say it's "too much" if you make yourself sick (say, too much nicotine) or spend your grocery money on vaping supplies or something crazy. Other than that... what's "too much?"

I cut the nic level on my favorite liquids so I could vape them a lot. Because I like them. And I want to. And that's the end of that.

A ml in three hours? Hah! Amateur! Watch this!

 

[retic1959]

The Proper Way to Vape is , Upside down on a clown while eating green eggs and ham. Really whatever way you like .

 

[singu]

I vape the way people used to smoke and smoked the way people are vaping... lol

 

[ubergeek922]

Where is the obligatory "on a Provari" answer?

 

[nicetucu]

It's becoming more and more automatic for me as well. I usually have three flavors going at any one time on three devices. I tend to push it through my nostrils without inhaling a couple of times, take a 4 to 5 second drag into my mouth and hold it for a few seconds then inhale it and exhale through nostrils and mouth. Sometimes I take the vapor into my mouth and let it escape and take it into nostrils , then without inhaling push it all through nostrils.

It's just my way and no way right or wrong, just what I like to do. my two cents.

What I never do is take lung hits (go directly into lungs). It always sits in my mouth for a few seconds before any inhale.

 

[SAABseanSCANIA]

Proper way to vape is without a cigarette. As long as that guideline is followed, whatever works for you is the best choice.

Side note: I coughed quite a bit the first month while my lungs cleared out (or thats what was explained to me); maybe the could be a contributing factor?

 

[mandingo]

I do the mouth technique to draw in the vapor and then to the lungs but always exhale through the nose. I get a better flavor perception that way.