What Are Nic Salts? A Complete Guide and Comparison With Freebase Nicotine

Posted by Pure E-Liquids on 14th Jul 2022

What Are Nic Salts? A Complete Guide And Comparison With Freebase Nicotine

There are several reasons to quit smoking; including improving your overall health and saving money! But taking cigarettes out of your life is a challenge because it’s such a strong addiction. Vaping with the best UK nic salts can provide the answer. To kick a bad habit, while still getting the nicotine kick your body craves - nic salts continue to rise in popularity, proving even more popular than traditional freebase nicotine e-liquids for many due to their strength and absorption.

Understanding the difference between the two is important. The challenge with smokers looking to quit is keeping up a consistency of nicotine intake throughout the day that they’re used to. Because freebase nicotine e-liquids are diluted after extraction from the tobacco plant, it does not absorb as quickly in the body. Therefore, you need to vape more to get the required strength. In contrast, nic salts allow you to vape less frequently but still get a higher level of nicotine in its purest form. To get a better idea of its benefits and why it might be right for you, read on to discover the key advantages of nic salts and the best devices to pair with your nic salts.


What Are Nic Salts?

Nicotine salts have changed the game. Compared to freebase, which is isolated by removing protons from the nicotine, with nic salts you’re able to vape and absorb a natural and smoother form of nicotine from leaf tobacco plants. Nicotine salts differ from freebase nicotine because of the added ingredient - benzoic acid. Adding this carboxylic acid restores balance to the body. Benzoic acid reduces the PH level in your nic salts e-liquid, while freebase e-liquids have a higher alkaline level.

The body needs to get as close as possible to the natural level, between 7.35 and 7.45 PH. Nicotine via nic salts works faster through the bloodstream to give you the necessary hit you’re used to from cigarettes. Also, it’s less harsh on the throat for a better overall experience.

Introducing nic salts may be the biggest innovation for smokers since the emergence of the vaping industry. Not only that but the flavour enhances too with salt nicotine. As more companies produce nic salts in a variety of flavours, more options and a stronger level of nicotine in fewer vapes improves the overall experience for former smokers.

Advantages Of Nic Salts

  • You can vape at a lower temperature, using less e-liquid but still absorbing more nicotine
  • Nic salts work faster, meaning quicker absorption into the bloodstream and greater satisfaction in an efficient manner
  • Compliments a Mouth to Lung vape perfectly
  • Higher nicotine strengths than freebase
  • Produces less vapour
  • Longevity, as nic salt combines with other organic compounds to last longer

Are Nic Salts Better?

For smokers hoping to stop their habit, they need some sort of similar replacement for the nicotine that doesn’t draw attention. Naturally, vaping provides the best alternative and with much greater health benefits. Nic salts are the ideal e-liquid when making the switch for multiple reasons. Delivering nicotine to your system in fewer hits is the hope of all smokers. Stealth vapers, or those for example on a short work break, need faster results. A quick few puffs to keep them going. You’ll spend a lot more time vaping with freebase than you would with nic salts.

Style is also a key reference point for new vapers switching from smoking. Seeking a similar method to cigarettes, vapers opt for mouth to lung because of its familiarity, while vapers of greater experience typically prefer direct to lung. It all depends on how much you vape. For instance, if you’re a social smoker having a few cigarettes a week, you’ll not need such a high strength of nicotine. For that reason, freebase e-liquids with a lower strength is your best bet. But if you vape more than a pack a day and classed as a ‘heavy smoker’, nic salts will ease your transition. Start high, drop gradually if you can and finish off with no nicotine whatsoever in a pod or mod device.

In terms of price, bottles of nic salt often cost more per item but in the long run, it’s also cost-effective because the idea is to vape less e-liquid. You can get up to 20mg of a higher concentrate nic salt, have fewer issues from your throat vaping and get a smoother experience in the process. We all know the damage smoking does to the body. More than eight million die a year from tobacco-based products like cigarettes. So changing over to vaping while getting the same content of nicotine makes sense.

