Beginners Guide To Vaping

So, you’re new to the world of ‘vaping’ and you’d like to know where to start. Not to worry, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll be introducing you to what a ‘vape’ or ‘e-cigarette’ is, how it works, and what to look out for.

Let’s start with the absolute basics…

What is ‘Vaping’?

The process of vaping requires two main parts:

1. Vape Device
2. Vape Liquid (E-Liquid)

Very similar to how a kettle heats water, a vape device heats up e-liquid to produce vapour. That is why ‘e-cigarette’ is actually a misleading name: vape devices do not ‘burn’ 3000 ingredients like a cigarette does, instead it simply ‘vaporises’ liquid made up of only 3 or 4 ingredients, which is why the term ‘vape’ is more popular than ‘e-cigarette’.

Therefore, instead of inhaling ‘smoke’ produced by cigarettes, vaping is the process of inhaling ‘vapour’ produced by a vape device.

What is the ‘vapour’?

The vapour produced by vape devices depends on the e-liquid used, for which the ingredients are similar to that of an inhaler. The most important points to note are that the vapour is:

1. Your choice of flavour (fruit, mint etc.)
2. Optionally contains nicotine

Hold any questions on this for now as we’ll be going into E-Liquids in more detail in the next guide.

Skip to E-Liquids Guide

How do I ‘Vape’?

With a vape device and e-liquid, the process of vaping is simple:

1. Add e-liquid into vape device
2. Leave the liquid to ‘sit’ for 10 minutes
3. Hold the heating button on the device
4. Inhale the vapour

Note: Many devices have a ‘child-lock’ feature that deactivates the trigger button. Clicking the button 5 times usually disables/enables child-lock, but be sure to check the manual.

There are many different types of vape devices that can make this process easier or more complicated. This includes the requirement of having to replace the heating coil of a vape device every few weeks, which also varies in difficulty across devices.

We’ll guide you through all that in our [beginners guide to vape devices] which we’ll visit later.

Vape Inhalation Methods

Depending on the type of vape device, there are two methods of inhaling vapour:

1. MTL: Mouth-To-Lung
2. DTL: Direct-To-Lung

The mouth-to-lung (MTL) inhalation method is when a user first fills their mouth with vapour and then inhales it into their lungs. This is possible with a vape device that has a tight airflow, replicating the traditional smoking inhale experience. This is therefore the more popular option for ex-smokers.

With the direct-to-lung (DTL) method, a user inhales the vapour directly into the lungs. This is possible with more powerful vape devices that can produce more vapour with a larger airflow. This is more popular among those switching from smoking shisha/hookah.

E-Liquids & Vape Devices

So we’ve covered the basics of vaping, but what about the different types of e-liquids and vape devices? Don’t worry, we have beautifully simple vape guides for each of these important topics too. We’ll be covering the different types, uses and safety advice you should be aware of for each.

Let’s dive into E-Liquids first: Beginner Guide to E-Liquids