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Nic Shots are a great way to help cut down nicotine intake, by combining with shortfills. Learn more about Nic Shots and how you can use them.
How to Use Nicotine Shots – A Beginners Guide to Nic Shots
Looking to dial back on your nicotine intake?
Vaping offers smokers a much less harmful alternative to smoking, by providing the nicotine hit they crave, without creating the thousands of harmful carcinogens that cigarettes do. Many also want to cut down on their nicotine intake so that they can completely cut out the habit, and vaping can lend itself to this also.
The creation of shortfills helped to bring a new way of vaping as these bottles of E-Liquid contain no nicotine. They’re perfect for sub-ohm vaping or those who don’t want to vape nicotine, but they also work well for those looking to reduce their nicotine intake.
How? Through the use of Nic Shots.
What is a Nic Shot?
A Nicotine Shot, also known as a Nic Shot, is a small bottle of concentrated nicotine that is usually unflavoured and is suspended in VG (Vegetable Glycerine) and PG (Propylene Glycol). Nic Shots come in a variety of forms but are predominantly in 10ml bottles due to regulations. These bottles can contain either Freebase Nicotine (traditional nicotine derived from the tobacco plant) or Nicotine Salts. They are also often available in varying strengths. For example, Nic Nic shots are available in strengths 11mg/ml to 20mg/ml, but there are also a variety of strengths in between and below. Stronger Nic Shots are only available in countries that allow stronger nicotine strengths.
Now, this sounds like a lot of nicotine in a small bottle, but that’s because these Nic Shots are meant to be used alongside nicotine-free, shortfill bottles. Shortfills are designed so that the bottles are oversized, allowing enough space in the bottle for adding your chosen Nic Shot. This then dilutes the nicotine into your E-Liquid to create a balanced mixture.
For example, if you mix an 18mg 10ml Nic Shot, into a 50ml Shortfill, you will get a 60ml E-Liquid with 3mg/ml of nicotine. You can figure out the strength of your completed bottle simply by dividing the amount of liquid you will have (the shortfill + your 10ml of nicotine), against the strength of the Nic Shot. This is why 50ml Shortfills are designed to hold one Nic Shot, but 100ml Shortfills are oversized to allow for two Nic Shots.
Why do vapers use Nic Shots?
You aren’t likely to be vaping high strengths with this method which is why it’s perfect for those looking to cut down. Nic Shots give vapers the ability to manage their nicotine intake with just a little bit of maths, and a moment of time to measure out your E-Liquid. This is easier nowadays with retailers offering much more variety in the strengths of Nic Shots, and the type of nicotine their use. Brands like Nic Nic even offer ‘ice’ versions of their Nic Shots to give vapers greater variety.
Although vaping is much less harmful than smoking, nicotine addiction can be a real problem for some. Therefore, being able to cut down your nicotine intake means potentially quitting altogether one day.
What types of Nic Shots can you get?
As mentioned before there are a variety of Nic Shots available. In the early days, there were only Freebase Nicotine Shots available, but with the rise in Nicotine Salts, these too came to Nic Shots. Nicotine Salt Shots generally provide vapers with a stronger nicotine hit without irritating the throat as much as Freebase. So even though you have an 11mg Freebase Nic Shot and 11mg Nicotine Salt Nic Shot, you’ll notice a stronger kick from the latter.
Nic Shots also differ in VG/PG ratios. Some will have nicotine suspended in 50VG while others may be in 70-100VG. These higher VG ratios work best for those looking to use their Shortfills for creating clouds or sub-ohm vaping. But those looking for a good throat hit as well as cloud production will benefit from the average 50VG ratio.
How to use a Nic Shot
Firstly, make sure you are adding your Nic Shot to a 0mg/ml, nicotine-free E-Liquid – the last thing you want to do is accidentally make a stronger E-Liquid than intended. Not to mention, shortfills generally have higher concentrations of flavourings so that the Nic Shot doesn’t dilute the flavour. Mixing them with anything else could result in vape juice that is too strong and has a weaker flavour.
Remove the cap and nib from your Shortfill, as well as the cap from your Nic Shot. Slowly squeeze your nicotine shot into the shortfill bottle. Make sure that if you spill any, you need to wash your hands and surfaces thoroughly with warm water.
Once it’s been fully added into your Shortfill, replace the nib and ensure a tight, solid seal. Replace the cap and shake thoroughly for ten minutes to make sure it mixes fully.
Make sure that when you are mixing your Nicotine Shot and Shortfill, you are aware of the volume of your E-Liquid. For example, 50ml shortfills are usually designed to be used alongside a single 10ml nicotine shot. By blending these you create 60ml of liquid. As mentioned before, to work out the strength of your total liquid, simply divide the total volume by the strength of your Nic Shot. If you have a 100ml shortfill, then 2 x 10ml Nic Shots create a 120ml E-Liquid.
Hopefully, this gives you more of an idea on how and why you might want to use Nicotine Shots. Nic Shots give vapers versatility with their vaping and are certainly great for those looking to quit smoking, and quit nicotine.
