Whether you are thinking about switching to a less harmful alternative or are just curious about the differences between nicotine-free and nicotine inclusive vapes, it's important to understand what nicotine-free vapes are, what they're made of, and what risks are involved in order to determine if they are a good choice for you.
In order to understand what nicotine-free vapes are, you first need to understand the basics of vaping in general.
Most vape products are sold as either bulk fluid that is used with tank-style vaporizers, cartridges such as pods, or self-contained disposable pens that have the juice and battery together in one unit. Each type of vape works on the same basic principles: E-liquid soaks into an absorbent element or fills a reservoir where it comes in contact with a heating element that converts the liquid into vapour which is then drawn up through the mouthpiece by the user.
In the physical process of vaping, there isn’t any notable difference between vaping with or without nicotine, and the two types of liquid should work almost identically in a given format. The main difference is in the juice itself.
What is Nicotine Free Vape Juice Made of?
Most vape juice is made with vegetable glycerin, often referred to as VG. Vegetable glycerin can represent up to 80% of the total volume of an e-liquid. Even though it is processed from vegetable oil, vegetable glycerin is itself an alcohol. This non-toxic liquid is highly viscous, colorless, and odorless, but sweet to taste. As a result, vegetable glycerin is often used in foods and medicines as a sweetener.
Because vegetable glycerin is so thick, it is often mixed with water to make an aqueous glycerine that is thinner and easier to vaporize. This is especially important when using some older styles of vaping rigs.
Another common ingredient in vape juice is propylene glycol. Similar to vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, or PG, is also an alcohol, though a much less viscous one. It is also slightly sweet and mostly odorless. It is often used as a moisture-retaining and anti-caking agent in foods, medicines, and other products. While some people can be sensitive to propylene glycol, it is generally considered to be safe to consume at appropriate levels.
While propylene glycol doesn’t create the epic clouds that vegetable glycerin does, it tends to give more throat hit and be a better carrier of flavours. In order to get the best of both worlds, e-liquids often contain vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol in varying amounts.
As far as what it takes to create vape clouds, that’s pretty much all there is to it. The rest of what goes into a vape is flavor and nicotine, and if you’re using a nicotine-free vape, then it’s just the flavors.
The flavors that are used in vaping products are made with food-grade ingredients, but inhalation and ingestion are two very different means of delivery. There are some food-grade flavors that have oils in them that make them potentially harmful when inhaled. The vast majority of these are well known to vape juice manufacturers and are not used in the creation of vaping flavors.
Why You Should Use Nicotine Free Vapes
While most e-liquids contain nicotine, nicotine-free vapes are made without any added nicotine, making them a great tool for helping those addicted to nicotine. Nicotine isn’t the most harmful aspect of smoking, but it is the most addictive chemical in cigarettes and can be toxic at certain levels.
Using nicotine-free vape is a great way to break with nicotine, while still satisfying the habitual desire to smoke. Additionally, since most brands have a nicotine-free version of all of their flavors there are more options for no nicotine products.
When faced with the choice between a cigarette or vape, studies have shown that vaping is the less harmful option, but there is still no perfectly safe way to do either. There are still health risks involved with vaping, especially the risk of impacting the long-term health of vital organs like your lungs and heart. Vaping can be a great tool to help you break away from smoking and nicotine addiction, but the only sure-fire way to avoid any harmful effects is to stop smoking altogether.
Break the Habit
By using nicotine-free vape products, you can break the physical addiction to nicotine. Even though nicotine leaves the brain after three days, a smoking addiction also contains a large behavioral aspect. This is why switching to a nicotine-free vape to move through the physical withdrawal while maintaining the soothing habitual act can be helpful if you have trouble going cold turkey.
Using nicotine-free vapes as a transitional step towards quitting means that you face letting go of the physical addiction to nicotine and the habitual addiction of smoking individually instead of both together. Once you’ve overcome the physical addiction to nicotine, you can begin working on decreasing the number of times and/or amount you vape until you are ready to give up the habit altogether.
STLTH
If you are worried about the quality and purity of the vaping products you are using to help you stop smoking, look no further than STLTH. Formulated with safety in mind and produced in Canada, we offer a wide assortment of flavors available in four nicotine strengths: 0 mg/mL, 20 mg/mL, Bold 35, and Bold 50.
Our vape pods are designed for adult smokers looking to switch fully to vaping. We formulate our vapes for a balanced draw that produces tangible clouds and a good throat hit without compromising on flavor.
Browse STLTH pods and find your favorite fruity, minty, or classic tobacco flavor in the nicotine level that suits you best. You can rest easy knowing that your vape pen contains the highest quality ingredients and that you can count on your favorite flavor when you’re ready to move to a lower level of nicotine or make the move to a nicotine-free option.