Have you had difficulty making the switch from smoking to vaping because vaping makes you cough? Coughing is one of the most common issues that people experience when they first switch to vaping. While it’s an annoying and unpleasant problem, it’s also very fixable once you identify the reason why it’s happening. So, how do you vape without coughing? All that you need to do is figure out why you’re coughing in the first place. In this article, we’ll present eight simple solutions that can help you vape without coughing. Vaping should be enjoyable. Let’s make that happen!
Many People Cough When They Quit Smoking
Did you stop smoking and switch completely to vaping as soon as you received your first vaping device? If that’s the case, the fact that you’re coughing may have nothing to do with vaping at all. Instead, your coughing may simply be a side effect of quitting smoking.
The reason why you might cough when quitting smoking has to do with the cilia. The cilia are tiny hairs that help to keep the lungs free of contaminants. They’re important for lung health, and when you smoke, they don’t work as efficiently as they should. That’s part of why tar collects in the lungs of long-term smokers. When you quit smoking, the cilia will become more active – and they’ll be working overtime to clear away all of that excess tar. That results in coughing – often with a great deal of mucus. Mayo Clinic suggests asking your doctor for advice if you cough up blood or if the coughing doesn’t clear up within a month. Generally, though, the coughing is just a sign that your lungs are cleaning themselves out as they should.
Another reason why you might cough when you try vaping for the first time is because vaping doesn’t feel exactly the same as smoking. To understand the difference, you just have to experience it for yourself. Smoking and vaping both carry nicotine to the lungs – but a cigarette uses smoke to carry the nicotine, and an e-cigarette uses liquid aerosol. Vapor doesn’t feel exactly the same as smoke when it passes through the throat, and it may take you a bit of time to get used to it.
High-PG E-Liquids May Feel Scratchy in the Throat
Every vape juice has a base that forms the clouds that you see when vaping and dilutes the nicotine and flavors to the desired strengths. The base is made from a blend consisting of vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol. By varying the ratio of those two ingredients, an e-liquid maker can change the characteristics of a vape juice. One of the characteristics of an e-liquid high in PG is that it can produce a strong throat hit. That’s precisely what some people want when they’re trying to make the switch to vaping. Other people, though, find that a high-PG e-liquid tends to produce a scratchy sensation in the throat – and that can lead to coughing. Switching to a high-VG e-liquid may alleviate the problem. High-VG e-liquid feels much softer in the throat, so you may find that it doesn’t cause you to cough when vaping.
Keep things simple and enjoy the smoothness of nicotine salt e-liquid with the Aloha Sun disposable vape. This device lasts up to 7,000 puffs, and it's available in some of the tastiest flavors that the vaping industry has ever concocted such as Blue Dreams and Strawberry Guava. For traditionalists, there's even a great tobacco flavor available. Just puff to vape and recharge the battery when needed. When the device runs out of e-liquid, replace it with a new one. It's how vaping was meant to be.
Some People Are Allergic to Propylene Glycol
Another potential reason why you might cough when using a high-PG e-liquid is because you’re allergic to PG. PG allergies aren’t common, and most people who are allergic to PG discover that fact from using everyday products – not from vaping – because so many different foods, drinks, cosmetics, topical products and medications contain PG. It’s highly likely that you already come into contact with PG every day because of how common it is, so it would be surprising if you discovered a previously unknown PG allergy by vaping – but it’s not impossible. If you find that vaping causes persistent coughing or contact dermatitis around the mouth, you should consider trying a 100-percent VG vape juice. If your symptoms go away, it’s possible that you are allergic to PG. Your doctor can help you confirm that.
Your Nicotine Strength May Be Too High
When you’re new to vaping, the fact that you can choose your nicotine strength adds to the complexity of the experience because you can potentially choose a nicotine strength that’s either too high for your needs or wrong for the vaping equipment that you’re using. In either situation, using a nicotine strength that’s too high may cause you to cough.
If you’re using a small vaping device like a pod system, your device is designed for mouth-to-lung inhaling and produces smaller vapor clouds. For that reason, it can work with any nicotine strength – so you’ll have to pay attention to your body to determine whether you’re getting too much nicotine. Coughing when vaping is just one possible sign that the nicotine strength of your e-liquid is too high. You may also find vaping unpleasant because the peppery flavor of the nicotine covers the flavor of the e-liquid. You may feel irritable because you’re consuming more nicotine than you actually need.
