When it comes to nicotine in vape, every vaper will immediately think of two types: " salt nicotine " and " freebase nicotine ". However, not everyone knows that each type of nicotine will have a different way of working, and their duration in the body will also change accordingly.
How is Freebase different from salt nic?
First, to know how long it takes your body to eliminate all nicotine, we need to briefly talk about the nature of the two common types of nicotine in e-liquids. Freebase nicotine, as we know, is very harsh because this type of nicotine is in a highly alkaline free radical form. It is the high pH that causes the feeling of harshness and itchy throat when smoking. On the contrary, salt nic has been added with a specialized mild acid to neutralize the alkalinity, thereby creating a stable "salt", with a neutral pH and much smoother.
As we can see, the nicotine intake habits of vapers actually depend a lot on the type of juice we have access to. Freebase juice is very strong so it can only be used at 3-6mg/ml, salt nic is smoother so it can be smoked up to 50mg/ml.
How are freebase and salt nic absorbed into the body?
As mentioned, freebase is alkaline and free radical so it is absorbed a lot through soft tissues such as oral mucosa, pharynx and sinuses. Salt nic is different, because it is a form of salt, instead of being absorbed into the oral mucosa, it will be absorbed by the alveoli in the lungs. From the lungs, salt nic will be sent directly into the blood and cause the brain to release endorphins almost immediately.
Fact: Because of its slow absorption and long-lasting properties, freebase nicotine is used in most smokeless smoking cessation products such as patches, lozenges, chewing gum,...
After vaping, how long does it take for the body to eliminate nicotine?
The answer depends on the type of nicotine you use. In the past, it was calculated that every 2 hours, the amount of nicotine in the body will decrease by half (the half-life of nicotine). For example, if you inject 2mg into your body, after 2 hours there will be 1mg left; if you inject 30mg, after 2 hours there will be 15mg left.
However, this is a study of the body's elimination mechanism for nicotine from burned tobacco. With freebase, the half-life will be 1 to 1.5 times longer. With salt nic, it obviously doesn't take 2 hours for the amount of nicotine in the body to decrease significantly.
Why is vaping with salt nic so much "heavier" than freebase?
As I said above, with freebase (usually low nicotine level) you only take in a maximum of about 2-3mg per hour. So after 2 hours the amount of nicotine lost is negligible, the body doesn't even realize that half of the nicotine has been broken down.
In contrast to salt nic, with the same frequency of smoking, you will take in 10-12mg per hour. After 2 hours when half of the nicotine is gone, the body will immediately recognize and urge you to take in the lost amount.
So the heavier the e-liquid, the more the “craving” effect increases. For that reason, freebase users usually never have the “craving” symptoms every 1-2 hours like salt nic users.
However, it must be said that salt nic itself is not bad, it is the way we are abusing it that makes the image of salt nicotine much worse than its true nature.
Both freebase and salt nicotine have been and will always be an indispensable part of the vaping world, so to enjoy this hobby to the fullest, learn how to balance the experience of the two types of essential oils above.
Stay safe, vape on!