While being completely cigarette and vape free is the best outcome, vaping is a good way to gradually reduce nicotine consumption. However, the reason so many continue to smoke is an addiction, as stated earlier. Fighting that battle can be tough and many respected sources point to e-cigarettes as a smarter alternative.

Is Vaping Salt Nicotine Bad For You?

Vaping nic salts at a high level frequently aren’t something we recommend. Too much in one go may lead to sickness. Because you’re vaping higher levels of nicotine directly into the bloodstream at a faster rate, it can produce bad results. Not just a much harsher throat hit but quickly losing the necessary flavour too.

Therefore, the best option is to avoid more powerful technology. I f you try to use nic salts in a high powered wattage device, it could completely ruin the vaping experience. However, medically there is no risk with vaping nic salts, similar to more traditional e-liquids. Because Benzoic Acid is a natural chemical used as a food preservative, it will not do any more damage to the body. Pairing a nic salt with a pod device that’s compact is not bad for you at all. If anything, it will only ease your transition into vaping from smoking, helping to prevent the chances of a cigarette relapse.


What is Freebase Nicotine?

If you want the purest form of nicotine, this is the e-liquid for you. Ideal for sub-ohm vapers and those with a more powerful device, freebase nicotine absorbs slower than nicotine salts in the body. Nevertheless, what’s good about this e-liquid, which you can find in lots of different flavours, is its suitability across all devices. In contrast, nic salts are more suited to less powerful devices. You can find out more about the best devices below.

Nicotine binds together with ammonia to create the freebase popular with the majority of vapers. This allows the particles from nicotine to move more ‘freely’ around the body and into your system. However, the downside of freebase nicotine is the harsher throat hit you can get. For new vapers switching from smoking, it can be too much, creating a situation where they feel like returning to cigarettes. Plus, because your flavour reduces with freebase too, it’s sometimes harder to enjoy the natural flavours from your vape.

Advantages Of Freebase Nicotine

  • Great for bigger clouds and more powerful devices using Sub-Ohm technology
  • More bang for your buck than with nic salts
  • Works equally well with Direct to Lung and Mouth to Lung vapers
  • Suitable with the majority of devices, whereas nic salts can be too powerful for some vapes
Man Using Nic Salts in Vape Pod

Nic Salt FAQs

To understand not just the basics of nic salts as a process but how to maximise the potential from this more recently created nicotine e-liquid, it’s important to know as much as possible. Here are a few questions commonly asked by vapers about ‘salt nic’:

How Do You Vape Nic Salts?

Inhaling nic salts should be a similar process to smoking. Because many smokers use a mouth to lung technique, the same appeals when switching to vaping. Avoid direct to lung inhalation because the nicotine levels are higher with nic salts. What some vapers prefer is a disposable nic salt device. That way you get the highest concentration of nicotine and can throw it away when you’re done like you would a cigarette. There is no need to fill up with e-liquid, avoiding spills for easy vaping on the go.

First, take a draw of nic salts vapour into your mouth. Keep it there for a couple of seconds max. Without swallowing, breathe in the vapour to your lungs once you open your mouth. Finally, exhale once the vapour reaches the lungs.

What’s the Best Wattage for Nic Salts?

It’s key to not go too high in terms of wattage for your nic salts. Keep it lower than 15 watts and you will have a premium vaping experience with your chosen nic salts. Anything higher than that could cause a sharp throat hit and loss of flavour.

What Ohm Coil Works Well With Nic Salts?

To avoid any nasty surprises i.e a burnt coil and horrible taste, keep it simple. The strength of your ohm coil depends on the nicotine quantity in your nic salts. For instance, most vapers go for 20mg of nic salts because that’s relevant for smokers who typically go through a pack of cigarettes a day.

Therefore, finding the right coil resistance matters because too low an ohm strength will burn the coil with a 20mg nicotine level. To keep that optimum taste, also consider the material you choose. Our tip is to select a ceramic coil for a smoother experience.

There are several reasons to quit smoking; including improving your overall health and saving money! But taking cigarettes out of your life is a challenge because it’s such a strong addiction.