If you’re using a full-sized vape mod, you need to be especially careful about the nicotine strength that you use because your device is capable of producing enormous vapor clouds. If you’re using a device designed for direct-to-lung inhaling, the ideal nicotine strength is generally 3 mg/ml. Anything higher than that could cause coughing.
If you're looking for a lower-strength e-liquid that's still entirely satisfying, try a bottle of Pod Juice. Unlike most freebase nicotine vape juice, Pod Juice isn't just available in nicotine strengths of 3 and 6 mg. It's also available in a 12 mg strength, making it perfect if you're using a smaller vaping device and want to use a reduced-nicotine e-liquid but don't find the usual 3 and 6 mg strengths satisfying enough. Flavors like Aloe Berry Grape Freeze and Glazed Donut are destined to become instant classics.
You May Prefer Nicotine Salt Vape Juice
As we just mentioned, you have the freedom to use whatever nicotine strength you want if you own a smaller vaping device because your device produces small vapor clouds. One thing you should know, though, is that there are two types of e-liquids: freebase nicotine e-liquid and nicotine salt vape juice. With a very small vaping device, it’s generally best to use nicotine salt e-liquid because it’s easier on the throat. Freebase nicotine has an alkaline pH, and some people find that it can cause coughing and throat irritation if its nicotine strength is high. Nicotine salt e-liquid, on the other hand, has a more neutral pH and is therefore smoother and easier to inhale. If vaping makes you cough – and you’re using a small mouth-to-lung vaping device – you may find that switching to nicotine salt vape juice eliminates the coughing.
Without a doubt, one of the best nicotine salt e-liquids on the market today is Lemon Tart by Dinner Lady Salts. While some other nicotine salt vape juice brands seem to focus almost exclusively on fruit-and-menthol blends, this is an e-liquid that captures a genuine full-fledged dessert in vapor form. It begins with a buttery pie crust base and layers on a note of sweet-and-sour lemon curd that's absolutely irresistible.
Consider Trying a Menthol E-Liquid
If you find that vaping irritates your throat and causes you to cough regardless of the nicotine strength you use, then you should consider trying an e-liquid that can alleviate the throat irritation. Menthol e-juice is the perfect solution if you want to stop coughing when vaping. Menthol is extremely soothing to the throat, which is something you already know if you’ve ever used a cough drop or smoked a menthol cigarette.
What you may not know, though, is that menthol e-liquids and menthol cigarettes actually have very little in common. In cigarettes, menthol isn’t there to enhance the flavor; it’s just there to mask the harshness of the smoke and stop you from coughing. In vape juice, though, menthol is a flavor in its own right. When you experience the cool rush of an e-liquid that has the iciness of the menthol without the harshness of the smoke, you’ll understand why menthol vape juice has so many ardent fans. These days, e-liquid makers are also using menthol to enhance other vape juice flavors like fruit and candy.
Not sure which menthol e-liquid to try first? Try a bottle of Clear Sapphire by Pod Juice. Available in strengths of 3, 6 and 12 mg -- along with nicotine free -- this e-liquid has no flavor except menthol and is exactly what you want if you're looking for a vaping experience that's straightforward, satisfying and very smooth.
Replace Your Coil if You’re Getting a Burnt Flavor
When you vape, do you find that the coughing is accompanied by a burnt flavor? Has the burnt flavor gradually become more intense as you’ve continued to use the same atomizer coil? Over time, residue from your e-liquid will cause a dark film to collect on your atomizer coil. Over time, the residue will become thicker and darker. E-liquid residue – vapers call it coil gunk – eventually becomes so thick that it’ll cause severe throat irritation and coughing when you vape. Replacing your atomizer coil will alleviate the problem. The sweeter your vape juice is, the more often you’ll need to replace your coil.
You May Prefer the Direct-to-Lung Inhaling Style
The final thing that you should consider if you’re having trouble vaping without coughing is that you might have a more enjoyable experience if you switch to an e-liquid with a drastically lower nicotine strength. In other words, you should consider using a direct-to-lung vaping device and switching to a nicotine strength of 3 mg/ml.
If you’re currently using a mouth-to-lung vaping device, it’s possible that your e-liquid has a nicotine strength in the range of 50 mg/ml. You might assume that there’s no way you could decrease your nicotine strength so much without compromising your satisfaction. A direct-to-lung vaping device makes up for the difference, though, because it produces much larger vapor clouds and therefore uses a great deal more e-liquid per puff. The benefit of using a direct-to-lung vaping device is that, since the nicotine strength of your e-liquid is so much lower, there’s no throat hit. Making that change should alleviate the coughing and make vaping more enjoyable for you.